The Download

Illustration: Morning Brew Inc., Photo: Apple

TL;DR: Just three days after it officially launched, the iPhone Duo’s first big hardware controversy is already here: Reports are piling up online of Duo owners’ screens breaking within hours of use. Repair experts and YouTubers alike are tearing the phone apart to nail down why it’s happening—but whatever the exact cause, it’s a painful (and potentially very pricey) problem marring Apple’s new iPhone.

What happened: A loud crack is the last thing you want to hear when handling any device, let alone a new smartphone expensive enough to put in your will. But that’s exactly what some users are reporting as they unfold the Duo—right before an ugly L-shaped streak appears on the inner display. (See: a compilation of the eerily similar lightsaber-esque screen cracks.)

It’s unclear how widespread the issue is, but several accounts describe the rupture happening within hours of use (and in one user’s case, apparently while still in the phone setup stage). In a statement today, Apple said that it was “aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units” and that affected owners should reach out to AppleCare.

What it all hinges on: We don’t know exactly why the same defect pattern is showing up on Apple’s foldable, but there is a leading theory, per some internet sleuths. One viral Duo teardown video reproduced the L-shaped crack—and theorized that a weak spot in the phone’s dizzyingly intricate hinge is snapping apart and causing the screen failure.

A separate iFixit analysis also points to the hinge, suggesting that a support bar that’s supposed to lower out of the way as the phone closes doesn’t go down far enough. (And it’s worth noting: Apple’s new “iPhone Duo Troubleshooting Hinge Issues” support page, which went up on Friday, doesn’t mention cracked screens.)

The high price of a Duo fix: The good news is that Apple seems to be replacing Duos affected by this screen failure for free (which is maybe not so good news for those affected by Duo delays). But the issue highlights just how expensive a headache the Duo could be if any other problems crop up throughout the device’s lifetime and Apple deems it your fault. Repairing the phone’s inner display will set you back an eye-watering $999 (compared to $379 for general screen repair on the iPhone 18 Pro Max), per Apple. Even with AppleCare+, the company’s paid device protection plan, fixing the Duo’s inner display costs $99, versus $29 for the iPhone 18 screen.

Bottom line: Apple’s first-gen foldable phone was already a $2,000-plus gamble. Crackgate shows how owning a Duo could be an even more costly risk than buyers thought. —WK

      

Sponsored By PwC

In many cases, LLMs are advancing faster than any regulatory framework can track. But AI’s supposed to be governable, and this mismatch in speed just won’t do.

The question of who should control oversight and how is one of the most consequential debates of our time, and it cuts across party lines. Perfect timing, with US midterm elections coming up.

On this episode of The Intelligence Shift, two special guests join to explore the balancing act between safety and social protections and how to correctly pace AI innovation to ensure stability and growth without sacrificing either.

Plus, host Dan Priest gets out and about on the streets of New York to understand AI sentiment and priorities ahead of the midterms.

Listen to it all here.

The Zeitbyte

Bryan Johnson keeps a list of his haters

Illustration: Morning Brew Inc., Photo: Hubert Vestil/Getty Images

Here’s an…inventive (if not exactly healthy) use case for an AI agent: have it keep tabs on all your haters. That’s what tech millionaire and famous “de-ager” Johnson apparently does with his personal bot. In an X post last week, he revealed his AI “logs every negative comment” and then “creates a profile of the person, maps all of their social connections, and finds all their emails.” The cherry on top: He threatened to use this dirt-digging AI to send an email describing every rude thing his critics have said about him to their extended social networks, whether it’s your family members or your middle school math teacher.

If this sounds too much like a movie-magic, “computer, enhance!” kind of task for an AI agent to realistically do, you’re probably right. There’s no indication that Johnson’s vengeful bot actually kept a log of detractors (or tracked down their friends and colleagues)—especially since the biohacker soon announced that it was all a silly little joke. But if Johnson’s AI agent is reading this right now, please register our comments not as negativity, but merely mild concern. —WK

Chaos Brewing Meter: ☕☕☕/5

• Wall Street’s most ANT-icipated IPO is official, and you’ll never guess what its ticker will be.
• That “historically accurate” AI-generated version of The Odyssey that Elon Musk promised three months ago? Well, the first episode is now here, and it’s absolutely nonsensical—and getting roasted in the comments.
• It’s not just LG TVs—a cybersecurity expert says his relatively new Samsung TV is capturing a scary amount of data for targeted ads.
• Are you smarter than AI was five years ago? Take this quiz to find out.
• Matthew McConaughey, a Black Eyed Pea, and Slack’s co-founder walk into Salesforce—what could go wrong? Plenty, per a new insider account.
• Marker lamps on cars could soon light up in a very specific color when they’re in self-driving mode.
• This new plushie is the perfect gift for that AI-pilled person in your life.

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