
iPhone 6 Plus bending in pockets - robot_scream
http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/23/the-iphone-6-plus-gets-bent/
======
Nursie
That's a shame, and not something I've experienced with my Galaxy Notes of
various generations. You'd think it would be tested for this sort of thing.

Though who knows, maybe some folks have had problems with these devices and
it's just not widely reported. Given the high profile launches and
expectations of flawlessness from Apple (rightly or wrongly), it may well come
under increased scrutiny.

~~~
antimagic
As a counter-point, independant testing indicates that the iPhone 6(+) is the
toughest iPhone yet: [http://blogs.wsj.com/personal-
technology/2014/09/22/iphone-6...](http://blogs.wsj.com/personal-
technology/2014/09/22/iphone-6-is-the-most-durable-iphone-yet-says-insurer/)

I think we're at least going to have to put an asterix on the tale of the guy
that bent his phone in his pants pockets. Until it's been reliably reproduced,
I for one won't be jumping to any conclusions.

~~~
loxs
True, but I, on the other hand won't be jump-buying the device either :)

~~~
antimagic
Fair enough. Of course there's a bunch of us for whom the 6+ is simply too
large to be putting into front pockets whether we want to or not. For us this
is a total non-issue :)

------
nicholassmith
The mild level of hysteria over this has been interesting. It's a slab of thin
aluminium that has a large surface area, a consistent amount of pressure is
going to cause bending. I'm personally surprised that the glass didn't crack
on some of the pictures.

~~~
dalai
True, but I would assume that most people have a reasonable expectation that
their phones will not get damaged in typical usage scenarios. And yes, I do
think that putting your phone in your front pocket is typical. In my view that
means that there is a design flaw.

~~~
georgespencer
> I do think that putting your phone in your front pocket is typical

Correct. And for, hm, probably 99.98% of the 10m iPhone 6 users created over
the weekend, that isn't an issue.

You're drawing a misleading comparison between putting your iPhone in your
pocket and it becoming bent out of shape. What happens when you put your phone
in your pocket is crucial: exerting sufficient pressure to bend (as opposed to
flex) the phone.

This is a problem with any object of similar proportions and rigidity when
sufficient pressure is applied.

Tl;dr: if you sit on something, it might break.

~~~
IkmoIkmo
If you compare the 6 plus to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and even the 6, it doesn't seem
as if any of those phones have a problem. In or outside the pocket.

Of course with enough pressure anything will bend or break, but consumers
expect that with 'reasonable use' they can expect their device not to malform.
And surprise, reasonable use for most people (particularly men) includes
putting their phone in their pocket at least some of the time instead of in
their bag/purse ALL of the time. That's a design flaw. Either change your
material (not majority aluminium), or really change your communication (push
it as a tablet or a phone for in your bag) and warn of the risks. Don't just
push it like an ordinary larger phone and stay silent when people say it bends
in their pocket days after release, and when people bend it with their fingers
on camera. I don't see how people can deny this is an issue.

Obviously it's not a problem of people using their phone in an insane manner,
as we simply didn't see similar bending problems with every iphone release
before.

~~~
georgespencer
> If you compare the 6 plus to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and even the 6, it doesn't
> seem as if any of those phones have a problem. In or outside the pocket.

Incorrect. I saw reports of this with the 5S last year. Cult of Mac did a good
round-up: [http://www.cultofmac.com/297404/get-bent-shocking-history-
be...](http://www.cultofmac.com/297404/get-bent-shocking-history-bent-
smartphones/)

> Of course with enough pressure anything will bend or break, but consumers
> expect that with 'reasonable use' they can expect their device not to
> malform.

I'd say that if you're applying enough pressure to bend a slab of aluminium
and glass, you're A) someone who should have to have a licence in order to
safely operate it without injuring yourself and B) definitely using it outside
of its intended usage.

> And surprise, reasonable use for most people (particularly men) includes
> putting their phone in their pocket at least some of the time instead of in
> their bag/purse ALL of the time. That's a design flaw.

No. You're misrepresenting the problem entirely. The problem is not "putting
the phone in your pocket" as you state. The problem is putting your phone in
your pocket and then applying enough pressure to the device to bend it,
whether intentionally or not. If putting the phone in your pocket caused this,
EVERYONE would experience it, and it would truly be a design flaw. As it is, a
tiny minority of people have put the phone in their pocket, applied a huge
amount of pressure to the frame, and bent it. I held one earlier today and I
doubt I could apply sufficient pressure to permanently bend it with my hands.
It's insane that people are blaming Apple for this.

> Either change your material (not majority aluminium), or really change your
> communication (push it as a tablet or a phone for in your bag) and warn of
> the risks.

Warning: if you drop your iPhone it's going to smash. Warning: if you set fire
to your iPhone it's going to burn. Warning: if you put your phone in your
pocket and bend the phone, it will fucking bend.

> Don't just push it like an ordinary larger phone and stay silent when people
> say it bends in their pocket days after release, and when people bend it
> with their fingers on camera.

Just like the 5S did. Just like the Samsung Galaxies do. Why don't people
understand how this works? If you bend something, it will bend.

> I don't see how people can deny this is an issue.

Because 9.9 million people have the phone and no problem. Because they're not
idiots who put a phone in their pocket, apply pressure to it somehow, and bend
the phone.

> Obviously it's not a problem of people using their phone in an insane
> manner, as we simply didn't see similar bending problems with every iphone
> release before.

How many reported instances of this versus iPhone 6 users who have managed to
not bend their phones? It's definitely an edge case of people using their
phone in an unusual way (if it was the usual way it would be bending more
phones). It's that simple.

------
chrisBob
I am hopeful that this will lead to a decline in skinny jeans, and I will be
back in style.

------
johnpowell
This guy seems to exert a lot of force for it to bend.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znK652H6yQM#t=34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znK652H6yQM#t=34)

I can't understand how having the same happen in your pants wouldn't indicate
that maybe you should take your phone out or adjust your trousers.

And I will beat you to the you are wearing your pants wrong joke.

