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I guess I am just realistic. I try not to focus on things that I can't control. With Apple, I have no input on these sort of things. If I start seeing quality issues with my Apple products, then I will be looking elsewhere. For now, that hasn't happened.

That’s the problem with society in general. When you don’t speak up for things that are wrong when it is affecting others then when it affects you it is often way too late to remedy. We need to speak up now.
 
Agreed not a big deal as far as form and function go. However, a monumentally big deal in how NOT to handle an emerging issue with potentially enormous public relations backlash. By most any measure, a product manager should realize that a unit with a warp shown in the photo would be considered a defect by the buyer. Full stop. Basic dimensions, right angles, flatness are just something that humans can very easily latch on to be and become fixated with. Unlike, say, the ability of a display to properly represent a full color gamut, which would be a far worse but less attachable defect, IMHO. Whatever PR firm or VP that advised just ignoring it, claiming it is normal (and it very well may be), and moving on should be fired. But hey, I'm not being paid to run a department. So my opinion and $3.50 will get you a cup of coffee somewhere.

Hey, I agree! And, to be honest, I'm always happy when Apple decides to do something in favor of their customers. Do I think this is a widespread issue? No. Would I be glad if Apple said "you know what, everyone who has a bent iPad gets a new one, no questions asked"? Sure I would! Why would I be against that?

But, at the same time, presenting this situation as proof that Apple sucks and that these iPad Pros are somehow defective by design and come with major design flaws - I don't think that's true at all. Furthermore, it just builds this unease of using the device for a lot of people who will buy this whole story. Like it will bend if you look at it silly.

Also, just repeating ridiculous mantras like "Ive is making them thin just because he's obsessed" get boring really fast.
 
If that’s what you think speaking up for others when they are screwed by Apple means (not buying their products), you are not because you are still continuing to buy them.

I think you may be confused on what impact you are making on the situation. The best thing you can do is not buy the product. Otherwise, stomping your feet in an online forum is just white noise. Unless you are starting a class action lawsuit against Apple, not buying their products is the only thing you can control. I have no issue with their products so why would I not buy them if I see the value? Everybody makes their own choices in life. I hope you get what you want out of this whole situation and you can go on happily.
 
When Microsoft shipped Surface Pros with screens that became unusable due to flicker after they got warm and people put their devices in freezers to get them working again - I remember Microsoft's answer was that it happens to only a small number of units and that people should just replace them if they had issues. Still, I considered Satya Nadella an excelent CEO then (and do now).

A small number of iPads (and it is small, don't let the forum cognitive bias fool you) getting slightly bent out of the box is a much more benign issue, and yet the hyperbolic MRF is, once again, asking for Cook's resignation. And in a time when they literally make the best iPhone, iPad and iMac in their history, their audio team is the best it has ever been, their chip team is literally leading the industry and iCloud is finally - you know - working for the first time since Jobs introduced it.

Having read this thread, I would recommend you play the ball and not even player as it’s called.

Us Apple fans care less about what Ms or android does, for such a premium $$$ product , any bend is unacceptable.

Problem wish this thread is the usual suspects that are creating debate / friction, defending the indefensible . Where do you guys draw the line that it’s unacceptable to get a bent device ..... it’s not $2k, so is it $3k, $4K? How about respect those of use who draw the line at $1k ?
 
A person does have to look at this through Apple's point of view to understand their reasoning for stating that it is a normal condition. If it is somewhat common because of the manufacturing process they cannot afford to be replacing all of those iPads because of slight bends out of the box. Also if they have the policy to replace any bent iPad what happens when people start using them and get slight bends in them after the return period? Do they replace them all because it's a "defect?" That would be a huge drain on corporate profitability.

I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but I understand Apple's reasoning. If it were any other company they might go forward with replacements because it would be necessary to keep customers. Apple knows it's customers are extremely brand loyal and are going to purchase the brand regardless of previous issues. Most companies do not have as strong of brand as Apple and when you have a strong brand you can get away with a lot and people will keep coming back to you.
 
