iphone 4s wifi greyed out.

Yes, we've seen this before. But what does that matter?

By "serious problem" Apple is telling you it cannot be fixed outside of replacement.

YOU are still the one with a phone that comes with a one-year warranty, with the option of extending that to 2 years. You are just mad your product isn't working and Apple won't take all the cost of a new phone on for you. A 4S is $549 new and unlocked.

Does it make sense for you to replace yours? Maybe: if you want a fully working one to sell or give away. But don't kid yourself you can still make money on that phone.

No, Apple has full confidence in their hardware...what some see as a big problem is actually a problem for only a very small number of users. On here you only see the users with a problem, not those who have no problems.

During the last three months, that is ONLY three months, Apple sold 31 Million iPhones...if a dozen or two dozen people complain about a problem, you are talking about an extremely small percentage of the iPhone users. By offering to replace the iPhone that is out of warranty with another for only $199 is in reality very generous. An automobile manufacturer would never offer such a deal to such a small number of buyers.

If you want to replace your iPhone with a unit that has been refurbished and tested to work properly or keep the one you have is your option. If it were me, I would go for the one that I know would be working.

If they are doing this it is because your present iPhone has no warranty...and they are offering you one with a 90 day warranty...that is three months more warranty than you currently have. Sounds like a good deal.

I'm really curious about how many exactly are the users affected by this problem. And I think this is isolated to the iPhone 4S with and iOS of 6.1.3

If Apple decides to look into this matter, then they can already narrow down the manufactured iPhone 4S and determine a possible trend with batches that were reported to have this problem.

I agree that if it is out of warranty then Apple can only offer a solution that comes with a cost. That is fine. But by saying the number is insignificant compared to how many Apple sold for this period is not something that most customers will accept or happy to hear about.

It is sickening that how many users here think that if Apple screw up on the wifi, then deal with it. If you are out of warranty, then it is your own problem. The fact is, there is something wrong with the wifi to begin with and the update to OS 6.1.3 revealed the problem. Why should I pay another $200 dollars for a replacement to fix a problem that was not caused by me, but rather due to Apple's inability to consistently manufacture good quality products. I understand that sometimes problem occurs, but it should not be the consumers who took the blame. Apple should replace the iphone if there is a wifi grayed out problem regardless if the iphone is still in warranty. I was lucky that my iphone was malfunctioned before the warranty expires, but it is obvious through my interaction with the technicians at the Genius Bar that it is a manufacturer's error. If my phone is out of warranty and they try to charge me $200 to fix a problem that exists the time when the phone was purchased, I promise you that I will sue them for it. I think a lot of the commenters here did not speak in the perspective of a consumer, but rather in a tone of a manufacturer. So don't listen to them. Be assertive and ask them to replace the faulty product even if the warranty expires, because you are not the one who is making the faulty phone and thus you should not be paying for their error.

How much warranty does your current phone have? Your replacement device will have 90 days OR hwoever much was left on your original device, if it was greater than 90 days. So, you aren't losing ANYTHING, and possibly gaining warranty time. And since they quoted you the Out Of Warranty price, your original iPhone was almost definitely already OUT OF WARRANTY.

So... you're getting a replacement device that has a warranty, compared to a device that has NO warranty.

LOL! Good one!

Um, if your device performed as promised during the warranty period, then you have no recourse. You should have purchased the extended warranty for $99/$69.

Failed before warranty expired = FREE REPLACEMENT

Failed after warranty expired = 66% DISCOUNT (on average)

How exactly are you getting a raw deal? And a hardware defect is not the only thing that can cause greyed-out wifi... so should Apple replace all greyed-out wifi issues?

Name me one tech manufacturer that replaces, for free, any & all devices that have problems after the warranty period has expired.

Agreed. In a consumer market, you obey the terms of purchase and warranty, and you don't have a "right" to a free replacement unless the manufactures puts that in the agreement. Apple is an honorable company.

Of course, no one has a right to a free replacement of a product out of warranty. The point is there is a massive number of customers who have a "wireless" problem. Apple, in offering a $200 swap with a a joke of a 90 day warranty, is not coming clean with loyal Apple customers. I have iMac, iPhones, iPods, Apple TV, iPads, etc., as I thought this was a company that 'thought' different. This is the first time I have had a product problem, but for Apple to not be proactive on this is a major disappointment. OK, so I am stupid or naive. Just means I should not get hung up on brand, and should shop around a bit more. Don't expect anything special from Apple.

In response to the notion that a car manufacturer would not replace a car:

When a car is manufactured with a faulty part that causes problems, the car manufacturer sends out letters to the vehicle owners to have their vehicles taken to a repair facility or servicer to have the faulty part changed for a new one FREE OF CHARGE, not for a reduced fee or for a new car. The fact that APPLE knows of this issue and has not taken this action will have me as an apple customer of multiple devices switching to a more reputable company and selling my Apple Stock.

So the car-to-iPhone comparison isn't "Apples to Apples" forgive the pun.

STILL your logic is ONLY based on the assumption that it is a faulty part in ALL iPhones so that Apple (if they're a good business) will offer to replace phones for. (As wi-fi is built on to the logic board of an iPhone, it alone cannot be replaced)

I've still seen car manufacturers aware of a certain faulty part that COULD fail in vehicles but did not RECALL it (thus not replacing it for free if it fails for certain customers) Which a recall would make the offer for free repair.

You also assume Apple is hiding something from you/and thus charging you if you want it fixed. Anyone that thinks leaving Apple products is a threat is ridiculous. If it makes YOUR life better to trust Samsung over Apple or whatnot...go ahead - I dare you.

You are obviously upset and disturbed by something that someone said or has done to you.

No one on this forum is asking for a free phone or replacement.

What we need is for our wifi to work. If apple admits it was a mistake on their part, we do not want to hear that we have to pay to correct apple's mistake.

Very simple. No analogies necessary. Take accountability and correct your own mistakes.

As far as threats. There are none. Simply smart investing.

You are right, it's simple.

Phone doesn't work outside of warranty- use it or pay to replace it.

Smart investing is deciding whether you want to roll the dice on the parts and labor of your product that you bought all the while trusting that the company will offer repairs for something it finds is warrantable across all their devices.

@ karma: What is this 'massive number' that you refer to? What research have you done to support that claim? What is the approximate number of users affected by this? What is the percentage of the customer base? Or are you basing your opinion solely on personal experience?

If you want a full year of warranty, purchase a new device. Apple is offering a replacement at at 66% discount. Are you expecting the FULL warranty without paying the FULL price?

@ mburgos: A car is not a phone. There are different regulations in regards to those totally different devices. For an electronic device, if it operates, as promised, during the warranty period, then the manufacturer has no further obligation. Compare to something more reasonable, such as a television set.

Also, this particular symptom can have multiple root causes. Two different devices can have two different reasons for this failure.

Your expectations are flawed for this situation.

I'm Really Fed Up, I've Been Told I Have To Pay £148.00 To Have My IPhone 4S Fixed Because I Simply Updated My Software To IOS 6.1.3 & The Wifi Greyed Out & Bluetooth Stopped Working! Of Course That Must Be My Fault & Because It's 140 Days Out Of Warranty I Have To Pay? Scandalous! I've Always Used Apple But They Have Really Gone Down In My Estimation Now, Terrible For A Phone That Was So Costly To Begin With!!!

Thank you Ralph,

Worked like a charm.

Richard