Apple's Dan Riccio Says 2018 iPad Pro 'Meets or Exceeds' Quality Standards of Design and Precision, More Info to Come

[OLDGUYWITHAHIFI]

You are right. It doesn't. Which is why it is a good thing that Apple sells experiences, not technology.

Apple's user base extends well beyond this small but extremely vocal user base here at Macrumours. Let's go out on a limb and say that Apple is indeed taking notes here at Macrumours. Yes, you have your needs and your concerns and your wish-lists, but you all don't make up the bulk of Apple's user base either, nor do consumers base their buying decisions based on Macrumour's buying guide either.

Here is another perspective. You claim that the type of vocal user MacRumors attracts is a small minority of the overall Apple user base and does not reflect an accurate depiction of most users.

Many of the Apple users I know like Apple products for a variety of reasons. Some like the design, some like the ease of use, and most are not concerned with advanced features or how Apples products compare to other platforms.

Yet many of these same users I have been exposed to have had issues with their Apple products but don't complain about them on forums, or get mad at Apple for dropping the ball and vocalize it all over the internet. They just go elsewhere.

Now I understand the sampling of users in my small little piece of reality is also a minuscule sampling of Apple users, but considering the amount of people who use Apple products, bottom line is make a product people will buy. If quality starts to suffer, people will look elsewhere.

 

[I7guy]

...Yet many of these same users I have been exposed to have had issues with their Apple products but don't complain about them on forums, or get mad at Apple for dropping the ball and vocalize it all over the internet. They just go elsewhere.

Now I understand the sampling of users in my small little piece of reality is also a minuscule sampling of Apple users, but considering the amount of people who use Apple products, bottom line is make a product people will buy. If quality starts to suffer, people will look elsewhere.

There are millions of micro-anecdotal stories like that. For example, my (extended) family, most android, now all have iphones.

I don't think apple (or any other company) can ever produce one product, what is 100% off the assembly line and they also will makes some engineering/manufacturing mistakes. It's how these issues are remedied that make the difference.

 

[ipponrg]

It's how these issues are remedied that make the difference.

I think the point of this amusing debacle was that Apple should probably have remedied it by saying “it’s not normal and they will look into it”.

Their PR response is challenging people’s intellect.

 

[I7guy]

I think the point of this amusing debacle was that Apple should probably have remedied it by saying “it’s not normal and they will look into it”.

Their PR response is challenging people’s intellect.

I tend to turn off PR speak even from Apple but it wasn’t a straightforward response.

 

[BigBoy2018]

I tend to turn off PR speak even from Apple but it wasn’t a straightforward response.

But isnt the key goal of any GOOD pr speak to clarify an issue and quell anger over a corporate misstep? The problem with Apple’s so-called ‘pr speak’ in this instance is that it seems to be making things worse and people more upset.

So if this IS their attempt at pr speak ... then somebody needs to go back to pr school.

 

[pat500000]

Lol, just lol. Period.

Forget it. Some people probably need to purchase apple care plus before they read your comments...otherwise they would be bent out of shape.

 

[bobob]

You claim that the type of vocal user MacRumors attracts is a small minority of the overall Apple user base and does not reflect an accurate depiction of most users.

Those of us who've participated at MacRumors for longer than five weeks remember a time before outrage was the only key the forum sang in.

 

[OLDGUYWITHAHIFI]

Those of us who've participated at MacRumors for longer than five weeks remember a time before outrage was the only key the forum sang in.

Oh I get it. You think someone who just joined MacRumors 5 weeks ago can't have an opinion or experience, especially considering they have been coming to this site for years, commented on several other forums, and started using Macs professionally decades ago.

Yup. I get it.

 

[BigBoy2018]

Those of us who've participated at MacRumors for longer than five weeks remember a time before outrage was the only key the forum sang in.

This is only one of thousands of threads here. So you go to one of the threads (this one) that clearly is dicussing a potential Apple mistep, and therefore sure to be rife with angry posts, and complain about those angry posts.
Its like walking into a hornets nest and then complaining that theres no place to sit without getting stung.
Honestly, theres plenty of threads here discussing non controversial matters where most everyone agrees in peace and harmony. So why not go to those threads instead?

 

[KPandian1]

This whole thread is based on the Verge report of "Dan's" statement - I don't see the official statement anywhere - just a dismissal.

The bend is true.

Apple's quality control is definitely slipping; the annual update rush is not an excuse they can use with the iPads. The volumes of production is not at par with the iPhones. Their PR spiel is becoming strained and downright dishonest; they seem to be banned from talking with the engineers and designers.

The metal used on this iPad is a bad quality alloy or the design is too thin for its spread. Apple is unwilling to admit either scenario, and as they don't disclose the individual figures (Do they? For iPads?), it's tough to gauge the economic damage for them. Definitely they are taking it on the chin in reputation, and maybe a little in the stock market (most of the decline is due to the overall downturn).

If this deviation is happening with the 11" models, how much worse will it be with the 12.9" models! I don't see that in the news. The store models look fine.