~~~
pritambaral
Notice the bending in OP's video isn't the same level of bending in the
pocket-bend claims. The latter is much more subtle, yet still noticeable. I'd
say any kind of permanent bend from just being in pants' pockets is a design
flaw.

------
dllthomas
I'm skeptical about the reporting, but the quotes are choice:

 _" This is not an issue that Apple - or other phone companies - need to be
compelled to respond to or fix. If anything this is a reflection of how people
have started to use devices beyond what they were designed for,"_

What kind of absurd industry apologist do you have to be to assert flatly that
there's no reason people should be expecting their phones to hold up to
_pockets_? I thought the whole reason people want thinner phones in the first
place was so they fit better in their pockets.

------
rickdale
Think about the person that waited in one of those long lines that I dont
understand and now their walking around with a warped cell phone.

In all seriousness. Why do people stand in those lines? What can you do with
the phone that you can't do with another phone? Is it just a material thing?

~~~
MatthiasP
You can sell the phone in China for $3000, that is why.

~~~
joezydeco
This is what the iPhone launch looks like, now:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef_BznBwktw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef_BznBwktw)

------
pritambaral
So I just tested this on a few non-aluminium bodied phones, i.e., plastic and
glass bodied phones. Plastic is more elastic (etymological irony) than
aluminium and returns to its original shape.

I wouldn't have believed if someone claimed my plastic-glass phone wasn't
perfectly straight when in my pocket, because I'd never witnessed it bent, and
truly believed it sturdy enough to not easily bend.

I guess Apple's miss was that aluminium is less elastic, and the larger/taller
your phone the more linear deflection it suffers.

------
sakri
Hipsters do wear very tight jeans.

~~~
nnnnni
Hopefully no one will downvote you for this comment.

Tighter pants would lead to more force being exerted from multiple angles.

------
supercoder
Yep, bend a phone and it bends:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwdZzvCFhLo&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwdZzvCFhLo&feature=youtu.be)

~~~
eyko
Not in your pocket.

------
mambodog
It's almost like they'd be better off making the glass less flexible so it
would just crack when people bend it too much, and then they'd know they did
the wrong thing. The fact that the phone can bend like this without breaking
might mean they don't realise that they've subjected it to an unreasonable
amount of force.

------
huuu
It's amazing that people think nothing can happen to a phone. Years ago I sold
phones. People wanted money back because they drowned a Nokia in the toilet.
Or complained the device stopped working after they dropped it from a great
hight.

Nowadays people complain something will bend when you apply a lot of force to
it.

~~~
eyko
It's not an unreasonable expectation seeing as a different phone of a similar
form factor does not bend:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FwM4...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FwM4ypi3at0)

~~~
huuu
Well the Samsung Galaxy S4 will bend. And so will other phones.

Large and flat will bend, break or crack. It's just the nature of things.

~~~
danford
But will the galaxy S4 bend in your pocket and still be bent when you take it
out?

~~~
nicholassmith
No but it could potentially crack in your pocket, and still be cracked when
you take it out.

------
_pmf_
Ungrateful peasants. They are privileged to use the world's best phone and
complain about such benign issues.

> Clearly if I got the plus I'd never be able to sit at a table with it. This
> is bringing back the holster.