I think you may be confused on what impact you are making on the situation. The best thing you can do is not buy the product. Otherwise, stomping your feet in an online forum is just white noise. Unless you are starting a class action lawsuit against Apple, not buying their products is the only thing you can control. I have no issue with their products so why would I not buy them if I see the value? Everybody makes their own choices in life. I hope you get what you want out of this whole situation and you can go on happily.
We’re talking in circles and you’re not understanding my points. But that’s okay, at this point I don’t think it’s productive to keep going back and forth.
 
Just curious - what do you use your iPad for at work? If I brought mine into a meeting I'd be stared at like I had three heads. (I'm a manager in finance dept at a fairly good sized organization for the area).

I use Notability for note taking (I used to use OneNote, but it's missing some functionality that Notability has and its palm rejection sucks). I also use it to show Powerpoints to customers, check and respond to email, manage my travel, schedule meetings, view Webex meetings, annotate PDF docs, update Salesforce, scan docs and receipts. When at my hotel -- aside from surfing the web -- I'll plug it into the hotel TV and watch Netflix or HBO. My iPad has all but replaced my Macbook Pro for everything on the road. The only thing it's not good at is extensive Word document or Excel spreadsheet work. It sure makes the backpack lighter, too.

I just left a large Silicon Valley company where I didn't get stared at much, but I've been in several industrial companies over the past years since the iPad came available and mostly I get interest rather than derision when using my device in meetings.

Just like your question! :)
 
As much as I expound about Apple’s virtues, this company also does some screwed up things.

APPLE: THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR!
 
My opinion is that speaking up on a forum such as this about problems is not a waste of effort at all. Even though they don't actively participate, I would bet that Apple monitors the general chatter on forums like this. If a problem becomes a common topic, they will be made aware of it. I have no proof of this of course, but in this day and age, companies are typically tapped into online forums and social media.

So, I say post away. It's harder to sweep something under the rug when the subject is the target of many discussions.
 
Just sold my mini 4 to eventually get another iPad...now I’ll be waiting a while which doesn’t bother me one bit.
 
I'm...flabbergasted. This makes my decision to order a Fire TV Stick this morning seem all the more prescient.

I've been an avid, perhaps rabid, Apple fan for too long to remember. Almost every electronic device in my house is Apple: from the 4 Airport Extremes on each floor to the MacMini media server, the original iPad in the kitchen for music, the iPads strewn about the house, the clutter of in-use and retired MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, the gaggle of disused iPods and retired iPhones in a box, to my Apple Newton (yes, I'm *that* guy) and my absolute all-time-favorite 12" Powerbook on a shelf in my office. Plus all the MacBook Pros purchased for kids, Cinema Displays given to friends, iMacs and MacPros sold on eBay and Craigslist. I even rewired those cute little orb speakers from a long-gone iMac into an external amp I use on my desk today. I love those little guys! Seriously way more than $30K in Apple products have passed through my house over the years. I cringe to think about it really.

But Apple is failing to meet my needs any more and no longer delights with any product. When I decided to automate some stuff around the house this year, pricing for HomeKit compatible devices drove me to choose Alexa-enabled devices - and so the nose of the Amazon camel got into the tent. I mean, aside from Apple licensing costs, why are HomeKit devices more expensive? Some bits of plastic, same tiny boards and stuff...just the Apple premium.

Lately, I've been frustrated with the performance and sketchy remote connectivity of our Apple TV. We watch TV very little - maybe Netflix or Hulu a couple hours a week - and we've been using with a 3rd Gen ATV for a few years. But lately the outdated WiFi has shown its shortcomings. I looked at the new ATVs and was considering hedging my bets with the 4K version but didn't feel like plunking down a C-note-and-a-half to watch 2 hours of Netflix a week. And I'm not interested in games...so why?

This morning Amazon sent me a link for half off a FireTV 4K stick - making it $24 delivered today. Problem solved.

