Apple: The iPhone Is Guaranteed to Last Only One Year

Megalith

Megalith

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Apple argues that it is only responsible for ensuring the iPhone lasts one year, the default warranty you get when you buy an iPhone: it’s a response to an iPhone 6 design flaw, “touch disease,” which has prompted a lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim that smartphones should work for at least two years. The fruit company insists that iPhones are "the highest quality and most durable devices."

Apple is currently fighting a class-action lawsuit over the widespread premature failure of tens of thousands of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices due to a design flaw that's become known as "touch disease." In that court case, currently being litigated in California, the plaintiffs attempted to argue that "consumers reasonably expect that smartphones will remain operable for at least two years when not subject to abuse or neglect because the overwhelming majority of smartphone users are required to sign service contracts with cellular carriers for two year periods."
 
Were the 6es really much different from the 6Ses? My 6S looks and feels the same as the day I bought it. I've had it just under two years now. No signs of it not being nearly minty-fresh. But then, I treat my devices pretty well.

Oh wait, was I not supposed to admit to owning one?


:p
 
Why should smartphones be "guaranteed" to work at all? Hell, some people drop their phones right out of the box.

My 6+ is still going strong and I got it at launch. But then again, I keep it in a case.
 
RogueTadhg said:
Why should smartphones be "guaranteed" to work at all? Hell, some people drop their phones right out of the box.
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Because it's good business and it offers some protections to consumers. Would you buy something brand new for $1000 with no guarantee that it would work when you opened the box?
 
Consumers reasonably expect two years of life out of a smartphone with a one year warranty?

Which leads me to my follow up question, does any phone manufacturer have a warranty from the manufacturer for 2 years?
 
dr_drift said:
Because it's good business and it offers some protections to consumers. Would you buy something brand new for $1000 with no guarantee that it would work when you opened the box?
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Dropping it after opening isn't the same as opening the box and not having the device work. Don't fall over from reaching
 
J3RK said:
Were the 6es really much different from the 6Ses? My 6S looks and feels the same as the day I bought it. I've had it just under two years now. No signs of it not being nearly minty-fresh. But then, I treat my devices pretty well.

Oh wait, was I not supposed to admit to owning one?


:p
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Lol.

Actually the 6 vs 6s there wasn't much difference from the outside appearance and from a user's day to day use of the phone, but internally they fixed a lot of the things that were leading to those problems that are mentioned above, like the visual tearing or display becoming non responsive. Given a choice I would not get a 6 if it was free, nice equipment but known issues.
 
Has Apple ever hidden its warranty terms? I mean, sure, they've had some issues with some models, but your two-year contract is between you and your cell service provider, not between you and the manufacturer of your phone.
 
If you can't afford the Apple tax, then stay out of the orchard :p

It only comes with a 1 year warranty, so you are on your own after that.

However, most people are buying phone they can't really afford, and making payments for 2 years.

The real solution? Stop buying something you can't afford!
 
I have the original 6 Plus now for almost 2 years, without a case and I’m a machinist. Phone still looks new and works fine. I’m posting this on it right now.
 
RogueTadhg said:
Why should smartphones be "guaranteed" to work at all? Hell, some people drop their phones right out of the box.

My 6+ is still going strong and I got it at launch. But then again, I keep it in a case.
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Well most guarantees are based on normal usage not making them fail, things like dropping them is hardly "normal usage" (sounds like more of a motor coordination problem). For instance the screens that are all cracked, are not because someone tapped the screen too hard, hence not covered. My car has a warranty of 5 years bumper to bumper, if I get into an accident that's on me having insurance to fix it not on the "car failing"
 
Looking closer, the "touch disease" as it's known, was theorized as contacts bending.

Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.

"If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device for a service price of $149."
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-6-plus-touch-disease-apple-repair-program-2016-11
 
Seriously this site sucks when it comes to shit talking click bait like this.

Now why don’t you do a few articles about how come all the other smartphones out there last forever, and never have problems...
 
Sikkyu said:
a company known for planned obsolesce makes a product with a short lifespan. Surprise?
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They are usually a step behind the curve on PC components in their Macs, they do kind of force obsolescence on their mobile devices too, but as far as just durability, they are among the best IMO. (except I suppose the glass on the back of the 4 series, and this problem with the original 6 I guess) Still overall, I've never had one of their phones break on me, or an iPad, or my MBP. I'm not a huge Apple fan either, (got the MBP for free for example, but it is built like a fucking tank and with the SSD I put in it, it's nearly indestructible, and has only one moving part.) Anyway, not trying to debate "to fruit or to not fruit", just putting forth my personal experience.
 
