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Consumer Reports: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Not as Bendable as Believed

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subsonix said:
What do you think is considered normal return rate of faulty devices for a consumer electronics company, 0.0% or more?
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At Antennagate, Apple stated that the 3GS had a return rate of 6%. Unknown how many were returned due to faults, but Apple historically has had failure rates anywhere from 1% to over 15% (for a bad batch of disk based iPods, IIRC).

9 out of 10,000,000 is not an issue that points to a general flaw ...
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True, but we don't know the actual percentage. "Nine contacted Apple" was a cherry picked number that studiously ignored other contact venues, and is unlikely to be updated even if it was in the hundreds by now.

At the same time, perhaps the news coverage will cause people to be more aware of the possibility and thus more careful.

We'll probably have to be patient and see what happens long term. E.g. will the complaints rise or fade away? Will Apple update the design or not?
 
carves said:
Well that's interesting. Seeing the inside, there is a reinforcing bar to strengthen the cutouts, but instead of making it a continuous bar as I suggested (or better yet, an i-beam or L beam, or at least a bar that's thicker at the cutouts) they have just short segments, attached by screws. Come on guys- the bend can rotate at the screws. It's like using a bike chain where you need a bar. All they had to do was make one long bar attached at the same points instead of several short ones and the phone would be much more bend-resistant, and a little simpler to produce to boot. I don't get it. There's literally no reason to not make that a continuous bar other than maybe a small fraction of a gram of weight. Instead, most of the weight is there with only a small fraction of the potential bending resistance.

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Bending the bar to be L-shaped would've been a huge and simple improvement, too. There's no reason not to.
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There has to be a reason they thought it better to go for short sections over a continuous long bar though. One would assume they tried both.

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kdarling said:
Will Apple update the design or not?
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I’d suggest that they will. Quietly.
 
Trapezoid said:
Relax, guy its been two seconds. I got you confused with all the other chicken littles, apologize for that.

But that brings up another question, based on the video of those two kids do you think it shows the bending to be easily done?
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Certainly easier than is being suggested in the story you posted...
 
kdarling said:
True, but we don't know the actual percentage. "Nine contacted Apple" was a cherry picked number that studiously ignored other contact venues, and is unlikely to be updated even if it was in the hundreds by now.
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I agree, but I went with the 9 because that's the example H2SO4 went with, and I also kept the example general not specific to Apple.

kdarling said:
At the same time, perhaps the news coverage will cause people to be more aware of the possibility and thus more careful.

We'll probably have to be patient and see what happens long term. E.g. will the complaints rise or fade away? Will Apple update the design or not?
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Exactly. :)
 
Trapezoid said:
Yes if you consider white knuckles and shaking hands easy.

People acting as if it folds up like a soda can.
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The story you posted makes it sound like a 6'3" 225 man had difficulty bending the phone while we have video proof of a few prepubescent boys who were able to bend it.
 
iceperson said:
The story you posted makes it sound like a 6'3" 225 man had difficulty bending the phone while we have video proof of a few prepubescent boys who were able to bend it.
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The story I posted made it sound like a 6'3 guy bent the phone with some force, just like the prepubescent boys did.

The point of my post wasn't that only strong men can bend it. It was that it takes a lot of force to bend.
 
Trapezoid said:
No. Do you think it folds like a soda can?
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No. I have posted a few times in this thread that it takes some force to bend it by hand and that if you intentionally try to do so, it will bend. But that doesn't mean it will bend easily in my pocket, just as the CR test doesn't mean it won't.

A few more weeks should show which way this will go. So far there aren't mass reports of this being a problem. We have two users in this thread who did have a problem, but that doesn't seem to be common so far at MR.
 
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AppleScruff1 said:
No. I have posted a few times in this thread that it takes some force to bend it by hand and that if you intentionally try to do so, it will bend. But that doesn't mean it will bend easily in my pocket, just as the CR test doesn't mean it won't.

A few more weeks should show which way this will go. So far there aren't. Mass reports of t his being a problem. We have two users in this thread who did have a problem, but that doesn't seem to be common so far at MR.
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I agree 100%. I never said the phone is indestructible. The CR report proves its not. What I have said is it won't bend with normal use.

No photo or video posted shows otherwise.

It could very well be a huge problem. Coming to that conclusion based on the scant reports of forcible bending, however is chicken little syndrome. Nothing new when it comes to apple.
 
H2SO4 said:
Yes, you have an open mind I can see that.
Look, it’s too weak and you know it.
What kind of company brings out a successor that is weaker than the old one?

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Don’t mention it.
It doesn't need to be a lot. It depends what the flaw is. This is a significant flaw for what the device is.
0% failure rate is a goal. That there tells me all I need to know about your thinking. Whether you get it or not is one matter, but you should still aim for it but accept that you may only get ninety something, (or less).
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Who says it's too weak? I mean besides you a few buddies. Labs that actually test these devices for a living seem to feel otherwise.

http://www.squaretrade.com/press/iphone-6-earns-best-score-ever-iphone-6-plus-not-far-behind

Consumer Reports: "While nothing is (evidently) indestructible, we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use."

As a matter of fact pretty much every review of the iPhone 6 has been positive. I don't recall reading a single review that was overwhelmingly bad.

So you in your infinite wisdom have decided that the iPhone 6 is too weak? You base this on what, a handful of unverified reports? Out of the millions and millions shipped? Do you have one? If so what sort of controlled testing have you done?