I am willing to wait 8-10 months to skip a generation if this was a phone; can't do that with the iPads' cycle. So, the choice is to stick with what I own now (screen blotching), and skip this model.

 

[Jbaffoh]

Wow, there’s a lot of noise here, as usual.

For the record, my 12.9” iPad Pro (3rd gen) is perfectly flat and it feels plenty sturdy for my uses (which do not include using it for a stadium seat or a frisbee). I love the thing, and it’s probably my coolest tech purchase since the 1984 Mac or 2007 iPhone.

I’m glad my unit does not have a 400 micron warp, but if it did, I doubt it would be noticeable in daily use with the smart keyboard.

I would like to see pics of the 400 micron warp that has everyone so riled. The only pics I’ve seen are WAY out of spec and outside the scope of Apple’s comment.

 

[jinnyman]

I'm glad that I made a decision to keep my 2nd gen iPad Pro and skip 3rd gen.
From the very beginning when this issue came up, I knew I wouldn't want to buy this much expensive device which is prone to bend. My nightmare with the previous 6 plus is enough.

Thank god.

 

[Ronlap]

Haters will hate, but Jony Ive and his team spent 3 years, millions of dollars and received 2 patents for newly-designed machinery just to get the right radius of bend.

 

[KPandian1]

Haters will hate, but Jony Ive and his team spent 3 years, millions of dollars and received 2 patents for newly-designed machinery just to get the right radius of bend.

... And this is the product of their labor!

 

[Baymowe335]

Translation: Yes, some of our iPad Pros are bent out of the box and we’re not going to do a damn thing about it. So just shut up and stop whining.

That’s not what they said.

This is why the Apple bashers have no credibility.

If literally 1 iPad is bent, you guys starting saying “Apple ships defective products and won’t replace them.”

1) The quantity impacted is unknown. A few cases doesn’t automatically mean a design flaw or widespread issue.
2) Riccio’s statement simply gives us the tolerance and is largely generic. He never says they won’t replace iPads out of spec.
3) It would seem if it’s out of tolerance, you’d be eligible for a replacement.
4) We have no evidence anyone was denied a return or warranty claim for a bend.
5) As usual, people are overreacting.
6) The article even states returns are no more than usual.

This is likely a non story, but it makes headlines because there is a picture and a video of someone purposely breaking an iPad in half.

 

[Kabeyun]

So to recap:

Customer: I don’t like the way it looks slightly bent
Apple: It’s within spec. Here’s some technical jargon to show the spec. “I hope the above explanation addresses your concerns.”​

Really? Does Riccio actually believe that this would satisfy someone whose new iPad didn’t lie flat on the table?

 

[xraydoc]

You're two of the lucky ones.

News from 2015 in a long-discontinued product (Surface Pro 3). No reports of factory-bent Surface products since.

Edit: And the existence of issues in other company's products does not excuse Apple from this blunder, no more than it excused Microsoft (or any other company).

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

This whole thread is based on the Verge report of "Dan's" statement - I don't see the official statement anywhere - just a dismissal.

The bend is true.

Apple's quality control is definitely slipping; the annual update rush is not an excuse they can use with the iPads. The volumes of production is not at par with the iPhones. Their PR spiel is becoming strained and downright dishonest; they seem to be banned from talking with the engineers and designers.

The metal used on this iPad is a bad quality alloy or the design is too thin for its spread. Apple is unwilling to admit either scenario, and as they don't disclose the individual figures (Do they? For iPads?), it's tough to gauge the economic damage for them. Definitely they are taking it on the chin in reputation, and maybe a little in the stock market (most of the decline is due to the overall downturn).

If this deviation is happening with the 11" models, how much worse will it be with the 12.9" models! I don't see that in the news. The store models look fine.

I am willing to wait 8-10 months to skip a generation if this was a phone; can't do that with the iPads' cycle. So, the choice is to stick with what I own now (screen blotching), or skip this model.

What’s wrong going in an a store and checking out the stuff, is OK take home.
[doublepost=1545586112][/doublepost]

I won't say it's garbage, but say you have 1000+ response thread, and 90% of them are very superficial responses which add virtually nothing of value to the discussion, and just make the overall mood that much more toxic and acerbic.

If I were working at Apple, I honestly wouldn't bother with this forum at all. The signal-to-noise ratio is simply too high to make it worth my time and effort to sift out the relevant replies from the trash.

Well. That’s just like, your opinion, man
In the real world listening to this forum would make your company way better!

 

[lec0rsaire]

That’s not what they said.

This is why the Apple bashers have no credibility.

If literally 1 iPad is bent, you guys starting saying “Apple ships defective products and won’t replace them.”

1) The quantity impacted is unknown. A few cases doesn’t automatically mean a design flaw or widespread issue.
2) Riccio’s statement simply gives us the tolerance and is largely generic. He never says they won’t replace iPads out of spec.
3) It would seem if it’s out of tolerance, you’d be eligible for a replacement.
4) We have no evidence anyone was denied a return or warranty claim for a bend.
5) As usual, people are overreacting.
6) The article even states returns are no more than usual.