Megalith said:
Apple argues that it is only responsible for ensuring the iPhone lasts one year, the default warranty you get when you buy an iPhone: it’s a response to an iPhone 6 design flaw, “touch disease,” which has prompted a lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim that smartphones should work for at least two years. The fruit company insists that iPhones are "the highest quality and most durable devices."

Apple is currently fighting a class-action lawsuit over the widespread premature failure of tens of thousands of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices due to a design flaw that's become known as "touch disease." In that court case, currently being litigated in California, the plaintiffs attempted to argue that "consumers reasonably expect that smartphones will remain operable for at least two years when not subject to abuse or neglect because the overwhelming majority of smartphone users are required to sign service contracts with cellular carriers for two year periods."
Click to expand...


So what? Whats the point? They are pretty clear it carries a 12 month warranty. Your car is only guaranteed to run for 36 months. Do they plan to sue for an additional 36 months for cars too? Apple was up front what they will cover and for how long just like every other manufacturer. Dont like the default 12 month warranty? Go buy a longer one...case closed.
 
kju1 said:
So what? Whats the point? They are pretty clear it carries a 12 month warranty. Your car is only guaranteed to run for 36 months. Do they plan to sue for an additional 36 months for cars too? Apple was up front what they will cover and for how long just like every other manufacturer. Dont like the default 12 month warranty? Go buy a longer one...case closed.
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I wouldn't expect them to provide a warranty beyond the year they've given. I do expect my mobile device to actually hold up longer though if treated properly. But then, mine all have, so no complaints here. I've killed exactly one mobile phone and I've been mobile-phoning since the original Brick TM. I tossed my Galaxy S3 some-ways down the street on accident once, and shattered the whole thing. (it actually still worked though long enough to get a replacment) :D
 
Stimpy88 said:
Seriously this site sucks when it comes to shit talking click bait like this.

Now why don’t you do a few articles about how come all the other smartphones out there last forever, and never have problems...
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The verbiage could be better, but it isn't clickbait. The quote comes directly from Apple. It would be better to say that Apple guarantees the iPhone will work for at least one year per their warranty policy.
 
Bought a 6+ on launch and traded in my 4s for it which I traded my 3g in on, never had an issue with any of them. My wife did need to replace her battery on he 6 but she doesn't take care of it (after market cords, doesn't drain it properly, etc).
 
nutzo said:
If you can't afford the Apple tax, then stay out of the orchard :p

It only comes with a 1 year warranty, so you are on your own after that.

However, most people are buying phone they can't really afford, and making payments for 2 years.

The real solution? Stop buying something you can't afford!
Click to expand...

this common sense post needs to be plastered all over the internet. Drives me nuts seeing ppl crying poor but have such terrible money manangement
 
The fact that nearly all phones are only a 2-year device is appalling. $800 and even with care it no longer gets updates after a couple years. Insane.
 
Couple of thoughts:

iPhones traditionally have been pretty reliable. But their quality in recently has declined, due to the iPhone 6 specifically.

The iPhone 6 ranked as the iPhone model with the highest failure rate, at 26 percent, followed by the iPhone 6S (11 percent). Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 Plus had a failure rate of 7 percent.
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However, even with the iPhone 6 in there, Apple is still well ahead of it's competitors with regard to reliability.

In fact, Android devices had a failure rate worldwide of 25 percent – that is more than double the failure rate of iOS devices (12 percent),
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Samsung had the highest failure rate (61 percent) among all Android manufacturers.
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https://www.blancco.com/press-relea...truggle-keep-pace-performance-apples-iphones/

Second, Apple is right, they don't have a responsibility to make the device last 2 years. They don't even have a responsibility to make it last one year, they just are responsible for replacing it if it should fail within one year. These folks in California may have a case ~if~ Apple refused to repair or otherwise remedy the problem on a case by case basis inside the warranty period (which to my knowledge, hasn't occurred) - but Apple has no legal obligation to take care of it outside of the warranty period, or to manufacture their devices with any regard for reliability (safety - yes, but against breaking - they could have it break every other day, so long as they are willing to replace it every other day for the duration of the warranty).

