iPhone 6 Bentgate
 

Bent iPhone claims put Apple under pressure to respond

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. 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.

Twitter users have also posted thousands of comments about the claims, using the hashtag Bentgate.....

One industry watcher said the company should investigate the complaints and issue a statement as soon as possible. "I think initially they should acknowledge the situation," said Jasdeep Badyal, an analyst from the telecoms consultancy CCS Insight. "Then the second step will be to take action by providing cases or replacements." He added that even if it emerged that there had been a "faulty batch" or there was only a minor risk of damage, the firm should still issue a statement to make this clear.

But Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the advisory service Davies Murphy Group, thought that Apple should take a different tack. "This is not an issue that Apple - or other phone companies - need to be compelled to respond to or fix. If anything this is a reflection of how people have started to use devices beyond what they were designed for," he said. "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."........

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So according to Chris Green, principal technology analyst, it's the consumers fault that manufacturers makes devices that can't tolerate everyday use.

I suspect Chris Green couldn't analyse his way out of a paper bag.

It's sold as a phone therefore it should have been designed to take the stress of being in someone's pocket, I admire Apples products but they've dropped a bollaux on this one.

Manufacturers can't help it if consumers are going to be utter morons and put the phone in their back pocket and sit on it !

Just as you can't blame the sunglasses manufacturers for the millions of frames that get broken every year by utter twats, you can't blame Apple for the consumer's own negligence !

You are absolutely right, superq7. But as always the apologists pop up like a jack-in-a-box, with ridiculous comparisons and the usual users-are-morons mantra.

I sat on my glasses once.
Had to get a new pair.
I should have started a 'broken glasses complaint on social media', but there was no facebook or twitter at the time...

Too bad you broke your glasses, otherwise you might have been able to read that it has nothing to do with sitting on things.

Glasses are designed to be worn on the face and put into a case when not in use.

A phone is designed to be used to make calls, text and many other features these days, and stored about ones person when not in use, usually in a pocket, sometimes even a trouser pocket. As many models of phone have managed to survive being in peoples pockets for 20 something years, then yes this is a design flaw. (which could have been foreseen a while ago with other manufacturers http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/01/13...by-some-users/)

I've always carried my phone in my shirt pocket.
Just so I don't sit on it.
Besides, it's easier to get it out when I'm driving.
(sarcasm)

Yes, and I regularly keep my iPhone in my trouser pocket......

IN A SIDE POCKET

The iPhone remains as flat and un-bent as it was on day one.

People are nothing but utter morons if they stick anything fragile in their back pockets.

Looks like a lot of morons are buying the iphone 6 then.

As an aside, half of all water damaged iPhones are caused by prats keeping them in the trousers pockets and forgetting them as they go to the toilet I presume the difference between M&F is due to only a percentage of women wearing jeans/trousers with pockets and the rest keeping them in their purses.

Apple added water sensors and makes them pay for repair - they didn't make them waterproof......

Orac, on holiday earlier this year, my other half dropped her 5s into the sea when bending down to pick up a shell . It was under water for a few seconds at most but survived the ordeal completely intact. I expect most people don't want to grab a phone out of the loo in a few seconds though!

Who's the moron? Those yapping on about back pockets or those who have bent phones after keeping them in their front pockets?

Apart from the unknown danger of having an 'always-on' transmitting/receiving device pressed up against one's body for long periods of time, I too have wondered about the wisdom of having phones in places where when moving they are at risk of being pressured (front pocket/back pocket). Even my old Nokia 6310i wouldn't stand up to any bending forces for too long, so I keep it in a side pocket/jacket pocket/bag/hand.

The iPhone 6 is larger and thinner than previous examples, so these heated bending spaces (trouser pockets) will have a greater effect than before and the photos in the media seem to support this hypothesis. I don't think that Apple should be berated any more than the several other smartphone makers who use the same suppliers for their hardware, but they should be rightly castigated for NOT extensively testing their latest offering in every likely real life scenario before release to the public. Or perhaps making it clear that the iPhone is in reality a small computer that you can make and receive telephone calls with and to treat it accordingly :hmm:

Huh ?

KBPsen I've no idea what you are on about other than you're desperately trying to clutch at straws......

If a certain young lady of my acquaintance was to put an iToy phone in her shirt pocket whilst seated leaning forwards, then stand up suddenly, the resulting strain load would undoubtedly exceed the phone's bending moment tolerance.....:ooh:

If her t-shirts are anything to go by.....:E

I know.

With a product life of between 6-12 months and appearance and form overruling practicality, durability is never going to be of any great concern to manufacturers beyond any statutory warranty period. Most phones are probably spec'ed to have a finite life.

