Introducing iPhone 6’s new shape: Bent

Apple reveals iPhone 6 sales

With the recent introduction of the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, there has been a lot of controversy over one of the characteristics that constitutes its quality.  Both the new iPhones are a lot larger than the iPhone 5, but also a lot thinner. The current trend is moving towards thinner everything, so you might think this is great idea to create a thin iPhone. That is, until you realize that this feature can also turn awry.  As it turns out, in just the first 6 days, 9 customers complained about the iPhone bending from being carried in the back pocket.

For a prominent company such as Apple, which is known for their quality products, these news are terrible. Some might say that 9 is a very low number of instances comparing to the 10 million they sold. But, the publicity this issue is getting can drastically decrease the sales of the new iPhone, and its future products.

 

A company such as apple puts its products through so many different quality control checks, before they reach the market. Employees and machines, at different points in the process have to check the quality before it can move onto the next task. Apparently though, as mentioned in the statement by Apple, “Testing of the phones did not show any problems with bending or warping. IPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of the high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.” Nevertheless, it is difficult to believe this issue never came up. Sometimes people overlook quality issues hoping someone else will catch them. And sometimes, it is just too costly to point out quality issues. If a product is already in production with an announced deadline of introduction, a design issue will cause a delay and an additional budget to fix the issue. This will create a bad reputation for the company. However, so will a bad quality product.

 

Releasing a statement that confirms the product has successfully gone through three-point-bending test, a sit test etc., does not fix the issue. Unfortunately the person, who has had their iPhone bent, might not be as happy with the company as he previously had been. And we all know, that the best form of advertising is from friends and family. If your friend has it and it is performing well, you want it. But, the same goes for when your friend has it and its not that great. Then, your opinion of it changes as well. Unfortunately, this may cause Apple to lose lots of loyal clients, and tons of sales.

 

What do you think about the bent iPhone?

Did you purchase the new iPhone? If so, any issues with bending?

Does this change your perspective on apple?

Will you continue purchasing apple products?

 

 

Arthur, Charles. “‘Bending’ IPhone 6.” The Guardian. N.p., 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

 

10 thoughts on “Introducing iPhone 6’s new shape: Bent

  1. Hey there, I enjoyed reading your blog post. I actually wrote about the exact same thing as you. What I think about the new bent iphone is that it must have slipped past quality control while in its production stage. I do agree with your statement when you say that 9 out of millions sold is such a small number, but still bad publicity can indeed effect the company, along with its share price. I did not purchase a new iphone. I recently switched from Iphone to an android phone. I like my android phone a lot better because it gives me the ability to customize the OS as compared to the Iphones app grid OS. Android phones also give you more power to change the appearance of your phones OS as compared to the Iphone operating system scheme. This quality issue in the iphone 6 does not change my perspective on Apple, I believe these 9 iphones were just a minor hiccup in their production line that they do intend to fix. I will continue to purchase apple products in regards to computers, but in the case of an Iphone I will stick to my android because of its ability to have customizable features the Iphone OS does not offer.

  2. My roommate was the person who introduced to me this interesting problem through Reddit. I agree with you when you say that this issues might have slipped through quality control. I think that you are right that the trend lately is that technologies are trying to go toward the lighter and slimmer side. However, one question all of the tech companies did not address is how thin is too thin? Apparently apple found it. This issue does and does not change my opinion about apple. It does not change my opinion about Apple being a great technical company because when it comes to little bugs and fixes as well as their mac operating system they are very superior. However, after looking at the recent Samsung Galaxy model it has taken the lead when it comes to brand new bells and whistles.

  3. I also noticed this issue in the news during the few weeks following the launch of the IPhone 6’s and found it to be a little disturbing. Given these low instances of bent phones, maybe these particular batches were the only defective ones. If not, and we start noticing this issue becoming a trend, then Apple will definitely have to start issuing recalls and maybe even a product redesign. Apple is known for creating quality products, however, this issue might be a consequence of entering the ‘phablet’ world before it was truly prepared. Great post about an interesting topic.

  4. Great post, Jolan. I usually wait a little and I am usually not one of the first buyers of a new product, especially in electronics. Its a constant theme that most new products experience issues. It makes sense though because it apple waited to perfect the new iPhone, the phone might never be released. They usually address the issues once they are exposed, especially with a significant influence and outcry from the public and consumers.

  5. This is a very interesting and relevant article! It is amazing to think that a company as large and sophisticated as Apple, one which spent an entire year attempting to perfect the next iteration of their popular iPhone, could have missed such a flaw as this. Granted, a portion of their phones were documented having bending issues and requiring a reissue to disgruntled customers however, this has given Apple unintentional but useful publicity. Despite being bad publicity, it is safe to say that Apple has certainly profited from the widespread talk and free advertising of the defect of its latest phone. The issue of the bending of their phones most likely came from either lax quality control standards or simply being pressured to meet the world’s demand for new phones and using a cheaper aluminum material. I believe that Apple will keep rolling despite this small speed bump and will continue to lead the tech landscape in innovation and creativity.

  6. This is a great topic that easily relates to quality control from class. The bent iPhone was unfortunate for those customers. However, Apple has a 1-year manufacturer warranty that covers defects, so I’m sure that these customers can get their phones replaced with new ones. I also believe that 9 is a low number of customers to have this issue of their phone bending. As time moves on, the manufacturing of these phones will continue to become even better. This doesn’t change my perspective on Apple since they have been releasing good quality products for a number of years and these 9 customers were just unlucky. I will still continue to purchase Apple products since they have been working great for me and do everything I need them to do.

  7. Like stated in the post Apple is known for their quality in their products, so it surprising to see that the new iPhone is able to bend. In my opinion I wouldn’t like for my phone to be bending because I would be worry that it will break on me. However, I don’t think that Apple will be losing their loyal customers and people will continue to purchase Apple products.

  8. I do agree that Apple does make quality products but for phones to bend in people’s pockets seems a little ridiculous. But I don’t think that’ll stop Apple users from swaying from Apple. I am not an iPhone user but have been contemplating switching for some time now, and this news isn’t going to stop me from upgrading to the new iPhone 6.

  9. I think that big iPhone launches are always fraught with come controversy. It is just in some people’s nature to make a big deal out of small things. 9 iPhones is not that many and the only reason it would hurt sales is due to all the media attention it is getting not quality issues. My phone resets itself randomly throughout the day causing me frustration and occasionally a very hot pocket. No news outlet is making a big fuss about my phone because it is not an iPhone or some other flagship phone. I think that the phone should not bend, but if this is only a small isolated incident then Apple should just replace those individuals’ phones and move on. If it is wide spread Apple should fix its manufacturing process.

    I did not purchase the new iPhone as I am an Android loyalist who tries to stay in the loop on all things Apple and Android alike. This issue does not change my perspective on Apple because I think they make beautiful products that are simple and easy to use. It is just not for me.

  10. I believe apple fans will continue to purchase their products despite good or bad publicity. But I do believe the negative publicity will push Apple into developing a stronger more durable iPhone that can withstand more, improving the image they might have received from making a deficient iPhone. Overall I do think iPhones are a high quality product, and as of now I believe they are reliable and will continue to purchase more.

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