Did Your iPhone Catch ‘Touch Disease’?

It was a very tough week for the Lords of the Internet at Apple. YNOTCam told you about the malware issue affecting Apple iPhones iOS. The virus comes hidden in a friendly looking text with a link. If you click the link, the nasty virus wraps around your phone and other devices with its kung fu grip and accesses everything you’ve got — contacts, photos, passwords, emails and texts. #scary

Once the rare spyware issue had been identified and detailed in media reports, Apple sent out an update to iOS 9.3.5, designed to plug up the holes in their security situation immediately. They encourage users to update their phones ASAP.

A day later came news of “Touch Disease,” a hardware issue that affects iPhone 6 and 6+ models. It sounds like it’s sexually transmitted, but the terminal problem is caused by a chip on the phone’s flexible motherboard that, with use, eventually falls off. At that point, the phone’s swipe and touch functions are affected, and then your phone dies and cannot be repaired. Apple will provide a replacement if your phone is still under warranty, but many of the replacement phones are refurbished and, sooner or later, suffer from the same problem.

Tech bloggers say the telltale clue your phone has Touch Disease is a gray line that appears consistently at the top of the screen.

In fact, Touch Disease is a significant issue for Apple: A lawsuit has been filed in district court accusing the company of fraud. Three plaintiffs allege Apple is aware of the hardware flaw but refuses to repair the affected phones. According to media reports, Touch Disease is the number one issue at Apple’s Genius Bars currently, and staff is tired of confronting the problem.

Of course, the whipped cream on top of Apple’s crappy pie a la mode this week was a ruling by EU officials that levied a $14.6 billion tax fine against Apple for 20 years of unpaid taxes in Ireland. #OMG

But that’s not your problem; your problem is whether or not your damn iPhone works. If you’ve been having trouble with your phone, click here for Apple support resources.

If you’re still a true believer in Cult of Mac, you can always get the new iPhone 7, which is scheduled to drop on Sept. 7 at an invitation-only happening to take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

The always much-anticipated iPhone reveal event usually provokes rumors months in advance. This year’s model is rumored to have eliminated the headphone jack (which will require use of Bluetooth™, going forward); no more 16GB iPhone, with a new range of 32 to 256GB. Some are speculating about a waterproof design, while others predict a new color, but no one expects a huge design overhaul.

Some haters out there are wondering aloud, though, if the shine hasn’t worn off the Apple with these latest developments. The launch of iPhone 7 has been somewhat overshadowed by this week’s events, and without any significant design changes, many wonder if customers will keep the iPhone’s roll going.