A Wall Street Journal report yesterday said that Apple’s Watch launch problems are related to a specific internal component of the device, one that’s essential for the device’s functionality and overall user experience: the taptic engine that produces vibrations on the wrist for various purposes. Since the story first appeared, Re/code said that no faulty Apple Watch units have been shipped to buyers, citing sources familiar with the matter, prompting Apple enthusiast John Gruber to wonder whether that’s really the case.
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“Apple identified a flaw in a critical component of its Apple Watch before any of them were shipped to consumers, according to people with knowledge of the matter,” Re/code said in its “No defective Apple Watches reached consumers” post.
The publication also quoted an analyst who said he believes “no faulty Apple Watches were shipped to consumers,” without revealing more details about his findings.
“Apple doesn’t plan a recall, because there’s no indication that Apple shipped any watches with the defective part to customers,” the Journal said in its report. Gruber said the Journal added this paragraph in the article after it was initially published.
Furthermore, Gruber points out that some Watches shipped to consumers “do have faulting taptic engines,” including his and a reader’s unit.
“I don’t know how anyone outside Apple would know whether faulty or possibly faulty taptic engines from AAC shipped to consumers,” Gruber said regarding Re/code’s report, including the analyst’s beliefs. “But signs suggest that some of them — even if just a handful — did ship.”
However, this doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem — or at least, not yet.
