Should you worry about your iPhone 6 plus bending? Apple Responds

Apple tests iPhone 6 bend issue

Apple’s latest and greatest products are subject to both, a lot of media attention and scrutiny. Every year the company outperforms its previous iPhone sales records and this year was no exception. Apple sold more than 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus in the opening weekend.

10 million is a huge number of early adopters who probably just saw Apple’s executive team announce the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus and instantly decided to buy it. Customers have time and again shown their trust in the Apple brand and the company has managed to retain their trust.

This year after a few reports and photos of bent iPhone 6 plus appeared online, YouTuber Lewis of Unbox Therapy went ahead and posted a video of him bending an iPhone 6 plus and it did noticeably bend under a lot of pressure. It didn’t take long for the video to go viral and the entire blogosphere and the media started discussing the issue.

Apple has mastered the aluminium unibody design introduced first in MacBook Pro’s and then the iPhone 5. Samsung continues to manufacture its flagship devices made of plastic, however Apple remains committed to aluminium unibody. Most reviews are quick to point out that plastic feels cheap whereas metal body gives devices a high-end premium look and feel.

Many would expect Apple to be aware of any bending issue if it exists since their product engineering teams have been working with metals since a long time. Could Apple have made a huge mistake and put its multi-billion dollar business in jeopardy with its decision to stick with aluminium body for iPhone 6? Didn’t Apple test the device enough before bringing it to the market?

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These are some of the most obvious questions that would come to anyone’s mind. So, what really went wrong?

After a brief period of silence Apple released an official statement and even invited the press to the iPhone testing facility in Cupertino. It turns out that according to Apple only 9 out of the ten million users who bought the new phones have reported any bending issue. Dan Ricco, Apple’s SVP Hardware Engineering said, “The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it’s going to deform,”.

Put pressure on iPhone 6

The most secretive company in the world opened its gate for the press to see how the devices are tested. iPhone 6 and 6 plus could be seen going through a number of testing scenarios where the device was put under weight, being bent and even being pushed against a curved piece of cloth to simulate pressure in ones pocket.

Simulating iPhone 6 in pocket

According to Apple, iPhones go through more than 15,000 different types of tests and iPhone 6 was the first device to go through the most number of tests ever done.

Apple has been in a similar situation before, when the iPhone 4 was introduced the “Antennagate” issue was reported. If you held the iPhone 4 in a closed grip covering both sides the signal would drop. The company held a special press conference where Steve himself faced the media and saying that every phone when held in a particular position results in loss of signal bars. The company said it would fix its algorithms to show the correct number of signal bars and even gave free bumper case to its customers.

This time the issue seems to be rare and could occur only under uncommon circumstances. The truth is your iPhone will bend if you intentionally or unintentionally put more than “normal” pressure on it and this is true for most devices.

It is noteworthy to mention that smartphone insurance company SqaureTrade tested both new phones and found them to be the toughest iPhone yet.

Are you worried about your iPhone 6 plus bending? Do you think Apple’s response was appropriate? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{Photos Credit: The Verge}

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2 Comments on “Should you worry about your iPhone 6 plus bending? Apple Responds”

  1. R Wong

    I believe Apple has said they will replace
    Any 6plus that bends in normal use. At the sole discretion of a ‘genius’ after inspection. I. E. Do not bend on purpose or at least have a good ‘back pocket’
    Story.

  2. felix van

    answer was more than appropriate…they should have shown a test with the samsum , same size to show any difference…

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