I really want Apple to issue a statement along the lines of "You asked for a thinner lighter phone, you got it. Now stop being an idiot and sitting on it and we'll all be fine."
This is all just incredibly stupid. The fact it bends and continues to function should be newsworthy, not the other way around.
On the other hand, I wouldn't want to spend several hundred dollars on a bendable phone, regardless if it still works. On the other other hand, I've been considering upgrading from the 5 to the 5s, so bend away!
The screen generally cracks after a bit of bending. It's more than just sitting on it too: it appears to bend fairly easily in day to day usage, far more than other similar devices.
I don't think anybody really asked for a thinner or lighter phone anyway, it's just what Apple provided.
Somewhere in my apartment there is the user manual for an Apple LaserWriter NT from 1992.
The preamble to the printer manual (yes, printers came with 300 page printed paperback manuals in those days!) included instructions such as "do not expose your LaserWriter NT to rain or adverse weather conditions; do not operate your LaserWriter NT in the shower".
Presumably due to an idiot lawsuit following an incident when someone under the misapprehension that heavy electrical appliances and water were a perfectly safe combination ...
The closest actual source I can find quickly is this printout from the LaserWriter II manual, which states (more reasonably) "Don't use devices that produce open flames, such as Bunsen burners or welding torches, near the LaserWriter II." (https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb/user/sly/Laserwriter/0303215L...)
Who asked for a thinner, lighter phone? This is a serious question, because I keep seeing this being held as a response to customer demand, when actually few asked for a thinner, lighter phone.
They wanted a larger phone, for sure, but I think one would reasonably assume structural stability for a $1000 consumer device (often bought under a pay-as-you-go loan courtesy of carrier subsidization) under fairly normal conditions.
Further this isn't "sitting on it" -- the issues seem to be coming via seemingly innocuous, but longer term, flexing in front pockets. Aluminum is not all or nothing, and will quite happily give slowly and gradually over hours.
Maybe it's all overblown -- these things tend to be on new Apple releases -- but I don't see how some can so quickly resort to blame the customer antics.
How many high-selling phones do you see that have the thickness of an iPhone 4? The trend is towards thinner and lighter. Maybe the phone manufacturers are wrong, but in general we expect our technology to get thinner and lighter.
That said, it has reached the point where I'd be ok to have slightly more weight and thickness for sturdiness and battery life. I just think thin and light are things people want.
The trend is towards a comfortable size, beyond which thinness stopped being a big selling point. The Galaxy S5, for example, is thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 4 is thicker than the Note 3.
Contrary to common notions, Apple occasionally chases specs, and the thin and light thing seems to be one of them (just as unobtanium type materials often make a big presence in Apple devices -- material specs -- regardless of suitability for purpose).
Apple makes fantastic devices, but just as some other manufacturers chase irrelevant things like octal core processors and truly absurd pixel densities, Apple does the same "not for your benefit, but for our bragging" pursuits.
Huh--I think I've been sniped by the larger screens and curves of my coworkers' Android phones. They look thinner than my 5S, but they're about the same thickness--sometimes even more. My assumption was that Apple had been playing a game of leapfrogging vs Android phones on thinness.
It would be an interesting marketing experiment if Apple released an alternative model that was fatter, e.g. the iPhone 6 Plus "Big Mac" Edition.
This unit could have a fatter battery, a sturdier chassis, a USB socket or two, and a memory slot. See how much acceptance of a thicker handset there is.
Apple's so secretive and protective of their devices that they're clearly reluctant to field test interesting new models, except maybe internally in a controlled environment. But this is precisely what they, and all manufacturers, ought to be doing.
I think this is as thin as phones are going to get. The camera is going to be the limiting factor, the bump that Apple now have proves this. However, I may be wrong and some kind of pop-out lens assembly is the solution to this.
In that case, eventually the width of the Lightning port will be the limiting factor (I'm assuming Apple will probably obsolete the headphone jack within 5 years once they work out how to recharge headphones regularly and easily)
Reviewers talk about whatever the manufacturer holds up as a feature. That has nothing to do with consumer demand. Further of course they "matter" in that you want a device to be comfortable, but your notion that customers of Apple devices demanded thinner or lighter is specious -- I have literally never seen anyone complain about prior iterations going back several generations being too thick or too heavy. It is not something anyone seemed to cry out for, despite your quick blame-the-user assessment.
