Bent iPhone claims put Apple under pressure to respond.

[dipsydoodle]

Experts are divided over whether Apple should respond to claims that its new iPhone 6 handsets are prone to bend when carried in trouser pockets.

Several members of the public have postedphotos to the MacRumors site that appear to show the problem. A reporter for the Geek.com news site also reported his phone had warped.

Other mobiles have bent in the past.

And it is not yet clear if the new iPhones' aluminium shells make them particularly vulnerable.

Even so, the claims have been reported across tech blogs as well as mainstream media including the Independent, the Washington Post, India Today and the Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29331349

From the headline I thought this would hooky/stolen 'phones.

[NYC Liberal]

1. This is the dumbest, most idiotic iPhone "issue" yet.

The media have outdone themselves this year. It's even more ridiculous than the antenna hysteria a few years ago.

[Savannahmann]

6. Perhaps.

But if you watch this video, the device seems unusually flimsy for an Apple product.

But you may say, what's the big deal? OK, you but the phone, and let's say you aren't eligible for the upgrade. You spend hundreds of dollars for all the bells and whistles. It bends the first time you sit down with it in your pocket. Now, this seems to be a design flaw, or a production flaw, or a problem somewhere.

So what's the big deal you seem to be asking?

Let's cover some of those things that became a "big deal".

The Lancia Beta. These cars became known as being rust boxes. It was such a problem that the company had to reimburse the purchasers, and the company essentially shut down regarding international sales. Now, they only offer cars in Italy, which is astonishing when you consider they were revolutionary in their day. The Beta destroyed their reputation, and that was something they were never able to overcome. No big deal really.

GM finally admitted they were using aluminum foil for all intents and purposes in their ignition switches. Well what happened? GM Sales are down already, and will stay down for a while. http://fortune.com/2014/09/03/august-car-sales-ford-and-chrysler-up-gm-down/ Thank God that the workers know it's no big deal right? We haven't even seen the start of the lawsuits yet. Wait for it my friend.

I could go on, and on, and on. This is a huge deal, and if any one invests in Apple, get out now while you can. The flashy new product is going to be the next Beta

[FLPanhandle]

7. Maybe but that guy was shaking he was bending it so hard.

Not exactly what I would call a major design flaw or a "huge deal" that it bent under those circumstances. Simple physics.

There are a number of thin lightweight large phones I wouldn't try that test on. Only the plastic devices would survive. Apple, HTC One, and others would all fail that.

A nice article comparing many smartphones and bending.

http://www.cultofmac.com/297404/get-bent-shocking-history-bent-smartphones/

HTC EVO for example



Kind of a dumb test. What next "throw your phone into traffic"?

[Savannahmann]

8. The iPhone has always been sturdy.

Now remember, these tests didn't start up from people who were bored and wondered how long it would take to destroy the iPhone. It started when people reached into their pocket and discovered that the iPhone was bent. Just from normal pocket usage. You put your phone in your pocket, and you sit down. This isn't test to destruction, that is what I would call, normal usage.

That is why I highlighted the Lancia Beta and the GM Ignition switches. These didn't fail during extreme abuse. They failed during normal, expected, everyday usage.

Now, if you have an iPhone 6, you can't carry your phone in your pocket, and sit down for fear of destroying the phone. I presume that you'll have to buy a little red wagon, and inside the wagon you will have a pretty gold colored pillow. This pillow will be where your phone rests, gently protected from the dangers of your pocket. Perhaps you'll have to put the phone in a padded box, safe from all the normal things that happen in life that would destroy it. Things like sitting, walking, or pulling it out of your pocket.

Follow up test. Galaxy Note.

&list=UUsTcErHg8oDvUnTzoqsYeNw

So the Galaxy will probably be fine in your pocket, or in other words, normal usage. The iPhone, not so much.

Now, my suggestion if like me, you like the iPhone. I've had all of them so far. Not the six, only got the 5S about six months ago when I renewed my contract.

I was talking about my suggestion. Buy the insurance plan. Get it, because you're going to need it. Get the policy and seal it in plastic. Keep it handy, make copies if you must. Put it in the glove box of your car. Because you'll be calling them a lot to describe the damage.

The insurance division of Apple will be reporting huge losses. That will probably cause the folks at Apple to either fix the problem, or phase the 6 out and move on to the 7.

[AngryAmish]

2. If your iPhone gets bent, I heard 90 seconds in a microwave fixes it

No, don't do that.

[jmowreader]

3. Apple's response

Cupertino, Calif. (Spurious News Network) -- Concerned that recent reports of iPhones bending when put in pants pockets, Apple today announced the forthcoming $599 iPhone 6CI.

