【Screen cracks just 3 days after launch: iPhone Duo faces a major test】
Apple$AAPL ’s first foldable-screen iPhone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale on October 23. Within days, users began reporting cracked screens near the hinge, with some saying problems appeared after fewer than 20 folds. Apple shares fell 1.44% before the market opened. The concern is clearly not just a few phones needing repairs, but whether this new product, starting at $1,999, will run into quality-control problems before production ramps up.
The number of publicly reported cases is still limited, so it’s too early to calculate the failure rate. After taking the phone apart, iFixit speculated that the hinge’s internal structure may put excessive pressure on certain parts of the screen, but the exact cause has not been confirmed. Apple has also yet to announce an official repair program.
The appeal of a foldable phone is its novelty, but what users fear most is paying a premium to become beta testers. If the problem is limited to a small number of batches, replacements and supply-chain improvements could contain the fallout. But if cracks keep appearing in the same spot, expectations for delivery, customer sentiment, and sales of this first-generation product will all need to be reassessed. What matters more than the size of the premarket drop is whether Apple can offer a clear explanation—and whether reports of new failures continue to grow.
Apple$AAPL ’s first foldable-screen iPhone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale on October 23. Within days, users began reporting cracked screens near the hinge, with some saying problems appeared after fewer than 20 folds. Apple shares fell 1.44% before the market opened. The concern is clearly not just a few phones needing repairs, but whether this new product, starting at $1,999, will run into quality-control problems before production ramps up.
The number of publicly reported cases is still limited, so it’s too early to calculate the failure rate. After taking the phone apart, iFixit speculated that the hinge’s internal structure may put excessive pressure on certain parts of the screen, but the exact cause has not been confirmed. Apple has also yet to announce an official repair program.
The appeal of a foldable phone is its novelty, but what users fear most is paying a premium to become beta testers. If the problem is limited to a small number of batches, replacements and supply-chain improvements could contain the fallout. But if cracks keep appearing in the same spot, expectations for delivery, customer sentiment, and sales of this first-generation product will all need to be reassessed. What matters more than the size of the premarket drop is whether Apple can offer a clear explanation—and whether reports of new failures continue to grow.