Right now the facts say otherwise...You know, if you care about actual facts.

I fully expect the number of alleged issues to be north of the count of 9 that was stated last week. How many more is anyone's guess. If that the number of alleged issues eventually swells to support your reality, then Apple will not be able to keep a lid on it.

BTW, still nothing in the major news outlets, but I'm rooting for you. :D

If you were to ask me if I think that the fact that based on Consumer Reports testing the iPhone 6 appears weaker than the 5 is a step backwards, I would obviously agree that it is.

HOWEVER that does not automatically mean the iPhone 6 will not withstand the rigours of daily use. That's all most users REALLY care about.

The labs at Consumer Reports and Box Trade tend to agree. BTW, I subscribe to Consumer Reports and I at least factor in their findings when researching a new purchase.
 
Trapezoid said:
Yes if you consider white knuckles and shaking hands easy.

People acting as if it folds up like a soda can.
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Yes, using hands is an unrealistic flaw demo method.

Rather, they should be emulating real life events. Sitting on them in back pockets, putting them in front pockets and then kneeling down, and so forth.

I think, along with not being designed out of a material that will spring back into shape, people are just used to sitting on their older, smaller, stiffer iPhones without problem.

Betcha we start seeing factory stickers on the display, with a warning not to sit on the phone :)
 
kdarling said:
Yes, using hands is an unrealistic flaw demo method.

Rather, they should be emulating real life events. Sitting on them in back pockets, putting them in front pockets and then kneeling down, and so forth.

I think, along with the indisputable facts that it has a weak point and is not designed out of a material that will spring back into shape, people are just used to sitting on their older, smaller, stiffer iPhones without problem.

Betcha we start seeing factory stickers on the display, with a warning not to sit on the phone :)
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Agreed, it has a weak point and it is weaker than last year's phone. But of course, this doesn't mean it will crumble in your hands.

I trust CR and square trade over videos online of people forcibly destroying phones.

As someone already said, only time will tell, and apple will not be able to keep it under wraps if it's a widespread issue. Nothing whatsoever indicates that it is currently.

As for the warning sticker, some people in this thread need them
 
subsonix said:
Well it was the example you gave:
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Yep, aware of that.

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Bilbo63 said:
Who says it's too weak? I mean besides you a few buddies. Labs that actually test these devices for a living seem to feel otherwise.

http://www.squaretrade.com/press/iphone-6-earns-best-score-ever-iphone-6-plus-not-far-behind

Consumer Reports: "While nothing is (evidently) indestructible, we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use."

As a matter of fact pretty much every review of the iPhone 6 has been positive. I don't recall reading a single review that was overwhelmingly bad.

So you in your infinite wisdom have decided that the iPhone 6 is too weak? You base this on what, a handful of unverified reports? Out of the millions and millions shipped? Do you have one? If so what sort of controlled testing have you done?

Right now the facts say otherwise...You know, if you care about actual facts.

I fully expect the number of alleged issues to be north of the count of 9 that was stated last week. How many more is anyone's guess. If that the number of alleged issues eventually swells to support your reality, then Apple will not be able to keep a lid on it.

BTW, still nothing in the major news outlets, but I'm rooting for you. :D

If you were to ask me if I think that the fact that based on Consumer Reports testing the iPhone 6 appears weaker than the 5 is a step backwards, I would obviously agree that it is.

HOWEVER that does not automatically mean the iPhone 6 will not withstand the rigours of daily use. That's all most users REALLY care about.

The labs at Consumer Reports and Box Trade tend to agree. BTW, I subscribe to Consumer Reports and I at least factor in their findings when researching a new purchase.
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No buddies. Just me.
 
Trapezoid said:
Yes if you consider white knuckles and shaking hands easy.

People acting as if it folds up like a soda can.
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give those kids a pencil to break with their fingers.. they'll show strain.. hands aren't exactly the strongest parts of the body, you know?

pretty sure none of the complaints thus far have been along the lines of "I pushed the home button with my thumb and the thing bent"
 
flat five said:
give those kids a pencil to break.. they'll show strain.. hands aren't exactly the strongest parts of the body, you know?

pretty sure none of the complaints thus far have been along the lines of "I pushed the home button with my thumb and the thing bent"
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Pretty sure none of the defense has been "God himself cannot bend this phone"either.

It definitely bends. It hasn't been proven that it bends with normal use. That's all that's ever been said in this thread by the people not claiming a catastrophic design flaw.





H2SO4 said:
Suzuki don’t. You should have seen the mess CR made of the Samurai.
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All companies mess up, apple included. What's your point?
 
H2SO4 said:
Suzuki don’t. You should have seen the mess CR made of the Samurai.
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I bet you can find more than 1 example of it on YouTube.. Bringing up one case since the 1930's and make that appear as typical is not honest I don't think.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
No. I have posted a few times in this thread that it takes some force to bend it by hand and that if you intentionally try to do so, it will bend. But that doesn't mean it will bend easily in my pocket, just as the CR test doesn't mean it won't.
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Exactly. I have no idea how much force is being exerted on my phone while it's in my front pocket. The only thing I know for certain is the iPhone 6 bends at half the force needed as my iPhone 5. Is that good enough? I have no idea, but I'm certainly not willing to lay down $400 for a device that I'm not certain will hold up to the way I store my phone for the next 2 years. I have no intention of buying an Android phone either way, but I'll certainly wait for the 6s if I feel I need to.
 
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