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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > strange lines across screen !?...

strange lines across screen !?...
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nuno1959
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Albufeira, Portugal
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May 6, 2013, 07:31 AM
 
Hi Guys

for some reason i have no clue about, my trusty iPhone 3GS has started showing these lines or stripes horizontally across its screen.
in everyday use they don't REALLY interfere but they ARE annoying & i'm afraid if left unattended they might develop into something worse ?
if the screen background is clear ( white, tray, etc.. depending on app used ) the lines display as black & vice versa - very odd....

please check photo here :
the ''freakish lines'' | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

as you can see on the attached photo, i chose to photograph the iPhone's screen just before it disconnects so you can clearly see the lines

does anyone have ANY idea why this is happening ? & how to cure it if possible...

any help will be VERY welcome, many thanks in advance

cheers

Nuno
     
ibook_steve
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May 6, 2013, 12:15 PM
 
Dead pixels. Not much you can do other than get a new screen, which is probably not worth it for a 3GS.

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
Patrick
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May 6, 2013, 04:59 PM
 
Or could it be the GPU? Either way, you'd have to send it in to get it fixed.
     
subego
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May 6, 2013, 11:33 PM
 
I vote dead (stuck) pixels.
     
sunman42
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May 7, 2013, 03:45 PM
 
I don't mean to show a lack of respect for you or anyone else with a phone that is at least 35 months old (according to Mactracker, the 3GS was last produced in 2010 June), but it is clear from Apple's only offering two years' of service for iPhones under AppleCare that it expects to sell you a new phone by that time. That may or may not be because it doesn't expect the hardware to last that long, but they probably convolve average wear and tear with their own knowledge of suppliers' expectations for the longevity of the components to come up with that time period for how long it makes economic sense for them to do so.

It's a shame we can't have durability and repairability along with thinness/speed/marvelous capabilities, or at least the vast mass of customers have not demanded them --- they appear to prefer new eye candy every six months. You are using a device that is being sold to a consumerist culture, rather than a preservationist one.
     
Waragainstsleep
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May 7, 2013, 03:56 PM
 
If you know where to look (try eBay) a screen for a 3GS shouldn't be too much money at all. Certainly cheaper than a new phone. They aren't that hard to fit in the 3GS either.

Sad part is you'll need to replace the digitizer and the LCD as they are glued together.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
nuno1959  (op)
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May 7, 2013, 04:46 PM
 
Hi Guys

& thanks for your input !

yes this phone has some mileage & since the ''diagnostic'' i got in every forum where i posted my trouble revolves around the LCD, i think i'll go to Amazon & find out the LCD/digitizer that seems to have most stars & order one - my guess being that an original Apple part will make it too expensive

or i'll just leave it as it is. there are very few apps where these stripes are a nuisance....

at the end of the day yes i know these things are almost like disposable lighters, razors, pens & have a life expectancy this one has surely surpassed in the eyes of it's maker but fact is....it works BLOODY GREAT !! battery lasts a long time, after cradling it it charges in a jiffy, it IS a nice piece of tech...

anyway, won't take anymore of your time. again many thanks for all your kind assistance

cheers to all

Nuno
     
   
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