14 DAY TRIAL // Manufacturing defects are nothing out of the ordinary in the tech world, and the iPhone 5 is certainly no exception to the rule. Customers are reporting all kinds of issues with certain units, and one widespread complaint seems to be in regards to a rattling sound coming from the chassis.
A lengthy thread on Apple Support Communities has been discussing the rattle issues surrounding the iPhone 5 since September 25, shortly after the phone debuted in the United States.
While most iPhones will exhibit rattling coming from the external buttons (which Apple doesn’t want perfectly fixed to the chassis, for one reason or another), these people are reporting strange noises from inside the phone’s enclosure.
Reports range from unstuck batteries to damaged camera shutters, pointing to some obvious defects occurring on the Asian production lines.
Apple will reportedly exchange faulty handsets for new ones, free of charge. All you need to do is visit your local Apple store and have them examine your own unit.
We recently covered an issue with the Sleep/Wake button on the iPhone 5 which also seems to be widespread.
Other issues that are being actively discussed on Apple’s official forums (and other forums around the web) include non-responsive touch-screens, display flickering, and other technical illnesses.
It seems that in every one of these cases Apple will replace the device for a new one without too much fuss.
In the past (before the iPhone 5 came out), customers were not able to swap their hardware so easily. Many even got turned down by the Cupertino giant.
Whether the company has undergone some policy changes internally, or whether this can be considered Apple’s admittance that Foxconn hasn’t done a pristine job assembling its latest smartphone model, it appears that any defect with the iPhone 5 is now being taken into consideration more seriously.
Given there are also widespread complaints about the iOS software, including the ill-fated Maps app, Apple is doing a great job at appeasing any unsatisfied buyers.