Now that you have me thinking about it, the only reason I would ever want my phone to be thin is so it doesn't bulge out of my front pockets. This is why the Razr was so awesome. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why thinner would be better.
Probably the same people who use OtterBox & LifeProof cases on iPhone. Most iPhone users slap on ugly cases to protect their beautiful iPhones. Wouldn't it be much better if Apple builds an iPhone sturdy enough that it doesn't require a case?
Product managers and designers have to make the correct trade offs among the many things that people value.
The question here is if Apple got the trade-offs wrong, and made the phone too thin at the expense of something that people might care about more--putting it in a front pocket, like you can do with numerous other phones with large screens. Or are these failures simply bizarre edge cases of which we are aware because any "news" about Apple is linkbait.
I suspect this could also be related to iPhone users having had a fairly small phone to date. Slipping the iPhone into a pocket till now has been an easy practice, so I assume the same is being done out of habit with the new larger models. The new form factor (larger AND thinner) can't stand up to the stresses.
Somehow, my Galaxy Note 2 has survived the rigors of my front pocket for close to two years without bending or cracking. Phablets really aren't that big.
I've owned every generation of iPhone since the 3GS, and definitely think this is being blown out of proportion. I have a 6 (4.7"), and don't have (and doint think I ever will have) any issues with this.
However, I will say that the Galaxy Note bend video [1] in (response to the iPhone 6 Plus bend test [2]) was impressive, and shows that while metal material is more stylish, plastic seems to be much more durable. Of course, I know these are far from scientific tests, but it still seems to show some sense of durability between the two.
There are a number of magnesium alloys which while not as tanky as titanium would be I think would be viable contenders to construct the chassis out of. You could still use an aluminium skin as it's much more attractive usually.
I thought iPhones were normally designed to feel heavier (and therefore more expensive) than other phones. The 6 and 6+ both weigh more than the 5s, although I'm not sure how it "feels" given the bigger size (I haven't held one yet).
iirc, aluminum is actually stronger than steel if you calculate it per-unit-weight. So alternately they could've made it a bit thicker. Obviously, I'm a software guy and not a materials engineer.
Yes. Aluminum and stainless steel have very similar "Specific Strength" characteristics, though the steel is slightly stronger and has a much higher tensile strength. In a measure of stiffness, aluminum has a higher "Specific Modulus" than steel, and can often be constructed into forms that give it more "strength" (in the meaning overall rigidity) for a given weight.
It's a problem with the phone's aluminum construction. A phone like the Note 3, made with less premium-feeling plastic, responds better to stress like this. It can be bent, but it just bends right back with no permanent bend left.
> "Even the most recent smartphones are not designed to be put in pockets where they are going to be under the most chassis strain. And this just illustrates the fact that the public's desire for manufacturers to strive for ever thinner and lighter devices means that we are getting ever more fragile devices.
> "Just casually sticking a £700 smartphone in your pocket is an increasingly reckless thing to do."
Wait, this guy really thinks that users should be expected to know that it's reckless to keep their _phone_ in their pocket, and that they weren't designed for this?
That seems not right. I am confident that most people, unless educated otherwise, will assume that phones are designed to go in pockets. If manufacturers really aren't designing phones to go in pockets, they are going to have to educate users on this. The pocket has been the place non-purse-carrying people have kept their phone since the first mobile phone that was small enough to fit in a pocket.
I have always put phones in my front pockets - not so much my back, unless I'm going for a walk - but it's never been an issue since the first phone I ever had. It's completely ridiculous not to put it in a pocket of some sort.
My iPhone 6 is due to be delivered on the 7th Oct, so I'm hoping it's just a faulty batch.
They mean back pockets, which while still ridiculous, is much more understandable than just saying pockets. If your phone is bending in your front pockets then there is a much more serious problem.
The phones have been bending while in peoples front pockets. Imagine the posture you have while driving a car and the phone in your pocket.
Now, I can't recall the last time I drove with any phone in my pocket (that is what the cup holder is for - phones) so I'm not too worried about it, but it's still interesting.
Has there been any news about the Samsung Note 1/2/3 bending?!
I have a lot of bones to pick with Samsung, but one thing they excel at is rugged devices. They use hardy materials and thick glass.
I have a 3-year-old device that's incredibly slippery and have dropped it hundreds of times without a scratch on the glass. For comparison, I shattered a Moto G inside of a month.
I have always kept both my iPhone 4 and then my iPhone 5 in my back pocket (usually in a case). I have very regularly sat on both on a variety of surfaces and have never had any problems. I weigh about 150lbs. I've not bought an iPhone 6 yet specifically because I'm worried it will be too big for my back pocket.
