Apple Admits a Small Number of iPhone Duo Screens Are Already Failing

Apple says a "small number" of iPhone Duo units are already suffering screen failures, and the hinge that the company has promoted as precision-engineered appears to be part of the problem. The admission comes early in the device's life, before the phone has reached a broad customer base.

The reported cause is the hinge itself. Some displays are apparently being damaged by the mechanism, which is a notable concern for a device whose design depends on that moving part. Apple has described the affected group as small, but the available information does not say how many units are involved or how many customers have reported problems.

That leaves several open questions. It is not yet clear whether the failures trace to a manufacturing defect in certain production batches or to a design issue that could affect more units over time. Buyers considering the phone will likely want to know whether Apple plans a repair program or other remedy, and whether the problem can be fixed through software or hardware changes.

We will update this story if Apple provides more detail on the scope of the failures or how it plans to address them.