This is likely a non story, but it makes headlines because there is a picture and a video of someone purposely breaking an iPad in half.

I wasn’t talking about that iPad that was obviously destroyed on purpose just like people do all of those iPhone drop tests. If this were only about a few bent iPads, I don’t think Apple would’ve bothered to respond. They only issue statements when they know that a decent percentage is affected just like the keyboard debacle.

My 2016 15” keyboard is still going strong. It still has the original one with “alt” and “option” instead of the symbols but I know that my MBP is the exception rather than the norm because a ton of people have had them replaced multiple times.

I’m not one of those people that always bashed Apple either. I’m extremely satisfied with each Apple product I’ve ever owned but when something is wrong people have to speak up. These aren’t cheap products. The iPad Pro is the most expensive tablet out there and there is no excuse for defects out of the box.

 

[Baymowe335]

I wasn’t talking about that iPad that was obviously destroyed on purpose just like people do all of those iPhone drop tests. If this were only about a few bent iPads, I don’t think Apple would’ve bothered to respond. They only issue statements when they know that a decent percentage is affected just like the keyboard debacle.

My 2016 15” keyboard is still going strong. It still has the original one with “alt” and “option” instead of the symbols but I know that my MBP is the exception rather than the norm because a ton of people have had them replaced multiple times.

I’m not one of those people that always bashed Apple either. I’m extremely satisfied with each Apple product I’ve ever owned but when something is wrong people have to speak up. These aren’t cheap products. The iPad Pro is the most expensive tablet out there and there is no excuse for defects out of the box.

Your entire point about the response from Apple is speculation. We simply don’t know how many are impacted.

 

[Dustin Lenzz]

...Well. That’s just like, your opinion, man
In the real world listening to this forum would make your company way better!

Especially all of the calls for Tim Cook and or Jony Ive to be fired... Yeah, it’s a shame that the board of directors doesn’t listen to all of the great analysis & commentary on here...
/s

 

[JamesMay82]

They wouldn’t do a iPhone 6s screen replacement because it had a slight bend lol and now they are shipping them with bends

 

[trifid]

Anyone remember Staingate? Apple apologists here were saying it was the user's fault for cleaning the screen wrong. It took Apple years to acknowledge the issue but the community backslash won in the end, and repair program was launched.

What about Error 53? Apple apologists were claiming bricked iphones were ok because of security, mass outrage ensued, community spoke up, Apple came out with update to remove bricking.

Throtlegate - mass outrage on this, Apple apologists said nonissue, mass outrage ensued, Apple launched discounted replacements but most importantly gave users health monitoring which they were purposefully banning before and a way to bypass the throttling.

MBP 2016 Keyboard failure - Apple apologists were dismissing issue saying it's isolated and not as widespread. The reports kept building up, Apple launched repair program.

The list goes on and on, here's what I've learned:

1. When a thread on Macrumors doesn't die, and posts keep building and building, usually it escalates and permeates into social media, and other news outlets pick up the story, and we get a response from Apple. It works almost every single time. Unfortunately Apple usually responds after mass outrage, that's how they operate, that's why criticism and "noise" is necessary. No "noise" = no reply from Apple, issue is hidden under the rug, that's a fact.

2. A lot of the "noise" is because when a legitimate issue arises, there is a group of people coming out with excuses to defend the indefensible, this adds outrage to those of us that see an issue that needs to be addressed and not hid under the rug like Apple usually tries to do.

 

[pat500000]

Anyone remember Staingate? Apple apologists here were saying it was the user's fault for cleaning the screen wrong. It took Apple years to acknowledge the issue but the community backslash won in the end, and repair program was launched.

What about Error 53? Apple apologists were claiming bricked iphones were ok because of security, mass outrage ensued, community spoke up, Apple came out with update to remove bricking.

Throtlegate - mass outrage on this, Apple apologists said nonissue, mass outrage ensued, Apple launched discounted replacements but most importantly gave users health monitoring which they were purposefully banning before and a way to bypass the throttling.

MBP 2016 Keyboard failure - Apple apologists were dismissing issue saying it's isolated and not as widespread. The reports kept building up, Apple launched repair program.

The list goes on and on, here's what I've learned:

1. When a thread on Macrumors doesn't die, and posts keep building and building, usually it escalates and permeates into social media, and other news outlets pick up the story, and we get a response from Apple. It works almost every single time. Unfortunately Apple usually responds after mass outrage, that's how they operate, that's why criticism and "noise" is necessary. No "noise" = no reply from Apple, issue is hidden under the rug, that's a fact.

2. A lot of the "noise" is because when a legitimate issue arises, there is a group of people coming out with excuses to defend the indefensible, this adds outrage to those of us that see an issue that needs to be addressed and not hid under the rug like Apple usually tries to do.

Some people believe tim cook is the founder of apple company.

 

[Dustin Lenzz]

‘My iPad is bent by 401 microns, off with everyone’s heads at Apple!!’