Oh? I'm always seeing these tiny teenaged girls with cracked phones saying "I sat on it" which confuses me because it seems like they'd take that well. Thanks for confirming my confusion.
As a former heavier chap I tend to sit down on things gently just in case they don't take my weight. I would say the full weight isn't down until the phone is nicely cushioned by cheek flesh.
Maybe they're dropping down like rocks onto the phone resulting in sudden stresses rather than a (relatively) more gradual stress
iPhone 4s and 5s, frequently in back pocket with nothing more small scrapes/scratches on the edges from being occasionally butter-fingered
The article has been updated to say front or back trouser pockets, I quote:
"Even the most recent smartphones are not designed to be put in trouser pockets - front or back - where they are going to be under the most chassis strain. And this just illustrates the fact that the public's desire for manufacturers to strive for ever thinner and lighter devices means that we are getting ever more fragile devices.
Yeah that quote ("Just casually sticking a £700 smartphone in your pocket is an increasingly reckless thing to do.") and its blame-shifting to the user is really ridiculous. What the fuck are you supposed to do with it, keep it in a safe at home?
Analyst bias aside, I've seen many, many similar posts on the Internet on this issue from many users using similar logic. Apple doesn't have a monopoly on mindless fanboyism but their most ardent fans do tend to (pun intended) bend into more ridiculous positions than most while defending bad design decisions or quality assurance lapses made by the company.
The point is that these articles come out every time there is a new thin phone, but then you never hear about it again because it doesn't happen to any substantial portion of buyers.
I love Apple (I've got an iPhone 5, an iPad 3, a Macbook and an iMac) but it always dismays me how Apple fans often respond to any issue with an Apple product with "it's your fault".
A guy on MacRumors posted up about his experience with a bent phone and received some supportive comments, but also gems like, "It's aluminum, it's a noticeably longer device and as such it is likely to be bent more easily than previous iPhones. You should expect that it would be easier to bend and act accordingly."
How is this reasonable? We should know better than to put the phone in our pockets?
I sincerely hope Apple does the right thing here and takes responsibility if in fact this turns out to be a legitimate and widespread problem.
I played with the 6+ for the first time last night, and it surprises me people even sit down with it. It seems like like it would be immediately awkward from its size.
- Get a case. These devices will break if dropped, and when you are carrying it in your hand many times a day, it is highly likely to be dropped. It's a matter of "when", not "if".
- Don't carry the device in pants pockets. Carry it in a shirt pocket, or in a bag or satchel or hang it on your belt. Solved.
2. Manufacturing and marketing factors
- Distribute 5,000 beta devices and really field test them. Manufacturers, especially Apple, hate to do this because it reveals the secret design in advance of the dramatic release event. But field testing the devices makes more sense given their complexity and unknown uses and conditions to which they will be subjected.
- Make the devices thicker and sturdier. Many of us would not complain about an extra millimeter or two of thickness, especially if it means a bigger battery and some nice-to-haves such as a memory card slot. Thinness is costly, too. Make it an indestructible brick, charge less, and millions will continue to buy the devices.
- An alternative view: yield to bendiness! Make the displays bendy, make the cases flexible, and accept that customers want to abuse their phones by sitting on them in tight jeans.
If a metal phone is bending why couldn't a metal case?
It's not the material, it's the construction. The case could be made of plastic so long as it had something along the long sides preventing it flexing.
True... but every phone out there has a plethora of cases available for it. Customers have accepted that a case is a necessary accessory and indeed it's a way to personalize their devices. That's why someone can make a living selling cases in a kiosk at the mall.
Perhaps the reason there's a tendency towards thinner phones is precisely because of the bulk added on by the inevitable case.
Even a thicker phone is going to risk getting scratched or dented if dropped on solid concrete or rocks.
In my case, though, I choose to live somewhat on the edge and just get total insurance coverage on my phone (a Note 3 currently). In five years of owning smartphones, I've cracked the screen exactly once, and I just got a replacement phone within a week.
I have one of the slimmest android devices huawei p6 (6.2 mm vs 7.1 mm for iphone 6 plus) for a year and a half and im not having any issues with it bending or giving the feeling that its fragile.
perfect opportunity for Apple to introduce iPants.
Joke aside, this is something that Apple needs to quickly address without putting customers at fault. You cannot just tell the customers not to put their phones in their pocket.