I know this is long and seems a little off topic, but the reality is that Apple has focused almost all their energy on iDevices for the past decade. They crapped all over the professionals who use their products to earn a living. Discontinued Cinema Displays, crippled MacPro with that tiny enclosure, ignored the MacMini for half a decade, removed the ports from, and added that silly Touch Bar to, the MacBook Pro, discontinued the 17" MBP, pooped all over Final Cut Pro...the list goes on and on. Basically, if it ain't an iPhone it don't matter at Apple.

(I know, I know, the MacMini is a great upgrade -- and I ordered one to replace my 7-year-old MacPro -- but that's a conciliatory move. I'm very curious what sort of configuration we'll see in the MacPro next year [if we see anything at all].)

So, the fact that Apple now says a shoddy manufacturing process that results in bent or deformed devices is 'acceptable' is the nail in the Apple coffin. What that really means is: "We rushed this to get it to market and make it ridiculously thin at the expense of fit and finish. So, that's normal. And eff you guys!"

The truth is I will continue to buy and use Apple computers for my offices -- I don't have the time or energy to migrate to a PC (and Windows is a deplorable OS IMHO) -- but the rest of this crap? It's about time to upgrade phones and we'll be looking at whatever the top of the line Androids are. The MacMini media server is 7 years old: that'll probably be some tiny NUC (which will probably connect somehow to my new FireTV stick). And of course, the Airport Extremes towers are due for replacement...

I think Apple forgot that the ecosystem needs all the pieces to be viable. If the only part of the system they care about are iPhones why would we keep paying a premium for the rest of the crap?

Sylvania makes some super affordable Homekit items that work flawlessly. I have a ton of them. I choose not to have Google/Alexa spyware devices in my home. If that wasn't a factor, I could see it being a cost effective way to build a smart home.

HomePod is definitely better than any of the other offerings as far as sound quality though.
 
I seriously can't believe this is Apple's response. This is the most absurd "excuse" Apple has ever made. It's a defect, plain and simple.
 
You are missing the point.
For them to blatantly say bent out of the box iPad is not a defect it’s essentially testing our intelligence.

And if they think it’s okay to do this, what’s coming next.

I think this press release frustrates apple users more than apple haters. Because we may have to face issues like this in the future, then what kind of nonsense are they going to tell us.
I'd like to see the exact quote and full context of the statement. Again, I think they mean there is no manufacturing defect from a high level perspective. If your iPad is bent, I guaranteed they'll replace it.
 
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If I was a shareholder I’d be seriously questioning Cook’s future leadership of Apple at this point.

I hope they are in 'advanced talks' to replace him.

People attribute so much of Apple's financial success to him directly, but I maintain that anyone, even someone somehow MORE incompetent arrogant and ideological than Tim could still produce the numbers they did. Apple sells itself and they could have done so without being so self destructive too. I'd prefer even the Coca Cola CEO to take over if it means de-throning Tim.

It also come to an unsustainable tipping point that is entirely in their control.

They are a trillion dollar company but because of hiked prices year over year, dongles everywhere, nickel and diming customers (you cant fast charge out of the box with your $1100+ phone, and 5w to charge that massive battery is completely unrealistic, and you cant even connect your iPhone to your new usb-c mac without buying a usb-c to lightning, pencils come with 1-tip instead of 2 now despite a $29 price increase for the product for a negligibly small piece of plastic... after years I just started using the second tip and I appreciated having a spare, the headphone dongle is removed in box, the extension cable for MBP's is removed in box, etc etc etc), and denying basic design flaws. Not entirely earned and merit based.

It has and will tarnish the brand. Making everything politically alienating as well, when people from all walks of life and the full political spectrum, share enjoyment and use of modern tech.

Steve was many things, including arrogant, but he also understood a fundamental need to please customers and not show them the door or he will be shown it. He acknowledged this by stating Apple is a leaky ship, and without the right captain to patch up the holes, it *will* sink.

He was even willing to drop the price of iPhone, the first generation, Tim isn't. Tim will pull marketing voodoo of trade in values and go on talk shows to show its just the cost of foregoing a cup of coffee every once in a while. And the iPhone is so many things converged, which we well understand by now without him 'breaking it down.'

