Samsung, HTC, BlackBerry, and Others Mock 'Bendability' of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus

[iHEARTcartoons]

I gotta say that the LG is pretty badass, as I got to check out Dad's the other day. That said, I find the trash talk from other manufacturers very amusing. What they forget is I don't just buy Apple products for the hardware, which is pretty freaking awesome, sans a few technical issues here and there.

I buy the Apple experience, because "it just works". I like how intuitive everything is and how easy that makes Apple products to use. I love that things works together, whether I'm on my Mac Pro, iPhone, Macbook, etc. Last and certainly not least, I love that I don't have to deal with virus/malware/security issues. I tend to take the last one for granted these days, but it really is a huge thing, especially when I hear the horror stories from friends/colleagues on other platforms.

As forBendgate, I'm getting myself a rigid case for my 6+ and that will be the end of Bendgate for me. So talk all the trash you want, I'm not switching anytime soon.

 

[Rogifan]

Absolutely. I love the iPhone - no doubt I'll even end up buying an iPhone 6 - but it's hard to argue Apple has been designing for the real world. Phones with glass cases with a tendency to shatter on impact. Thinner phones with less structural integrity which can't be safely kept in your pockets without bending. The priority seems to be form over function.

Tell people to adapt how they use their phones to adapt to Apple's design is the wrong way around. Given how much Apple promote their engineering & materials work, this is potentially a big own-goal.

And yet everyone bagged on the 5C because it was plastic and people made fun of Jony Ive for calling it "unapologetically plastic". That phone certainly wasn't form over function.

 

[linkgx1]

Benders gonna bend ... clever!

Honestly though, the criticism is well deserved this time. Apple put those phones through bending tests so they knew darn well that this was a problem and they launched with it anyway.

I'm wondering if the alleged sapphire glass fiasco played a factor...

 

[Stella]

There are many questions.
How the story on bendgate was prepared for feed to press; how the journalist FOUND about 1 bent phone; why without ANY proof simultaneously many news sites are INSISTING that the phone was broken WITHOUT any documented proof and that ALL plus models BEND? Who paid for headlines? Who paid for story placement? the news dissemination? It costs a lot, you know. The original website to spread the falsification without proof? Did it have any sponsorship deals with Samsung (on eve of launch their criticized but last hope Note 4?) or Google? Was the origin a trusted source?

Paranoid.

They may be out to get you too!!

 

[ghettochris]

I think you mean, maybe an Apple phablet is not for anyone who wants to keep phones in their pockets. For them, a Samsung, an LG or maybe an HTC phone is better.

Right?

yes, the other phablets are currently better designed for pocket use, but not not as thin/light/sexy. I'm sure apple will make future large iphones stronger, so it is a choice if you want durable or apple for a phablet right now. I would take the iphone 6+ over any of the others despite being a little weaker, but I know others would choose differently.

The reality is you have to treat the 6+ more like an ipad mini than an iphone, which not everyone is wants. I don't want a fatter heavier iphone 6+ that is more durable, but that's just me.

 

[Hexiii]

The HTC one is funny... LG and Samsung just try too hard.

 

[Alphabetize]

That's pretty funny mocking from those competitors! But despite the iPhone 6 Plus being prone to bending, I still have no intentions on switching. I'm also smart enough to put rigid cases on my $750 piece of equipment.

 

[dazzer21]

How?

Just how?! I mean it's not as though Apple don't spend enough on R&D - didn't ANYONE at Apple just think to pick it up and try to bend it? They must have dropped a fair few in testing. Surely, there must be someone there with a wicked streak who would have just bent one out of curiosity!!! This is a pretty poor show. And with all the other stuff happening in tandem - an iPhone 6+ and iOS 8 together look like a bit of laughing stock right now. I hope that this all gets fixed before we know it...

 

[Rogifan]

Is that when a product that for the first time likely had zero contribution from Steve Jobs on a design front and that product has clear issues that Apple Fans just act like "Nothing to see here". Why not demand the best from Apple.

Facts:

Steve Jobs would have never let a product go to market with a camera that's not flush.

Steve Jobs would not have let a product go to market that bends

If it's no big deal than I guess Apple will not fix it for the 6S right? Duh of course they'll fix it. It was a design failure no question about it and they'll fix it. It just would have never made to customers hands under Steve Jobs.

I guess you forgot about antennagate or cracked plastic with the 3G(S) phones. Or the Cube which was discontinued after 18 months or the hockey puck mouse. All these things were released on Steve's watch.

 

[Padmini]

except, the are beating apple in durability

proof?

 

[brianvictor7]

If this is the worst thing we see with this redesign, I'd say they're doing alright.

The thing is we expect "alright" from the competition not from Apple. We expect better from a company whose crafted image is to take an obssessive approach to design, suffer a thousand no's for every yes and keep at the product until it is nigh-on perfect (I'm vitually quoting things from my favorite Apple videos here).

