How much do you think this bending problem will truly effect users?

[Cool Pup]

It seems like I've heard nothing about the Plus except this "bendgate" phenomenon. Nothing good about the phone is being preached about. All that is going around is that it bends when you apply an (unrealistic) amount of pressure to the device.

That being said, do you think that eventually this will open up some sort of exchange program from carriers and Apple if people have had been affected by a bent phone? Do you think that Plus owners who are wary of the idea could switch their phone to the smaller 6 with an easy exchange outside of the regular 14-day return window from Apple? Will the 6s Plus (if made) be made with new materials?

This seems like "antennagate", but more severe in how hard it's hitting and how malicious it seems to be from opposition to the Plus.

 

[myscrnnm]

It seems like I've heard nothing about the Plus except this "bendgate" phenomenon. Nothing good about the phone is being preached about. All that is going around is that it bends when you apply an (unrealistic) amount of pressure to the device.

That being said, do you think that eventually this will open up some sort of exchange program from carriers and Apple if people have had been affected by a bent phone? Do you think that Plus owners who are wary of the idea could switch their phone to the smaller 6 with an easy exchange outside of the regular 14-day return window from Apple?

This seems like "antennagate", but more severe in how hard it's hitting and how malicious it seems to be from opposition to the Plus.

It's selective attention. People are more likely to remember negative experiences than positive ones, and also more likely to be vocal about them. We already know how awesome the iPhone 6 Plus is.

It's really too early at this point to say whether "Bendgate" is actually statistically significant or not. Even though it's been picked up by multiple media outlets, they all seem to focus on the two or three instances mentioned on Macrumors. As both a 6 Plus owner and Apple shareholder, I certainly hope it doesn't pose a real problem to the majority of users. But it could really go either way (die down after a month, or explode in everyone's faces).

We also have to remember that the iPhone is the single bestselling line of smartphones in the world. All eyes are on Apple when it comes to slip-ups. People have said the HTC One (M8) has a better structural design. While this may be true, there have also been instances of the One bending, and there are far fewer Ones in the hands of consumers (a shame, as it's one of the few Android phones able to stand toe-to-toe with iPhones in design and user experience).

Finally, "antennagate" was actually quite severe when it happened. But that's my point exactly. It actually wasn't a problem that affected 99% of users, and after those who complained were appeased with free Bumpers, everyone promptly forgot about it.

 

[bob24]

I don't think people will massively swap for a regular 6. If this really gets out of hand there will also be bend tests with the 6 and people will realise that while it is slightly harder the 6 probably does bend fairly easily as well (it is smaller with makes it more difficult to apply pressure, but it is also thinner; and the 5 which is definitly much smaller and thicker already had some issues)

If this was to become another antenna gate with stong pressure from the media and the public for Apple to react and do something, I predict they could only find a way to to acknowledge it is true while denying it is an issue; as there is too much money at steak to say there is an issue and we will fix it.
They'd probably organise a press conference and show up with a few other hand picked phones which also bend, and tell all of us "you see, all smartphones can be bent, it's a fact of life" - and then give us a free case to show everyone how customer focused they are.

 

[jon3543]

This seems like "antennagate", but more severe in how hard it's hitting and how malicious it seems to be from opposition to the Plus.

They are trying to run with it, aren't they.

 

[Cool Pup]

I agree that it seems to be a small number of the reported sales and owners, but I am thinking it might carry enough traction to really become a noticeable hindrance. All the major tech sites and media outlets are posting about this as almost a cautionary tale — I'm thinking it might have a widespread effect in a negative way, which is funny, because people wanted big phones in the first place.

 

[wxman2003]

I would imagine those buying the 6 Plus from this point forward, will highly consider a rigid case. Doesn't need to be bulky, just rigid.

 

[Vihzel]

I think a very realistic outcome of this is a significant decline in interest in the 6 Plus versus the 6. I see more people wanting the 6 instead after this whole thing blows over.