Friday, September 26, 2014

Apple responds to #bendgate allegations, expands iPhone 6/6 Plus availability

Reports of brand-new iPhone 6 and especially 6 Plus units bending under very mild pressure may have gone viral, but according to Apple, merely nine customers filed official complaints in the wake of #bendgate.



It’s already been called the most damaging scandal for Cupertino’s reputation since 2010’s “Antennagate” turmoil. But unlike four years ago, when thousands of iPhone 4 users were affected by signal drops so badly they sued Apple (ultimately getting $15 settlement checks), this time around all the online commotion may be much ado about nothing.

And no, no one’s yelling hoax… anymore. We’ve all seen the distressing “will it bend” tests, plus reputable journalists and bloggers were among the originators of #bendgate. It’s just that no one seems willing to take their displeasure to Apple’s customer service.

Almost no one, as nine, yes, nine formal “charges” have so far been registered. And while they’ll all be treated with the utmost gravity and examined “with an insane amount of detail”, you probably shouldn’t hold your breath for free replacements.



Apparently, the damaged units will be put to a test called a “Visual Mechanical Inspection”, and it’s squarely up to on-duty Geniuses to decide if iPhones were indeed bent “during normal use” or not. So you better stop pulling and yanking on your slab if you don’t want to pay another $750.

Meanwhile, to emphasize just how seriously Apple takes quality control, they invited a select group of journalists to a top-secret testing facility in Cupertino, California. There, the lucky few journos got to see exactly how thorough the whole process is, and the hell iPhones need to go through before reaching store shelves.

And I’ll tell you, the pre-release tasks they have to complete are a lot worse than the pressures of even your skinniest skinny jeans. Still, the reality of things is certain iPhone 6 and 6 Plus copies are far too fragile in real-life use, so maybe these trials and tribulations aren’t tough enough. Or maybe they’re too tough, crashing the immune system of iPhones and leaving them vulnerable to… everything.



Assuming you’re still interested in picking up a 4.7 or 5.5 incher (and you are, I know you are), it’s time to head out to Apple Stores in more than 20 new markets for the second wave of launches.

Namely, starting today, iFans in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey can nab an invite to a party previously restricted to folks in the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Noticeably absent from the list are China and India, two of the biggest global smartphone markets, but fret not, as your time will come. Soon.

Sources: BBC News , Recode , Business Insider , The Next Web , NDTV Gadgets



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