Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), two bitter rivals, on many occasions have coincided with the timing of their announcement, be it related to a new device, patent claims, etc. This time both the leading smartphone makers have issued alerts on some technical glitch in their phones. Recently, Apple announced a free-of-cost replacement program for some of its iPhone 5 handsets with a faulty sleep / wake button. Similarly, Samsung acknowledged that some of its Galaxy S5 handsets have been shipped with a non-functioning camera.
Samsung Galaxy S5 may have broken camera
The Korean company announced that any user who bought an S5 with a faulty camera must immediately get in touch with the company’s customer service or their mobile operator to get the phone replaced.
According to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), a “very limited” number of devices has been shipped with the fault. The Korean company has found the cause of the fault and claims to have taken appropriate steps to ensure that such a problem does not reoccur in the future. The company revealed no information on the number of affected handsets but said that the issue had been reported in the U.S. and many other countries.
In a statement, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) said that it had discovered the issue and it “affects a very limited portion of early production Galaxy S5 units and was caused by complications in the read-only memory component which stores the information necessary to operate the camera.”
Problem with some of Apple iPhone 5 sleep/wake button
Meanwhile Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also claimed the iPhone 5 glitch affects a “small percentage” handsets. The iPhone maker, saying the fault is a manufacturing defect, said that the sleep / wake button stopped working or only worked intermittently.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it will replace the sleep / wake system in the affected devices free of charge. And to help users check if their iPhone qualifies for a replacement, the company has created a web page where users can check their device by entering the serial number of the handset. The technical glitch is expected in iPhone 5 handsets that have been manufactured before May 2013.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s replacement program will start on April 28 for U.S. users, while for other users, the roll-out will be on May 2. To replace their devices, owners could visit an Apple store or mail their device to the repair center.
