A defect found in some iPhone 5 display panels may result in short supply next month, suggesting that Apple’s iPhone launch may once again be marred by angry customers unable to get their hands on Apple’s latest and greatest. DigiTimes reported on Friday that Apple display supplier Wintek has identified a defect called a “delayed bubble” in some display panels may affect its ability to meet Apple’s supply demands. Read on for more.

The defect described involves a bubble that appears between the panel and the lamination layer only after the displays are sent out for assembly. Wintek would not confirm or deny the report when contacted by DigiTimes for comment, though it did state that all of its products are being delivered on schedule. According to the report, Apple’s fourth-quarter shipment goal for the iPhone 5 is in the 25-26 million unit range. Wintek is estimated to be supplying between 20% and 25% of the display panels used in Apple’s iPhone 5.

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Brian Wallace, the Vice President of digital marketing and media at Research In Motion, has reportedly left the BlackBerry maker for Samsung — the top cell phone company in the U.S. According to Advertising Age, Wallace will pick up at Samsung as Vice President of strategic marketing for the U.S. Instead of focusing on digital media, Wallace will also work on branding and offline media. Research In Motion announced its first-quarter earnings yesterday and missed analyst estimates for the quarter. The firm shipped 500,000 units of its new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but also said that it would have to reduce its workforce. 

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The Motorola DEFY might be rugged enough to withstand a long drop, a dust storm and even a monsoon, but it looks as though countless units around the world couldn’t even endure the manufacturing process. Hundreds of DEFY users from markets across the globe have taken to forums complaining of the same problem — the ear speaker stops working within the first few days of use. Owners are able to hear callers fine when using the handset’s loudspeaker, but the ear speaker remains nonfunctional. Some users have attempted to take the phone apart and repair the speaker themselves, though this is not advisable. Motorola has yet to confirm or deny the issue publicly, but affected handsets are being repaired or replaced under warranty.

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Another day, another problem for the iPhone 4. Today’s hot topic issue deals with its proximity sensor. According to a group of concerned iPhone owners on 9to5mac, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4 isn’t quite sensitive enough and carriers a large potential for in-call issues. Users are reporting that the sensor has a tendency to think the phone is away from one’s face when it is in fact not. This can lead to user’s cheeks doing everything from muting calls to hitting the end button. Our devices aren’t suffering from this issue, but based upon what we’ve read there are quite a lot that are. How is your proximity sensor working out?

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There’s no way to verify this until we get a few more days behind us, but a forum user from AppleInsider is claiming that those hideous yellow splotches affecting some iPhone 4 Retina displays will go away after a couple of days of use. Here’s the explanation:

Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow “blotches” will disappear.

How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.

Is this false hope, or the wonders of science? Time will tell.

Thanks, Eric!

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With any major product rollout a few hiccups are to be expected, but when they involve one of the major selling points of the new products, we imagine it must really hurt the ol’ ego. Unfortunately for Apple, the highly touted Retina display found on the iPhone 4 looks to be suffering from a pretty bad case of discoloration. Users on various Apple forums the net over are complaining that the bottom right side of their displays are stained with an unsightly yellow mark. Most devices look to be free of this problem, although we can tell you BG himself is one very unhappy camper as his personal iPhone 4 arrived today with a pretty serious case of jaundice. Anyone out there with an iPhone 4 within reach have this issue?

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For a company that goes on and on and on and on and on to infinity about how well its products are made, Apple sure has a disaster on its hands in the 27″ iMac. As many of you no doubt recall, the market-place introduction of the monstrously large desktop computer was rather disastrous as 27-inchers that didn’t happen to emerge from their boxes bearing a striking resemblance to Humpty Dumpty after his fall would either be suffering from screen flickering or a bad case of jaundice. Apple tried to fix the issue in weeks past which only led to a delay of shipments, but now word is the company finally decided enough is enough and halted the production of all 27″ iMacs until a permanent solution is found. What do existing owners have to look forward to? Likely a firmware update, but some are going so far as to float around the possibility of a recall. Either way, not good, Apple. Though we’re betting they’ll of course make it up to consumers as they always do.

Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

UPDATE: Apple says they have not, in fact, halted production. “the 27-inch iMac has been a huge hit with customers and we are working to increase supply to meet up with strong demand.”

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No, seriously. Apple just put up a new support page in response to claims from many users regarding electrical shocks received from Apple’s iPhone and iPod earbuds. The shocks are described as “small and quick”, but clearly the issue is serious enough to warrant an official response from Apple. The aforementioned support page, found below on the read link, describes the situation as follows:

When using headphones in areas where the air is very dry, it is easy to build up static electricity and possible for your ear to receive a small electrostatic discharge from the headphones. Receiving a static shock from a pair of earbuds does not necessarily indicate an issue with the iPod, iPhone, or earbuds.

This condition is very similar to dragging your feet across a carpet and receiving a static shock by touching a door knob. However, instead of the static charge building up on your body, the charge builds up on the device that the earbuds are connected to. Likewise, instead of the static buildup discharging through your finger when you touch a door knob, it discharges through the earbuds.

Apple goes on to claim this is an issue that affects equipment from other manufacturers as well and then recommends a few solutions, such as using anti-static hand lotion or wearing “clothes with natural fibers since synthetic fibers are more likely to hold a static charge.” Umm, Apple wants people to change their wardrobes because its headphones are shocking ear canals? Yeah, so we’re going to go ahead and stick to third-party headsets from here on out. Kthx.

Thanks, Tyrone!

[Via Cnet]

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