> Joke aside, this is something that Apple needs to quickly address without putting customers at fault. You cannot just tell the customers not to put their phones in their pocket.
They cannot address the issues for existing devices and all devices that are in the pipeline. Users on backorder could cancel their orders, but most won't do that, so why should they bother? In a year people will be joking about not buying first generation Apple devices and that's it.
So at least for me, if I can't stick a phone in my pocket it is useless. If I can't carry my phone with me everywhere, I might as well not have it. I can understand not sitting on it, but not putting it in my front pocket seems incredibly limiting, because that is pretty much the only place I would have to put it when out and about.
I expect most people will have a case for the phone. I personally have a 5 right now and have it in a BookBook wallet/case, which is not really very rigid. I'll want something similar when it comes time to upgrade to a 6, but if I can't actually stick it in my pocket I'll need to find an alternative. Or maybe pay for a battery replacement on the 5.
I think the bigger screen of a 6 and the promise of Apple Pay provides enough additional value over the 5. I don't find the 5s as compelling an upgrade, and would rather spend $90 on a battery instead of hundreds on a 5S (the battery is really only complaint I have about my 5).
I wouldn't dream of carrying my phone in my pocket...I wear jeans most of the time and it's just plain uncomfortable. I've always carried my iPhones in a vertical, open-ended belt holster (the Sena Elega), which allows me to quickly reach down and retrieve the phone or hit the power button to silence an alarm/call. (Obviously the new position of the power button will prevent me from the latter.)
We have seen this before. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/260526?tstart=0 Put a think computer in your pocket, bend, and it will bend. Get a case or protect it. I have had an iPhone since the 3, never used a case, only broken one iPhone by being extra careful.
I wonder to what extent this (and the antenna issue before it) are a result of Apple being so secretive. Because they don't take prototypes out for real world testing, or encase them in bulky facades if they do, they don't understand how real people are going to use it.
Still think it's stupid - just because this behavior didn't result in a bent iPhone before doesn't mean it was good.
So I thought that http://imgur.com/gallery/FSXJp was a joke. Turns out, nope, it's a real problem. I wonder if Apple did have to fix it, how they'd go about it. I assume reenforcing the body of the phone externally is not really feasible, but manufacturing better bodies and swapping them out en masse would be very expensive and take a long time, no?
We need to know the proportion of people this is happening to to understand whether this is a thing or not.
Apple supposedly sold 10 million phones on the weekend of release, more since. Apparently more of those are 6s than 6 Pluses but we don't know the exact numbers or breakdown right now. Similarly we know a few people have had problems but it doesn't seem clear whether it's a few, a few tens, a few hundred or many thousands.
Ultimately this may be bad design ignoring real world valid use cases, it may be dumbness on the part of a small number of vocal users, but without knowing what sort of numbers are seeing the problem and what that is as a proportion of sales it's almost impossible to say.
Right now all we can really say is some iPhone 6s and 6 Pluses have bent and based on that it's no wonder Apple haven't said anything.
Not a great story but probably all that we really know right now.
I would consider 2 percent a huge number, yes. I'd also expect Apple to do refunds for those 2 percent, both in the sense that I'd demand it if it were my phone, and that historically they've done things like that.
But we still need to know the number. Has anything so far suggested it might be as high as 2 percent?
Saw one of those phones on Monday before I was aware that this was a thing. The phone looked like a piece of vinyl that had been left out on a hot summer day.
No real defence for this other than poor engineering. It's basically the Apple III all over.
There is a lot of fanboys out there still defending Apple with ridiculous arguments.
Being a consumer, for me, this is unacceptable. Paying 800 to 900€ for a phone that has the quality of a sub 100€ phone is simply taunting the actual Apple costumers.
Mark my words. This will be the major flop remembered in the future for the start of the downfall of this brand.
This will make history.
The excessively low production costs with these devices made in China with low quality standards and low QA at an excessively price range for the end consumer. The profit margin in this phone has to be huge and will serve as an example in the future in how a major international manufacturing fiasco is made of.
This is truly amazing.
96 comments
[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 157 ms ] threadThis is all just incredibly stupid. The fact it bends and continues to function should be newsworthy, not the other way around.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-80s-clothing-line-2014-...
Surely customers don't need to include specifications like "Device does not bend under moderate force" when asking for improvements?
I don't think anybody really asked for a thinner or lighter phone anyway, it's just what Apple provided.
