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Connecting the dots: iFixit recently dismantled the iPhone Duo to gauge its repairability and find out why so many units are being returned with broken screens just days after going on sale. The investigation could not determine the exact cause of the damage, but the team behind the teardown has proposed three plausible hypotheses based on CT scans, 3D modeling, and breakage patterns.

According to iFixit , the most plausible reason for the breakages is a malfunctioning central support bar inside the hinge. The bar is supposed to retract each time the phone closes, but it's likely failing to pull back far enough, which makes the curved part of the inner display press down against it. Repeated over time, this creates a stress point and eventually cracks at that location.

Another possible culprit is the curved rails that guide the hinge's movement.…