Apple’s first foldable iPhone has run into early trouble, with users reporting cracked inner displays just after the device went on sale Friday, October 23.
The problem is widely recognised as “Crackgate.”
The iPhone Duo, which costs upwards of $2,000, marks the biggest design change for the iPhone in nearly 20 years. Customers have posted photos on Reddit and other social media showing horizontal cracks about two-thirds of the way down the screen when the device is open.
Some reported hearing a crunching sound while unfolding the phone, followed by a large crack forming along the centre crease.
Apple acknowledged the issues, saying it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units” and advising affected users to contact AppleCare for a replacement.
The company said most Duos aren’t affected and that impacted units exhibit the defect quickly. No recall has been announced.
Bloomberg corroborated the problem through the use of photographs of faulty products or conversations between more than half a dozen customers with Apple.
A customer from San Diego complained that the phone was feeling “stuck/harder/slower to open than usual” prior to the appearance of lines on its screen.
The controversy is not going down well with the company’s newly appointed chief executive, John Ternus, who replaced Tim Cook last month and will experience his first earnings report call next week. Ternus stated that Apple delayed the launch to ensure it would not be delivering a “cheap and crappy” product.
It came amid delays, where Apple attributed the cause of the delay to “unprecedented demand”, causing delivery dates to slip into next year.
Samsung, which was seven years behind with its own foldable phone, jumped on the opportunity by placing advertisements stating that it is “years ahead in foldables.”