This should be the preferred way for hipsters to wear their apparel.

~~~
linker3000
They're trousering it wrong. Their problem.

I currently have a Galaxy S4 - no problems. Previous phone was a whopping-big,
first generation Note - ditto. Both live/lived in my front trouser pocket.

The only device I have managed to break while in my pocket was an HP/Compaq
iPaq, about 10 years ago, when I sat on a child's swing next to my son in a
playground - the metal 'rope' went taught against my side and the pressure
cracked the screen.

Edit: For a bit of objectivity, what was the last phone that received this
level of attention for being prone to bending in tight pockets - has there
been one?

~~~
dragonwriter
I've had a Galaxy Note 3 damage _pockets_ that were particularly tight, but
not the other way around.

------
bruceboughton
You're not-holding it wrong.

------
NicoJuicy
It's trending on Twitter in my area
[https://twitter.com/hashtag/bendgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/bendgate)

------
guidefreitas
When the antena gate happens with iPhone 4 Apple gives bundle cases to their
customers, I wonder if this time they will give new pants. :)

~~~
_pmf_
> I wonder if this time they will give new pants.

No, they will automatically add the new Justin Bieber album to every iTunes
user's profile.

------
billconan
I think they should put a thicker battery in the iphone. why do cell phone
need to be so thin? they are hard to hold.

------
petercooper
It's not really a pocketable phone. Even in my sweatpants (trendy!) it proved
so heavy it ended up dragging them down past my ass in the style many kids are
rocking nowadays, except I don't rock the underwear or have the ass definition
to pull off the look.

Like an iPad, it's better placed in a bag. With everything else, really.
Carrying stuff in your pockets is a pain in the arse and a great way to lose
stuff.

~~~
lomnie
I'm interested to know why you employ two spelling variations of ass/arse.

Does each cheek identify to different naming conventions?

~~~
rahoulb
He has a transatlantic backside

------
malka
48 points in 2 hours. Page 3. Why ?

~~~
bryanlarsen
number of comments is higher than the number of upvotes. HN uses this as a
heuristic to bury flame wars.

~~~
collyw
really? Where do people find out about the algorithms, etiquette and other
unwritten stuff about this site. Often people seem to make claims about
certain aspects of HN, like you did above, but I can never find anywhere to
either prove or disprove it or understand what the 'rules' are.

~~~
bryanlarsen
[https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dang](https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dang)
is probably your best bet

~~~
collyw
He is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Using words I don't know
(sockpuppeting) and telling everyone else off for their conduct without
actually explaining what or why it is the way it is.

------
kubiiii
Maybe the bending is a consequence of a better than average shock proof
design. Not an apple fan boy here but I find hard to believe that a top
selling phone would go on the market without extensive mechanical testing.

~~~
easytiger
Funny, as I'm yet to meet an iPhone 4 that didn't have a smashed screen

~~~
girvo
Mine. Had it since launch. Not even a scratch on the screen either.

~~~
mitchty
Which just goes to show, different people (ab)use their devices differently.

------
return0
I thought that would be considered a feature!

------
qwerta
Can wait for dialog "it is a feature" and response from competitors "our
phones do not bend" :-)

~~~
IkmoIkmo
Already heard one today: 'Apple phones at this pressure bend, Android phones
at this pressure break'. i.e. it's a feature.

It's a fair point if actually true, but I've seen people bend this iphone with
their fingers. I haven't seen anyone break a flagship android phone with their
fingers.

In any case, it's not relevant to me to do a competitor comparison, as when
you make the comparison to the iphone 1,2,3,4,5, it's obviously worse.

edit: video of a note 4 bend test, seems the 6+ has a unique problem.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwM4ypi3at0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwM4ypi3at0)

~~~
qwerta
It is sort of parody for antenna gate. Motorola responded to Jobs that they do
integrated antennas for decades and do not have signal issues. Also there was
ad campaign:

"No Jacket Required."

"it's just one of those things that comes as a given when you've been making
mobile phones for over 30 years."

------
dimillian
So if you feel a pressure in you pocket, DO NOT REMOVE the phone.... Are
people just plain dumbs or what?

~~~
morganvachon
A coworker just got that new waterproof Android phone from Kyocera. For some
reason he thought waterproof == indestructible, so he never got a case for it.
Two weeks later it ended up with a cracked screen. He cracked it when he had
it in his pocket and leaned against a table.

Yes, these devices are made to withstand rough conditions, and each generation
seems tougher than the last. But cases exist for a reason; no phone is
indestructible.

------
higherpurpose
What was the line again? "Apple produces only high _quality_ devices" or
something?