When will people learn that iPhone hardware (camera and performance aside) is garbage? :yuk:

• 1: Easily scratched powdered aluminium back
• 3G/3GS: Easily cracked plastic on the corners (especially the white one). Otherwise not bad. Easily the toughest models of all
• 4/4S: Glass on the back? great idea! Let me just put it down on my handy VELVET CUSHION!
• 5: Powder-coated side bits easily scratched, and the home button assembly often stops working (they had ONE BUTTON to get right.)
• 5s: See #1, but worse
• 5c: Plastic not very tough, although far better than anything since the 3G/3GS. Only one I would ever consider buying.
• 6/6+: Structural rigidity of a soggy tissue, because instead of adding structural strength and more battery life, Apple like to shave 10ths of mms off the "thinness", because... er... must be a reason, right?....

It's ridiculous to see people forking out for cases to protect their precious fragile iThings. When did you last see an iPhone or iPad without a case? I'll tell you, it's when you saw a fairly old one that looks like junk and is scratched / cracked to hell. And if you have a case then you have the extra size, weight and cost of having 2 exoskeletons for your phone.

BUT: even a case may not work! Plenty of iThings in cases get broken, because the bloody thing is a piece of ultra-delicate jewelry that needs cotton gloves and is not suitable for actual day-to-day use.

Why don't they just sell the guts without a case, so you can buy a proper case that does the job of protecting it?
End of rant :mad:

These phones were bent after being in side pockets, not just back pockets. They should be able to survive this OK especially within a few days.

You're right, Booglebox, that there is no relationship between durability and price when it comes to mobile phones. You are also right in pointing out how ridiculous it is having to have a case on top of a case. A phone that can't stand up to normal everyday use as it is out of the box, simply isn't fit for purpose.

So will Apple replace these phones or say to the customers sorry you misused your phone, it wasn't designed for the back pocket?

When MicroS*** comes out with a new version of software, I never upgrade right away.
I learned that years and years ago that it's filled with bugs and will take at least 2 updates to get anywhere near stable.

When Apple comes out with new hardware, I never upgrade right away, for the same reason.

But then I buy cars that are 1-4 years old instead of brand new because I like my money.

Personally, I don't think people who put the Iphone 6 in their pockets are morons but those who put them in the microwave to charge most certainly are.

Emergency services forced to step in as iPhone users fall for internet prank that explains how to use a microwave to charge your phone | Daily Mail Online

i don't know what you have done with your iPhones, but I've had all iPhones from a 3 to a 5S - not one of the above issues... I've also had the misfortune to have had to use some of Sammy's products, Galaxy3, Note 3, Mega, and rarely will you find such a cheap rubbish product...

Same here.... I've owned all iPhones and never had any issues.

Same goes for a multitude of iPhone owners I know.

I suspect the resident PPRuNe Apple bashers are coming out from their caves to beat the drums on their boring bandwagon.....

As I said... if you sit on your iPhone, you drop your iPhone etc. then just like any piece of technology from any manufacturer, you can expect consequences.....and its most certainly not Apple's fault if you're a clumsy oaf or are ignorant of the basics of fundamental physics of putting a large load on an object that is not structurally intended for it.

Obviously a warning is required for the iPhone intelligentsia - 'Do not sit on this phone'.

I always thought an LCD screen meant Light Conducting Diode, not Lowest Common Denominator.:ugh:

...intelligentsia...

Well, yapping on about back pockets when the phones also bent in side pockets and front pockets...

Mixture,
I suggest we abandon this tread to the Apple Haters™. Nothing here you couldn't find in the daily mail or the sun (but not on Page 3).

Oh, if any portable phone user wishes to avoid damage to their valuable acquisitions, please follow this advice.

BOAC,

LCD is Liquid Crystal Display.
LED is Light Emitting Diode.

Absolutely right. Had a look at the new Galaxy S5 the other day, really horrible textured plastic, feels like Fisher Price baby's first phone :yuk: (....more on that below though..)

Good advice, but the problem is that these devices are designed to be actually used... in life. I refer you to KBPsen's post.
Here are some things I have (mostly accidentally) done with my phone in the past few months (I will leave you all to guess what make / model - it's a smartphone and a pretty cheap one).

• Used it during heavy rain
• Left it outside during a rainstorm
• Dropped it out of a second story window onto cobblestones
• Dropped it out of a moving car (that actually did leave a tiny dent)
• Buried it in sand by treading on it while it was under a table on a beach
• Had a baby simultaneously chew and slather baby food on it for an hour (with teeth) (great way to stop babies crying)
• Opened a Tiger Moth fuel cap
• Threw it against a wall several times (....not accidental)

I am aware that maybe this is an edge case and that it would be unreasonable to expect iPhones to tolerate this level of abuse, but... it remains good as new, and barely showing any damage. And if it does look damaged, the rear shell (which includes the sides) can be changed by the user in 3 seconds for the princely sum of 5 euros. And you can pick your own colour (I have soft-touch black).
However, in the interests of full disclosure, my sister has an identical one and managed to break the screen by sitting on it with it in her back trouser pocket :ugh:

By the way Mixture, I think iPhones are actually excellent devices - sound quality in the latest ones is incredible (can instantly tell when talking to someone with an iPhone 5s as it's so clear), and the camera is absolutely fantastic. The latest iOS is also a big improvement. I am just talking about the total lack of hardware durability. If they made one that was less flimsy I would be seriously tempted. I did consider the 5C until a colleague dropped one on a wooden floor and seriously dented the plastic corner...
(similar case: I dropped my Thinkpad on a very hard wooden floor earlier this year, it took a chunk out of the floor and remains unharmed.... MBA would be toast)

Why sit an any phone? Judging by Apple bashers on here there is a chance phones would be lost in a certain orifice if sat on not just bent ;)

Apple sell a perception: the perception that their product is better than anything else, whether or not it is.

