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My wife's iPad 2 is having a weird screen/touch issues.

In a particular part of the screen (near the middle bottom on the left side if holding in portrait with the home button down), it just doesn't respond to touch, most of the time.

Some things we saw were:

  • can not move icons above a fake 'line' on the screen, they just drop back to where they were or near by
  • When using a drawing app, you just would not get lines here (Paper actually thought it was more inputs, and kept doing that redo gesture)
  • Maps just stutters when you hit that point, but works fine

The area seems to move/grow/contract, which is really odd. I feel like this is due to touch response in the app we are using, as in, icons on springboard are aligned to a grid, maps doesn't expect constant input, etc.

At one point, the display seemed to loose its mind. It was registering multiple taps, responding to taps in areas we didn't tap, etc.

I tried restoring the device, but that did not fix it.

I figure this is a hardware issue, but not knowing too much about screens on the iPad, what would have to be replaced? Most of my searches just say 'take it to the Apple store', but I am looking to see what would have to be replaced and how much it would be, to determine if it would be worth repairing or just replacing.

Update: Here is a video (not mine) that has almost the exact same issue

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You knew someone was gonna say it, so I had to say the magic words.:) –  bmike Dec 12 '12 at 19:37
Yeah, our store here is so annoying, id rather spend the money fixing it (or buying her a new one) than spending 5 nanoseconds at our genius bar for this. A phone call to ask the specific replacement cost was 'oh, I can't give you prices on exact repairs because only after a genius appointment do we know what we need to do'. Comment was made that we know what needs work, and they said 'well, I won't tell you, call AppleCare'. –  jmlumpkin Dec 12 '12 at 20:33
Push back next time you call AppleCare. Ask what the replacement cost is for your model so you can decide whether to set up mail in service. Don't get into them thinking they have to diagnose it over the phone - say you know it's broken, it's not been crushed or physically damaged, but the screen doesn't respond to touch and ask for a quote to repair it assuming it's repairable. Also, if you get crappy service, ask for a survey and fill it out. If it's in store - ask for the email of the store manager and send them this link along with why you feel so unsupported. –  bmike Dec 12 '12 at 21:03
Did you recently have the screen replaced? I have the same issue and it happened shortly after replacing my screen. Also, please let me know if and ho you resolved the issue thanks! –  user56237 Sep 1 '13 at 5:31
Screen has never been replaced. Device pretty much sits and collects dust now unless the kid wants to play with it. Plan on possibly just selling it as slightly defective to make a few bucks off it. –  jmlumpkin Sep 23 '13 at 14:23

3 Answers 3

Take it to the Apple store. They will not only help you be sure it's hardware but explain how they would get you an equivalent device for a known cost with Apple's warranty on the "repaired" iPad part. They might even be able to speculate if the case shows damage that might make a determination if it's more/less likely that you have a wiring or glass/digitizer issue.

Then you can decide if you want to buy a used iPad and try to scavenge parts or buy a new digitizer and roll the dice to guess if it's the screen or the connector or the chipset on the main board that turns the raw signals into a touch event.

Once you know your "official cost to replace" you can decide if you want a DIY project or perhaps pay someone that repairs iPads professionally to offer a repair that might be cheaper than Apple's but have less of a warranty than getting something factory made or factory refurbished.

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That is mostly what I was thinking, and may just end up scheduling something just to see what to do next with it. If anything I would keep it around as a spare for development or for our new son to play with. –  jmlumpkin Dec 12 '12 at 20:35

If you have a screen protecter take it off and wipe the iPad with a damp rag.

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Replaced my screen with a aftermarket few years ago. Started losing touch around the edges and keyboard response slowed down. Progressively got worse.Installed new aftermarket screen of which have come down in price greatly. Seems like they somehow wear out as fixed the problem. Don't know if this can happen with factory screen but fixed my situation.

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