Apple (NASDAQ: APPL) is no stranger to major industrial design flaws, such as the infamous Antennagate, creeping up after a product launch. But this time, it appears the hype over its most recent scandal of bending iPhone 6 Plus phones may be overblown.
Apple released a statement late Thursday saying that reports of iPhone 6 Plus phones bending when placed in pockets were largely overblown, and that the phenomenon was contained to only 9 people who have complained to the company about the issue.
Below is a statement from Apple sent to the press about the issue:
Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed from machining a custom grade of 6000 series anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength. They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry.
We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability. We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle including 3-point bending, pressure point cycling, sit, torsion, and user studies. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use. With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.
While the vast majority of users have not experienced the extreme bending that has been demonstrated on a handful of YouTube videos, some — including Wired magazine’s reviewer — have reported mild bending after normal use.
As the iPhone 6 Plus is released in more markets it will be interesting to see if the bending issue continues to appear.