"CI stands for 'cast iron,'" a grinning Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a telephone interview. "Let's see them bend this motherfucker now."

The five-pound iPhone 6CI takes the features of the award-winning Apple iPhone 6 Plus, including the 5.5" Retina display, Apple Pay, A8 chip and 64GB RAM, and shock-mounts it within the rugged confines of a 12.7mm (1/2&quot thick cast-iron case.

"Making the enclosure for a cell phone out of cast iron is novel in the industry," said Cook. "We admit freely that it's a little bit on the heavy side. Okay, scratch that: this thing is like holding a brick up to your ear, which is why it comes with a free Bluetooth headset - something no other phone manufacturer gives you. The other side of the coin is durability. We hired Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez to throw five prototypes off the top level of Safeco Field's stands into the bullpen, ten times each. It tore the shit out of the field, but the phones work great. You're interviewing me on one now."

After this reporter pointed out that it can't get bent in a pants pocket partly because it won't fit in one, Cook laughed. "That would be a problem for lesser companies, but not Apple. Each iPhone 6CI comes with four coupons for free iFieldPants. These comfortable and stylish cargo pants, available in 26 different colors, feature slash-resistant pockets on each leg to carry the phone in. They're made in the US of Army tent canvas, for durability, and sport a subtle Apple logo."

The response was immediate: over a million $50 pairs of iFieldPants and three million phones were preordered on the Apple Store within the first twenty minutes of their announcement.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

4. VERY well done.

I laughed through your whole post, and I'm an iPhone 6 (not 6 Plus) owner. For the record, though, the Apple Store would charge about $79 for each pair of iFieldPants ($109 for leather).



(Edited because my device thinks it knows when to insert apostrophes for me).

[bullwinkle428]

5. "Is there a chance the phone may bend?" "Not on your life, my Hindu friend!"

See "The Simpsons" - "Monorail" episode!

I own an iPhone 5, and got the chance to handle a 6 just yesterday when I was in Target. I was kind of shocked by how fragile the new model felt compared to mine. All I know is when the time comes to upgrade, I'm going to buy a seriously durable case for it. I have a really nice one for my 5 from Case-Mate, and hopefully can find another one like it.

[hobbit709]

9. don't put it in your ass pocket and then sit on it-simple solution.

[Silent3]

11. This is happening from front pocket placement too, not just from people sitting on their phones.

I'd dismiss this issue too, if it were only about people sitting on their phones. But apparently this bending can occur with nothing more than the force of the phone getting squeezed a bit against your body in a front pocket.

[CANDO]

10. Who buys a smartphone and ....

Foolishly doesn't also buy one of the numerous protective wrap around covers? I see idiots who do that and have to wonder if they're smart enough to own a smartphone.

[Silent3]

12. I use a protective case on my current iPhone 5S...

...but I found myself wondering (before hearing about this bending issue), because the 6 Plus would be so big to put in my pocket as it is, if adding a case wouldn't make it even all the more unwieldy to carry around.

I'd love all the extra screen resolution and screen size of a 6 Plus, but I was already feeling iffy about carrying around a phone that big, and now I have one more reason to consider a 6 non-Plus instead if and when I get around to upgrading my current phone.

[CANDO]

13. I have a large HTC

And wouldn't dream of not wrapping it in a protective cover such as an Otterbox or anything similar.. I do see mostly teenaged girls with unprotected phones sticking half way up out of their back pockets. First thought is how do they know if someone steals it will they ever feel it missing? Second thought is how do they not bend/break it when they sit down and forget it is there? Just got my daughter the new i6 and it was in a full Otterbox before it left the store. And lastly, I don't buy clothing that doesn't have a cell phone pocket somewhere on the clothing. I refuse to use the back pocket for carrying a cell phone.

[LanternWaste]

14. I'm one of those foolish idiots.

I'm one of those foolish idiots. Same smart phone in my pocket now sans protection that I purchased in Dec. 2012. No problems so far... but then again, I'm merely an idiot, and not smart enough to own one.

[CANDO]

15. Congatulations on it being still in one piece and not bent/broken.

But there will never be sympathy from me when/if it ever gets damaged from dropping it or bending it in your back pocket. To each his/her own, including opinions.

[tabbycat31]

16. I have a case on my Galaxy

Granted it's a cheapo $5 one that's not the most durable, but I'd rather be replacing a case than the phone.

Besides I like my pink glittery case. Makes my phone very girly (other cases I have are cat themed). Totally me.

[KG]

17. Peoples paying hundreds for a smart phone. what a quaint idea,