No iPhone 6 Plus Recall as Apple Readies Fixes for Reported Crashes – MLC NAND Flash Drive and iOS 8.1.1 Update
Numerous reports of crashing iPhone 6 Plus that affects the 64GB and 128GB variant will be addressed soon by Apple though the company is stopping short of ordering a mass recall, a new report said.
South Korean publication Business Korea is claiming that the iPhone maker is ready to deploy fixes that will resolve complaints of nagging bootloops and crashes involving mainly the 6 Plus in higher storage configuration.
A quick fix and long-term solution are on their way, added the report.
iOS 8.1.1 update
To be unleashed soon is Apple's latest software patch that is lumped with the iOS 8.1.1 update that will serve as the quick fix for impacted iPhone 6 Plus already in circulation. The upgrade will improve performance and stability, addressing too the latest wave of complaints aired by the larger iPhone 6 users.
No specific time frame was provided by the report but beta version of iOS 8.1.1 was seeded to developers earlier this week. Normally, the wait time is around two to four weeks before the official version is made public, experts said.
So iPhone 6 Plus owners with crashing encounters on their new toys can expect to receive the iOS bump up around December as Apple maintained that the problem is generally isolated, meaning only a few units were actually hit by the issue.
Shift from TLC to MLC NAND flash
For those planning to get the Apple phablet, the prospect looks better as Apple will reportedly discontinue the use of triple-level cell (TLC) NAND memory flash on upcoming iPhone 6 Plus shipments. The controller IC will be replaced by the faster multi-level cell (MLC) solid state flash drive.
According to Business Korea, TLC flash was initially favoured as its three bit of data per cell spec means higher storage capacity for the iPhone 6 Plus. TLC is also cheaper compared to MLC SSD flash drive.
It is unclear, however, if the shift to MLC will lead to a higher retail price for the 6 Plus, specifically its 64GB and 128GB models that Apple Store sells respectively for $849 and $949 unlocked.
There was no mention in the report too when exactly MLC NAND flash will be packed with the supersized iPhone 6 Plus, the global release date of which, along with that of the regular-size iPhone 6, is already underway.