The data clearly shows that iPhone 6 has reliability issues. It also shows that subsequent models seem to have corrected that by and large. And it further shows that even as bad as iPhone 6 was, it's still ~average~ compared to all the Android solutions out there - it was only inferior when compared versus other Apple products. Apple service isn't the cheapest option available, but it's consistently rated as one of the top companies, if not ~the~ top company, with regard to customer service and satisfaction. They do a good job leveraging their network of Apple Stores, they have good phone and remote support, and probably most importantly, they tend to emphasize empathy and understanding toward their customers.

Apple has a history of, when the fault has proven to be engineering or manufacturing related and systemic to a product, of continuing to provide support outside of the repair window. I can think of half a dozen laptops in the past 10 years where they have provided out-of-warranty coverage for particular faults. Apple is in no way obligated to do this: they can afford to do it, and do so out of good will where they can identify very specific systemic faults.

Playing Devil's Advocate: Apple would love to sell you a new phone every year, and if they can't do that, they would settle to sell you AppleCare.
 
J3RK said:
They are usually a step behind the curve on PC components in their Macs, they do kind of force obsolescence on their mobile devices too, but as far as just durability, they are among the best IMO. (except I suppose the glass on the back of the 4 series, and this problem with the original 6 I guess) Still overall, I've never had one of their phones break on me, or an iPad, or my MBP. I'm not a huge Apple fan either, (got the MBP for free for example, but it is built like a fucking tank and with the SSD I put in it, it's nearly indestructible, and has only one moving part.) Anyway, not trying to debate "to fruit or to not fruit", just putting forth my personal experience.
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why do you care? you own apple products and feel the need to defend a giant monolithic corporation so you can protect your ego? come on man. All they want is your money, and will sell you a shitty product if they can get away with it.
 
gxp500 said:
A new car should last for as long as it's bumper to bumper warranty lasts... no one would buy new cars if manufacturers had that kind of mentality. Apple should be hung out to dry for this kind of stupidity.
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Shit breaks on cars all the time after warranty. O2 sensor, alternator, starter, exhaust. You fix it and keep using it. The phone isn't destroyed because of this issue. It needs repair.
 
Sikkyu said:
why do you care? you own apple products and feel the need to defend a giant monolithic corporation so you can protect your ego? come on man. All they want is your money, and will sell you a shitty product if they can get away with it.
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Is that what I did? I don't remember defending anyone at all. Just stating that in my experience their devices are pretty durable. So you go ahead and fight the power "man" and I'll use whatever the hell tools, devices, and toys I want to use. And if, you know, I want to discuss my experiences in a forum dedicated to such things, then... I will

Not to mention I actually agreed with most of your statement. :rolleyes:
 
My wife is currently battling 'touch disease' on her 6 Plus right now. It started about a month ago and she was ready to buy a 7 but, being the techie I am, told her to wait a few weeks for Apple to release the 8. She begrudgingly agreed and now is ready to put in a pre-order tomorrow. She might have waited for the X but she doesn't really care about the screen and thinks the Face ID system is "stupid".

It's been a tough few weeks, and we've found some interesting temporary fixes during that time. The most effective fix so far is to turn off the phone, flip it over, hit it with a heat-gun for about 20-30 seconds and then grab the top and bottom of the phone in each hand and twist it for about 10 seconds. The action seems to, at least for a time, reconnect the touch-controller to the board. Usually, the fix lasts for a few days, but recently it has been lasting a day at most.

Do I blame Apple for this? Not really. My wife drops her phone at least once a day, and she's only recently had an otterbox defender case on it. Before then, she had some Insignia brand crap on it. She's had the screen replaced at least 3 times that I can remember. I'm sure there is a design flaw somewhere in the phone, but she definitely bears some of the blame.

Once the 8 comes in next week I'll be putting it right into an otterbox with a glass screen protector.
 
mnewxcv said:
Shit breaks on cars all the time after warranty. O2 sensor, alternator, starter, exhaust. You fix it and keep using it. The phone isn't destroyed because of this issue. It needs repair.
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The point here is that Apple actually said not to expect its products to last more than a year, what idiotic company says that? Imagine if gpu/cpu/memory starts failing after a year of regular use, tons of lawsuits will follow.
 
gxp500 said:
The point here is that Apple actually said not to expect its products to last more than a year, what idiotic company says that? Imagine if gpu/cpu/memory starts failing after a year of regular use, tons of lawsuits will follow.
Click to expand...