The preamble to the printer manual (yes, printers came with 300 page printed paperback manuals in those days!) included instructions such as "do not expose your LaserWriter NT to rain or adverse weather conditions; do not operate your LaserWriter NT in the shower".
Presumably due to an idiot lawsuit following an incident when someone under the misapprehension that heavy electrical appliances and water were a perfectly safe combination ...
The closest actual source I can find quickly is this printout from the LaserWriter II manual, which states (more reasonably) "Don't use devices that produce open flames, such as Bunsen burners or welding torches, near the LaserWriter II." (https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb/user/sly/Laserwriter/0303215L...)
[updated with more precise references]
They wanted a larger phone, for sure, but I think one would reasonably assume structural stability for a $1000 consumer device (often bought under a pay-as-you-go loan courtesy of carrier subsidization) under fairly normal conditions.
Further this isn't "sitting on it" -- the issues seem to be coming via seemingly innocuous, but longer term, flexing in front pockets. Aluminum is not all or nothing, and will quite happily give slowly and gradually over hours.
Maybe it's all overblown -- these things tend to be on new Apple releases -- but I don't see how some can so quickly resort to blame the customer antics.
That said, it has reached the point where I'd be ok to have slightly more weight and thickness for sturdiness and battery life. I just think thin and light are things people want.
The trend is towards a comfortable size, beyond which thinness stopped being a big selling point. The Galaxy S5, for example, is thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 4 is thicker than the Note 3.
Contrary to common notions, Apple occasionally chases specs, and the thin and light thing seems to be one of them (just as unobtanium type materials often make a big presence in Apple devices -- material specs -- regardless of suitability for purpose).
Apple makes fantastic devices, but just as some other manufacturers chase irrelevant things like octal core processors and truly absurd pixel densities, Apple does the same "not for your benefit, but for our bragging" pursuits.
I've never seen "thinner" nor "lighter". I have seen people asking for better battery life and that would mean fatter phones.
This unit could have a fatter battery, a sturdier chassis, a USB socket or two, and a memory slot. See how much acceptance of a thicker handset there is.
Apple's so secretive and protective of their devices that they're clearly reluctant to field test interesting new models, except maybe internally in a controlled environment. But this is precisely what they, and all manufacturers, ought to be doing.
In that case, eventually the width of the Lightning port will be the limiting factor (I'm assuming Apple will probably obsolete the headphone jack within 5 years once they work out how to recharge headphones regularly and easily)
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-ipho...
Probably the same people who use OtterBox & LifeProof cases on iPhone. Most iPhone users slap on ugly cases to protect their beautiful iPhones. Wouldn't it be much better if Apple builds an iPhone sturdy enough that it doesn't require a case?
The question here is if Apple got the trade-offs wrong, and made the phone too thin at the expense of something that people might care about more--putting it in a front pocket, like you can do with numerous other phones with large screens. Or are these failures simply bizarre edge cases of which we are aware because any "news" about Apple is linkbait.
However, I will say that the Galaxy Note bend video [1] in (response to the iPhone 6 Plus bend test [2]) was impressive, and shows that while metal material is more stylish, plastic seems to be much more durable. Of course, I know these are far from scientific tests, but it still seems to show some sense of durability between the two.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwM4ypi3at0
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znK652H6yQM
> "Just casually sticking a £700 smartphone in your pocket is an increasingly reckless thing to do."
Wait, this guy really thinks that users should be expected to know that it's reckless to keep their _phone_ in their pocket, and that they weren't designed for this?
That seems not right. I am confident that most people, unless educated otherwise, will assume that phones are designed to go in pockets. If manufacturers really aren't designing phones to go in pockets, they are going to have to educate users on this. The pocket has been the place non-purse-carrying people have kept their phone since the first mobile phone that was small enough to fit in a pocket.
My iPhone 6 is due to be delivered on the 7th Oct, so I'm hoping it's just a faulty batch.
Now, I can't recall the last time I drove with any phone in my pocket (that is what the cup holder is for - phones) so I'm not too worried about it, but it's still interesting.
Has there been any news about the Samsung Note 1/2/3 bending?!
I have a 3-year-old device that's incredibly slippery and have dropped it hundreds of times without a scratch on the glass. For comparison, I shattered a Moto G inside of a month.
Front pocket seems to be the expected place to keep one.
