Spontaneous separation of new iPhone 5

[sparky1680]

Here is another similar post

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...1#post16358111

titled: The mystery of my bent iPhone 5

[AFDoc]

Originally Posted by sparky1680

Here is another similar post

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...1#post16358111

titled: The mystery of my bent iPhone 5

Similar in the fact that some kind of force was applied to bend your phones, yes, it's very similar.

Originally Posted by tymaster50

the poster above me just proved that these phones DO bend, no matter how hard apple fanboys wish they don't. It's a real issue and just because every geek site doesn't report doesn't mean it isn't real. We were just unlucky enough to have phones that did

Of course the phone will bend... who here is saying it doesn't? Most are simply saying it doesn't happen all own it's own. No way, no how.

[Xenc]

I'm inclined to believe this post as my iPhone 5 is bendy as anything. It changes shape by itself as the day goes by.

[mjressinger]

My separation looks identical to the other victims. I have had the phone for 2 months. I noticed it had separated last night. I have not dropped it, have never put it in my back pocket, have not put it to an intentional stress test. It has always been in an Otter Box. Sometimes when I get in the car it is in my front pants pocket. It is hard to get out with the seat belt on, but I think if I had bent it in while sitting it would have been uncomfortable enough that I would have felt it. Also, as some other victims have noted, it does not look like it was forcibly bent, just that the back pulled away from the screen.

So I return to the Otter Box. It is very solid, but with a two additional layers of plastic, the phone gets very hot. I checked after the damage, and a had 31 tasks operating, including the Maps app, which always seems to run hot. So my question is, does anyone else think this is at least in part a thermal issue, and if so, is it compounded by the Otter Box?

[merbel]

Same issue. Don't carry in back pocket. Did not drop and no marks on it. Spoke with Apple and set up appt at store tonight.

[merbel]

at Apple store now getting grief

[vastoholic]

Originally Posted by merbel

at Apple store now getting grief

If we saw the phone, we could probably say if the grief was warranted or not. Sorry you're having trouble but I hope you get it resolved if it is in fact a legit problem with the phone and not user error.

[dgalvan123]

What an odd comment. You judge the veracity of someone's claim by their macrumors join date? How about using reason to evaluate their statement instead of a bizarre metric like when they joined an Internet message board.

Regarding the separations: I haven't had this issue with my iPhone 5 but I have had an issue with my 2009 MacBook Pro 17" which may be related. The trackpad on my MBP has become gradually raised to the point that the "glass" button is now slightly above the surrounding body of the Mac, and it is no longer possible tophysically "click" the trackpad. Googling around, I find this problem is not uncommon, and is caused by a gradual expansion of the Mac's internal battery, which rests beneath the trackpad. The battery expands and puts upward pressure on the internal underside of the trackpad, rendering it unusable. Apple actually had a free battery replacement program for this particular model for a while.

I wonder if a defective/expanding battery could be partially responsible for these iPhone 5 separations? The battery expands, causing greater internal pressure on the front/back panels of the phone, eventually causing the structure to crack at the weakest point (edge near volume button) and/or making it easier than normal to crack the phone accidentally.

Just an untested hypothesis.

[shanegrohl]

SO guys - seen all the uppity replies from members who obviously, through being a member of macrumors for a long while, have the authority to say whether this is a real claim or not in their ultimate wisdom.

I am in the UK. Last night I put my phone on charge and it was straight. I know it was straight because I'd been showing it to my girlfriend talking about how I wish Apple would have used one rocker button for the volume controls.

Anyway, I woke up this morning, take a hold of my iP5 and guess what? The entire top left hand corner is bent backwards starting at the lower volume button. The front screen has started to separate from the metal unibody and there is a tiny kink where the lower volume button is.

When I held the phone, it was incredibly hot but I have heard reports of this happening spontaneously as well.

Before you all chime in and say 'It must be in your pocket..Must have had some force blah blah' let me remind you.

iPhone straight.

iPhone charged (whilst lying on wooden nightstand)

iPhone bent.

