Apple Inc has been sued by owners of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones who say a design defect causes the phones’ touchscreens to become unresponsive, making them unusable.
According to a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit filed on Saturday, Apple has long been aware of the defect, which often surfaces after a flickering gray bar appears atop the touchscreens, but has refused to fix it.
The plaintiffs linked the problem to Apple’s decision not to use a metal “shield” or “underfill” to protect the relevant parts, as it did on versions of the iPhone 5, Reuters reported.
“The iPhones are not fit for the purpose of use as smartphones because of the touchscreen defect,” according to the complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, California.
Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania are named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which accuses Apple of fraud and violating California consumer protection laws. They seek unspecified damages.
Apple did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment.
New iPhone Next Week
This is while Apple is expected to show off a new iPhone next week when the company holds its fall product launch event in San Francisco.
The tech giant announced the date for the September 7 launch by sending out invitations to technology journalists and industry analysts on Monday.
Apple didn’t provide any details, in keeping with its usual practice, but it traditionally announces one or two new iPhone models at its annual September event, Physics.org reported.
The Cupertino, a California company sold more than 214 million iPhones over the last 12 months. But sales are down from a year ago, and analysts will be watching closely to see what changes Apple has made in the newest models.