Maybe they're dropping down like rocks onto the phone resulting in sudden stresses rather than a (relatively) more gradual stress
iPhone 4s and 5s, frequently in back pocket with nothing more small scrapes/scratches on the edges from being occasionally butter-fingered
"Even the most recent smartphones are not designed to be put in trouser pockets - front or back - where they are going to be under the most chassis strain. And this just illustrates the fact that the public's desire for manufacturers to strive for ever thinner and lighter devices means that we are getting ever more fragile devices.
Analyst bias aside, I've seen many, many similar posts on the Internet on this issue from many users using similar logic. Apple doesn't have a monopoly on mindless fanboyism but their most ardent fans do tend to (pun intended) bend into more ridiculous positions than most while defending bad design decisions or quality assurance lapses made by the company.
A guy on MacRumors posted up about his experience with a bent phone and received some supportive comments, but also gems like, "It's aluminum, it's a noticeably longer device and as such it is likely to be bent more easily than previous iPhones. You should expect that it would be easier to bend and act accordingly."
How is this reasonable? We should know better than to put the phone in our pockets?
I sincerely hope Apple does the right thing here and takes responsibility if in fact this turns out to be a legitimate and widespread problem.
1. Consumer behavior factors
- Get a case. These devices will break if dropped, and when you are carrying it in your hand many times a day, it is highly likely to be dropped. It's a matter of "when", not "if".
- Don't carry the device in pants pockets. Carry it in a shirt pocket, or in a bag or satchel or hang it on your belt. Solved.
2. Manufacturing and marketing factors
- Distribute 5,000 beta devices and really field test them. Manufacturers, especially Apple, hate to do this because it reveals the secret design in advance of the dramatic release event. But field testing the devices makes more sense given their complexity and unknown uses and conditions to which they will be subjected.
- Make the devices thicker and sturdier. Many of us would not complain about an extra millimeter or two of thickness, especially if it means a bigger battery and some nice-to-haves such as a memory card slot. Thinness is costly, too. Make it an indestructible brick, charge less, and millions will continue to buy the devices.
- An alternative view: yield to bendiness! Make the displays bendy, make the cases flexible, and accept that customers want to abuse their phones by sitting on them in tight jeans.
It's not the material, it's the construction. The case could be made of plastic so long as it had something along the long sides preventing it flexing.
Even a thicker phone is going to risk getting scratched or dented if dropped on solid concrete or rocks.
In my case, though, I choose to live somewhat on the edge and just get total insurance coverage on my phone (a Note 3 currently). In five years of owning smartphones, I've cracked the screen exactly once, and I just got a replacement phone within a week.
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_ascend_p6-5467.php
Joke aside, this is something that Apple needs to quickly address without putting customers at fault. You cannot just tell the customers not to put their phones in their pocket.
They cannot address the issues for existing devices and all devices that are in the pipeline. Users on backorder could cancel their orders, but most won't do that, so why should they bother? In a year people will be joking about not buying first generation Apple devices and that's it.
I expect most people will have a case for the phone. I personally have a 5 right now and have it in a BookBook wallet/case, which is not really very rigid. I'll want something similar when it comes time to upgrade to a 6, but if I can't actually stick it in my pocket I'll need to find an alternative. Or maybe pay for a battery replacement on the 5.
Still think it's stupid - just because this behavior didn't result in a bent iPhone before doesn't mean it was good.
Apple supposedly sold 10 million phones on the weekend of release, more since. Apparently more of those are 6s than 6 Pluses but we don't know the exact numbers or breakdown right now. Similarly we know a few people have had problems but it doesn't seem clear whether it's a few, a few tens, a few hundred or many thousands.
Ultimately this may be bad design ignoring real world valid use cases, it may be dumbness on the part of a small number of vocal users, but without knowing what sort of numbers are seeing the problem and what that is as a proportion of sales it's almost impossible to say.
Right now all we can really say is some iPhone 6s and 6 Pluses have bent and based on that it's no wonder Apple haven't said anything.
Not a great story but probably all that we really know right now.
But we still need to know the number. Has anything so far suggested it might be as high as 2 percent?
But right now this doesn't feel like this is tens of thousands.
On the other hand it is early days.
No real defence for this other than poor engineering. It's basically the Apple III all over.
Mark my words. This will be the major flop remembered in the future for the start of the downfall of this brand.
This will make history.
The excessively low production costs with these devices made in China with low quality standards and low QA at an excessively price range for the end consumer. The profit margin in this phone has to be huge and will serve as an example in the future in how a major international manufacturing fiasco is made of. This is truly amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxtyxCAxGNE