A number of iPhone 4 owners are reporting that their new phones arrived with portions of the screen exhibiting a brown or yellow discoloration. Mac Rumors reports that users on both its forums and on Apple’s Support Discussion forums are complaining of the hardware issue. At least one iPhone 4 owner was told to take their problematic device to the nearest Apple Store Genius Bar, although the same representative admitted that there are no replacement units available at this time. It is unclear how widespread the issue may be, but it appears to be affecting a non-trivial number of users. [Photo by Apple forum member elitemrp]
Update: An AppleInsider forum member named austingaijin claims that the discoloration should dissipate within a few days of use. He states, “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.” [via Engadget]