[Anchor]
As we reported yesterday (the 26th), screen cracking issues have been popping up one after another on Apple's newly released foldable phone. In a rare move, the usually proud Apple has acknowledged the defect and decided to offer free replacements.
Reporter Hong Yeongjae looks into the background behind this decision.
[Reporter]
Videos of bewildered users expressing frustration after their screens cracked within just hours of purchasing Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, along with a continuous stream of photos and videos showing damaged screens emerging right after the launch, sparked a global "crack gate" controversy—prompting Apple to finally release an official statement.
The company stated that it is "aware of an issue affecting the inner display in a small number of iPhone Duo units" and announced that it will provide free replacements for defective products.
It is quite unusual for Apple to officially acknowledge a defect just three days after launching a new product.
This is interpreted as an assessment that the problem is serious, though the company did not disclose the cause of the defect.
Having entered the foldable phone market late—trailing competitors such as Samsung Electronics, which released its foldable phone seven years ago—Apple appears intent on nipping quality controversies in the bud right from the initial launch phase.
[Hong Yong-taek / Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University : If early users keep talking about defects, things won't go as originally intended. So their purpose is likely to apologize quickly, exchange products promptly, and internally strengthen quality control.]
[Kang Ji-hoon / Paju, Gyeonggi Province : (Apple's response) is not bad. Since it's their first foldable, as long as they handle the service and things like that well, I think it's fine.]
On second-hand trading platforms, there had been many unopened product listings from people who quickly secured initial stock and put them up for sale with a premium of over 500,000 won, but listings priced lower than the original retail price are now starting to appear one by one.
With the possibility currently being raised that the issue lies in the hinge where the screen folds, some view that if demand for product replacements increases, domestic suppliers providing parts such as LCD screens could reap secondary benefits.
(Video by Seol Chi-hwan | Video Editing by Ahn Yeo-jin | Design by Byun Da-young)
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