I've just got off the phone and Apple said to take it to an apple store for a replacement. They offered me a straight repair whilst I was on the phone but I chose to take it for a swap at an apple store tomorrow at 6. I'll post the receipt tomorrow.

If anyone has this issue, I'd thoroughly recommend you mention the phone was warm to try and get this resolved.

This is a real issue and does happen 'spontaneously' (although it does have a cause, it seems - not just voodoo and hoodoo) You can all 'call BS' but this is real and does happen. I'll grab a picture when i can (my main picture device is my iphone, hence no picture at the minute)


_ PS my join date is new because I wanted to post this, not because for some weird reason I'd get a kick out of posted a fake account of my bent iPhone.

[paronga]

skeptical face is skeptical.
Show us some pics. hell, get a copy of todays paper from the UK and prove your from the UK with your bent iPhone.

[fat jez]

If it happened during charging, I could well believe the battery has expanded and caused the case to bend. Aluminium is pretty soft, it wouldn't take that much to bend an iPhone 5 case.

[paronga]

Originally Posted by fat jez

If it happened during charging, I could well believe the battery has expanded and caused the case to bend. Aluminium is pretty soft, it wouldn't take that much to bend an iPhone 5 case.

*yawn*
sure that could be what happened. It's funny that all of a sudden this has started happening to iPhone 5 owners and not to 3g/3gs/4/4s owners.
Also, you'd be able to see if the battery expanded by a brief look inside/pulling it apart. So you'd think apple would be happy to replace it. Also very doubtful the batter works after expanding issues very well. So these stories about "apple wont replace it" doesn't fit very well with battery issues.

according to this picture

There doesn't appear to be much batter top-side from the volume buttons which appears to be the axel of bending in all of these stories. So i doubt an expanded battery can do that much damage.

i mean come on people. Things don't just bend...

[fat jez]

previous iphone cases had plastic or glass backs, not aluminium, less prone to bending.

My friend's iPod touch battery expanded, the whole of the back of the case came off, Apple replaced it free of charge for him (it was out of warranty).

The back of the case will bend at the weakest point, on the iPhone 5 that is by the volume buttons and mute switch.

[paronga]

Originally Posted by fat jez

previous iphone cases had plastic or glass backs, not aluminium, less prone to bending.

My friend's iPod touch battery expanded, the whole of the back of the case came off, Apple replaced it free of charge for him (it was out of warranty).

The back of the case will bend at the weakest point, on the iPhone 5 that is by the volume buttons and mute switch.

Im aware that batteries can go bad. For an iPhone 4/4s the glass would crack.

What i'm saying here is that IF it was a battery issue, i'm sure apple would be more than happy to fix it. Especially as once the batter begins to expand, it usually fails to hold charge/recharge/work at all. You can also see if the battery has gone bad.

What we're seeing here is that apple aren't replacing these.

I said things don't bend by themselves . Expanding battery is a good explanation. Dropping it and sitting on it are also good explanations. Also ones that aren't covered under warranty

[Smartass]

but why would he create a new account over here just to tell us this story? What im trying to say is that if he bent it on purpose, there wouldnt be any good reason for writing it all on this forum explaning how it wasnt his fault.

[Sedrick]

Originally Posted by paronga

*yawn*
sure that could be what happened. It's funny that all of a sudden this has started happening to iPhone 5 owners and not to 3g/3gs/4/4s owners.
Also, you'd be able to see if the battery expanded by a brief look inside/pulling it apart. So you'd think apple would be happy to replace it. Also very doubtful the batter works after expanding issues very well. So these stories about "apple wont replace it" doesn't fit very well with battery issues.

according to this picture
Image
There doesn't appear to be much batter top-side from the volume buttons which appears to be the axel of bending in all of these stories. So i doubt an expanded battery can do that much damage.

i mean come on people. Things don't just bend...

If that battery is tight in there, got hot and expanded even the slightest bit, the volume button cut out is exactly where it would give. Seems very plausible to me.