iPhone’s Touch IC Disease pandemic triggers lawsuit

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3D Touch app switching
An insidious defect is effecting iPhone 6 owners.
Photo: Ste Smitch

Touch IC Disease, a glitch with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that results in gray, flickering bars at the top of the devices’ screens and a loss of touch sensitivity, has earned Apple its latest class-action lawsuit.

Caused by an apparent design flaw in the iPhone 6 series, Touch IC Disease is more prevalent among the larger iPhone 6 Plus devices. While the problem made headlines for the first time last week, a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Saturday claims Apple has long been aware of the defect, which can render devices useless.

Apple has been slow to address the design flaw, which was spotted by independent repair shops as early as last year. Some iPhone 6 units exhibited a failure related to the Touch IC chips that handle all the touch activity on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple’s decision to not use a metal shield and underfill on the iPhone 6 logic board is listed as the reason why Touch IC Disease affects these devices.

“The iPhones are not fit for the purpose of use as smartphones because of the touchscreen defect,” the plaintiffs claim in a federal court filing obtained by Reuters.

The sticker Apple substituted for the metal shield on those devices doesn’t do nearly as good a job of protecting the chips on the board when the device bends. And because of the placement of the iPhone 6 Plus’ Touch IC chip, it is especially susceptible to damage.

The plaintiffs in the case are listed as Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania. Apple has not responded to Cult of Mac’s request for comment on the pending lawsuit.

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