Steve was even willing to give out free cases to lessen the blow of antennagate, and crafted a really brilliant keynote to turn attention of the issue over to other manufacturers having faults, not just Apple. Not saying it was moral, but it was brilliantly done... over his most prized possession, the glass sandwich with an Achilles hell, Tim isn't willing to compromise... (though not sure the context for free cases today would make sense as a direct comparison, but AT LEAST something that shows they care, even if we know they dont)

There's nothing brilliant about saying iPads bent out of box is normal and not a defect, contrary to the definition of defect, and using The Verge as their vessel is anything but subtle.
 
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I can't agree that the return policy is a good thing in this case:

1) It puts the responsibility on the customer to seek out a solution in a constrained time period for Apple's mistake
2) If it comes out of the box bent it was put into the box bent; where's the Quality Control before shipping?
3) The statement implies Apple are willing and knowingly shipping "faulty" products

Doesn't look good.

Almost all return policies do #1. Very rare to have unlimited time for the customer to identify a physical defect that should be obvious when opening the box. You can argue the time frame, but the Holiday return policy gives you up to almost 2 months....not bad.

As I said in my earlier post, I agree with you on #2 & #3.
 
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Mine looks ok so far I guess but it went straight into a case and if I ever see a bend develop I’ll just go and replace it with applecare.

Still, statement like this is almost if not actually insulting.
iPad means mobility and mobility means certain forces constantly being applie to the device so making it as flimsy as they did makes them either stupid or in strong belief that their customers are and they will eat it without a word.
 
Dumbfounded by this. I usually defend Apple but have been less inclined to do that in the last year or two. I now no longer update operating systems immediately. I always wait several weeks to make sure that the update isn't worse than what I had. The recent price increases on everything has essentially put my annual upgrades on hold in regards to the watch, phone and ipad. My current ipad pro has a replacement smart keyboard because the original one had become unresponsive. When I inquired with Apple about replacing the replacement because it is doing the exact same thing the original one did that was replaced, I was told that was not possible now. Now they are telling us that a bent ipad pro out of the box is not a defect?!?! I'm not sure what to think about Apple right now. I definitely don't have a surplus of confidence in their products or services right now. The one good thing is that they have saved me a lot of money in the last year or two.
 
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All things considered, 'a side-effect of the manufacturing process' sounds like an excuse you would come up with if you didn't want to admit to an outright design flaw in the product.

Has Apple ever changed the design of a product mid-cycle (even internally) without an announcement?
 
All things considered, 'a side-effect of the manufacturing process' sounds like an excuse you would come up with if you didn't want to admit to an outright design flaw in the product.

Has Apple ever changed the design of a product mid-cycle (even internally) without an announcement?

I would think if it were a design flaw, they would all be bent, which they aren't. I think I remember them adding reinforcements to a product after a similar issue occurred, maybe another iPad? I forget, but this isn't anything new when it comes to manufacturing.
 
So it was better to say nothing than to say its normal, given those are the only two options Apple was ever considering?

Two key points:

1.) Saying ‘Nothing’/ignoring when being inquired from the media _and_ receiving customer feedback is *not* an appropriate route to ignore this. Apple has to respond, why? At this magnitude, it’s genuinely confusing as why the bending was occurring and are they aware of it, and to what extent? (And Apple stores are looking for guidance in addition) Not addressing this concern would only infuriate consumers more and create suspicion of ‘What’s really going on here’ statements.

2.) By them saying it’s ‘normal’ shows at least they reached out too their engineer team to find out more on the bending. By no means are they ‘lying’ , which allegedly the bending is affecting an unspecified amount of iPads, the fact that they provided a response to the bending (Even if it’s a response many are finding ludicrous), shows they acknowledged the bending concern, even if the customer doesn’t like the outcome or explanation.

Even if Apple’s explanation seems bogus, we can’t change what they said, the customer who has a bent iPad, can only hope they can exchange it, if that specific Apple store allows it or if they are in the 14 day return period.
 
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