For what it is worth, 6 Plus's bending is a non-issue for most Apple fans: it will take some convincing to get me to buy even an Apple Phablet like the 6 Plus. The convenience working with one hand on the device outweighs the smaller screen size in many people's thinking.

 

[deputy_doofy]

lol at everyone that is going to suffer through a year with obselete technology because of this, just upgrade, then upgrade again when the 6s comes out. apple gave me $310 for my 5s when I got the 6, so even though i had early contract fee, my phone was still cheaper than $199.

the retina HD screen alone is worth the upgrade (for the image quality, not the size), it is so good it looks like a fake display model compared to the 5s. don't punish your eyes for the next year.

Well, I'm on the S track. I have no plan on breaking contract early, nor is my 5s vision-deteriorating in any way.

 

[kobalap]

ipad minis bend in pockets too, why isn't anyone complaining about that?

phablets aren't small phones and shouldn't be expected to be able to recklessly pocket them as such. I'm sure apple will make them more durable over time, but I like them as is, rather than fatter and heavier and more durable. reckless ogres is why we can't have nice things.

1. There is a huge difference between tablets and cell phones. Tablets don't need to be within easy reach at all times whereas cell phones do. People out and about keep their phones with them so they are reachable at all times. Tablets can stay at home or in the backpack.

So unless you plan on carrying a man purse...

2. Samsung, LG and HTC make phablets that work just fine in the pocket. Is it really that unreasonable to hold the 6+ to the same standard as other phablets?

 

[StoneJack]

Paranoid.

They may be out to get you too!!

OK, I am paranoid because I want to know the truth behind the report.

Totally makes sense.

 

[rsocal]

I remember

And yet everyone bagged on the 5C because it was plastic and people made fun of Jony Ive for calling it "unapologetically plastic". That phone certainly wasn't form over function.

Thank you, I remember that! Wasn't it "feels cheap" what was being said and "totally non Apple like"?

Apple can't win with everybody!

 

[gooberq]

I guess you forgot about antennagate or cracked plastic with the 3G(S) phones. Or the Cube which was discontinued after 18 months or the hockey puck mouse. All these things were released on Steve's watch.

+ Hi-Fi

 

[Stanick]

Bigger screen iPhones are the death of Android.

Hehe you can't be serious. ))

 

[iceperson]

Who makes a phone that last 18 years?

Functional illiteracy is a real problem.

 

[anonymous82]

I disagree with you, there is video already on Youtube of someone bending a Samsung phone with the Glass breaking and back popping off. It was posted on one of the threads yesterday. I've heard nothing more about this or seen this video on the news. Again the Apple scrutiny, where is the scrutiny on this video of bending?

Those phones don't bend because they spend most of their time on the shelves, not in the consumers' pocket.

Yes because here in MR we don't give a $&@(%Y@) about SS phone or other phones, though I don't deny that "some" Android phones out there are worth trying.

Don't know why people keep whinning. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

[rorschach]

Is that when a product that for the first time likely had zero contribution from Steve Jobs on a design front and that product has clear issues that Apple Fans just act like "Nothing to see here". Why not demand the best from Apple.

Facts:

Steve Jobs would have never let a product go to market with a camera that's not flush.

Steve Jobs would not have let a product go to market that bends

If it's no big deal than I guess Apple will not fix it for the 6S right? Duh of course they'll fix it. It was a design failure no question about it and they'll fix it. It just would have never made to customers hands under Steve Jobs.

Fact: There were plenty of problems with products released under Steve Jobs. Ever heard of MobileMe? Or the hockey puck mouse? Or the G4 Cube? Or, if you really believe it was an issue, the iPhone 4 and its antennae.

Steve Jobs would be telling people not to sit on their freaking $650+ devices or to not intentionally try to snap them in half and then scream about how "fragile" they are.

 

[Stella]

OK, I am paranoid because I want to know the truth behind the report.

Totally makes sense.

So you think this was all some kind of conspiracy?

We live in a social world where people will share their experiences very quickly. News travels fast.

The media will pick up on news items, especially something like iPhone defects very quickly. They monitor social networks and from there, produce stories to publish if interesting enough.

 

[Kram1975]

Apple 6S

I bet the 6s will be out faster than usual and that it will have the following.

-Fixed the bend issue

-Have a bigger battery or more efficient processor that extends battery life quite a bit.

-Flush camera

Has there ever been an S line with a design change? I'm guessing this could be the first if there hasn't

 

[iBug2]

+ Hi-Fi

OMG I totally forgot about the iPod Hi-Fi.

 

[Padmini]

Steve Jobs would have never...

Nothing annoys ME more than seeing know-it-alls use this phrase.

 

[whooleytoo]

And yet everyone bagged on the 5C because it was plastic and people made fun of Jony Ive for calling it "unapologetically plastic". That phone certainly wasn't form over function.

Very true! It's very much the odd one out. I'm not sure if the 5C was intentionally "cheap looking" to differentiate it from the higher cost 5S, or just more colourful to appeal to a younger audience (who would also likely be buying the less expensive models). Either way, it seems to be the more practical design.