Where did Apple say not to expect their product to last more than a year? They say they don't guarantee their product to last more than a year.
 
Brian_B said:
Couple of thoughts:

iPhones traditionally have been pretty reliable. But their quality in recently has declined, due to the iPhone 6 specifically.

However, even with the iPhone 6 in there, Apple is still well ahead of it's competitors with regard to reliability.
Click to expand...

I'd disagree based on experience at work.
Yes, low end Android phone have problems, but the higher-end android are as good or better than Apple.

Maybe it's just the type of users who buy Apple phones (more likely to be sales/marketing), that happen to be harder on their phones, and end up replacing them more often.
 
nutzo said:
I'd disagree based on experience at work.
Yes, low end Android phone have problems, but the higher-end android are as good or better than Apple.

Maybe it's just the type of users who buy Apple phones (more likely to be sales/marketing), that happen to be harder on their phones, and end up replacing them more often.
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Could be something like that. However, where I work, we use Apple (corporate mandate as silly as that is) and we're industrial/manufacturing. People tend to keep the devices for quite a while too. We've got a good mix of 5S up to 7 here right now. I don't disagree about the high-end Android devices. I wouldn't put them above or below Apple, just somewhere similar. I think it very much depends on the user, and how they take care of their device though. Funny enough I think you're right in that the sales/marketing people are harder on the devices than the guys out on the floor here. :D
 
nutzo said:
I'd disagree based on experience at work.
Yes, low end Android phone have problems, but the higher-end android are as good or better than Apple.

Maybe it's just the type of users who buy Apple phones (more likely to be sales/marketing), that happen to be harder on their phones, and end up replacing them more often.
Click to expand...

Some people can't take care of a phone. Like I have yet to meet a nurse using a phone without a cracked screen.

If you are talking physical build quality, the flagships from most makers are all pretty good. If you are talking about being problem free to manage, iOS beats the shit out of android becuase they have booted 3rd party manufacturers and carriers out of the equation and are less vested in converting you to the cult of icloud than google is inconverting you to the cult of google's cloud. I get to deal with administering a ~45k user BYOD enterprise mail environment. We also have a ~100k user byod wireless environment with certs, AND a public guest network. The wireless network sees something stupid like a million authentications a day.

overall iOS is much less of a problem than android or even windows and osx for the network. Andorid is a pain in the ass for the network, mobile device management, bugs, etc.
 
It should be common knowledge by now: manufacturers have fully embraced the concept of forced obsolescence through disposable designs. They are saving so much money on R&D, testing as well as increasing the sale price. I looked up how to replace my S6 edge battery and it requires removing nearly everything including main board. There is risk breaking the back glass just to get it open and while removing the battery, again because of adhesive strips, the display and digitizer. If I break the screen, it is more cost effective to buy a new S6.

TwiceOver said:
The fact that nearly all phones are only a 2-year device is appalling. $800 and even with care it no longer gets updates after a couple years. Insane.
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Don't forget if you do receive a major OS update, the product is not thoroughly tested as the model is no longer their primary focus. It will likely introduce bugs, performance issues and feature loss overall degrading your phone. To make things worse, updates can only be declined or deferred so many times before it is forced upon you.

There is simply no reason to design or guarantee beyond one year of regular usage as it would hinder sales. Business is business and people just keep buying them, no matter how cost reduced the final product is.
 
gxp500 said:
The point here is that Apple actually said not to expect its products to last more than a year, what idiotic company says that? Imagine if gpu/cpu/memory starts failing after a year of regular use, tons of lawsuits will follow.
Click to expand...
Take a wild ass guess what any car manufacture is going to tell you when something goes wrong after their standard 36 month warranty expires but you till have 24 months left on your 60 month car loan.

The lawsuit is ridiculous but if that's their rationale and they prevail in court it's going to set an interesting precedence. First warranties will be extended out a few more years and then loans will be stretched out. New home warranties will have to cover 30 year mortgage periods instead of 10 years. This is going to be fun...
 
percydaman said:
Ironic since the person they were replying to was also reaching.
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His "reaching" was in reference to user error damage to phones.

They aren't built for that, but LG used to have a line of phones that was built for that. I've thrown a commando against a wall as hard as I can. Didn't even drop the call.
 
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