The danger in this is that a perception that the product is in some way faulty - even though it may well be a very minor problem in reality - is more dangerous when a product is merchandised in the way Apple merchandise their products.

Stand back and look at it: a bunch of idiots bent their phones sitting on them; a software release had bugs in it. Not particularly important unless punters bought their products having been brainwashed by Apple's marketing to believe they were the best.

I've got a 2005 model Sony Ericsson 3G flip phone as my primary phone. It was cutting edge technology with the biggest screen I could get, in 2005 (36 x 45mm screen).
It still works a treat and does everything I need to do, as regards making calls. It even does video calls (Wow!) and I can even stream videos to it, and take and send pics as well!

However, I pull it out and all the young 'uns gasp and go, "How OLD is your phone?? I've never seen a phone THAT OLD!!" :eek:

I've heard that thousands of Sony Ericsson flip phone users snapped theirs in half when they were too rough at flipping it open, so they wouldn't buy flip phones again.
They must have been pretty severe in their treatment of their phones - because mine has been dropped dozens of times, spends half its time in my workshop, gets covered in dust, grease and other assorted workshop grottiness - and it still performs perfectly.

Sadly, I'm going to have a get a "smartphone", it appears, because I'm missing out on so much with my caveman phone technology.
I guess one of the things I'm missing out on, is just how long it would take for a brand new $900 phone to bend, if I lean over something in the workshop, while it's still in my pocket.

I think many new smartphone manufacturers missed the message about "substance over style". :rolleyes:

onetrack wrote: Well, I haven't found anything to beat my 2003 Nokia 6310i yet! Voice and sms are all I need - plus the battery lasts for days between charges and is topped up whenever I use the hands-free car kit.

A dinosaur phone? Perhaps - but probably the best phone Nokia ever made.

If we have moved onto recommending "just phones" that you can't break, try a FRRUGGED128. Bright yellow, can't lose it, black rubber shock pads. Bought the wife one, so far its survived falls, throws, liquids, epoxy, molten bronze, paints and so on...hasn't been through the washing machine yet but it's only a matter of time. You can browse the internet, so they do say, but it's not that sort of phone, tiny screen.

Wife hates it.

Did anybody notice Apple's most recent addition to their executive board?

http://i.imgur.com/Fjq4EZB.png

Stupid big phones. The iphone6 is so big maybe owners were trying to fold it to put it inside their pocket :}.

Maybe this is the precursor to making flexible personal devices, it can be done, and I want one.

To put this into perspective, Apple have had 9 (nine!) complaints of phones getting bent, the majority it appears by sitting on them. This doesn't include the knuckleheads bending theirs for 15 mins of YouTube fame...

The bug in iOS 8.01 was absolutely a cºck-up, but it was downloaded by just 40,000 users - it only affected the 6...

There will always be people who don't like Apple's business model, values and prices. Fine, SO DON"T BUY THEM!... Personally, I've found their products to be reliable, durable and easy to use.
Let's tackle a few old chestnuts...

Closed system? Yes, and I have a phone eco system virus free.
Apple - Evil Empire? Apple have little interest in harvesting user data, unlike Google - I know who I'd trust more...
No innovation? Those that know and understand where Apple is heading with the A range of 64 bit processor cores and the introduction of Swift understand that in the future no Android or Windows phone will ever get close...:rolleyes:

Indeed. There's a decent selection of Apps on the App Store (I would rather have quality over quantity), Apple make detailed developer documentation available for those who wish to write their own apps, and the security model of Apple iPhones is excellent.

Indeed. The problem with Google is its basically an advertising business with a search engine and whatnot sitting in the corner .... Google needs as much data as it can get on you and your activities !

Apple is and always has been a hardware/software company ... user data is of no interest.


Indeed.

Infact its astonishing how innovative Apple is, and the quality of its innovation is reflected in the fact that it only spends 4% of sales on R&D ..... whilst the likes of Microsoft spend 13% and achieve nothing in comparison !

Microsoft have tried phones time after time and have failed each time..... I've no idea why they are wasting time and money trying again now when they've got no hope of displacing either Apple or Android.

Android has its followers .... but its no Apple and there's certainly little chance of them getting much new market share.