As a new iPhone 6 Plus owner...I have to admit this is pretty troubling. I imagine keeping your phone in a case SHOULD help with this situation, but for the price of the phone this is pretty unacceptable. Hopefully Apple addresses this concern, soon, as I intend to carry my phone in my front pocket (pretty obviously).
This may be cause for Apple to supply all plus owners with a free protective case to withstand the bend...
If they don't answer to this at all, I would be really shocked. Especially considering the overwhelming number of people experiencing the issue. I've been lucky enough not to yet, but I'm definitely not taking any risks.
Maybe they'll just add a warning notice like the one HTC has on the protective plastic their phones come wrapped with.
The 6+ is not a pants-pocket phone unless you're Ronald McDonald.
People keep saying this but where else are you supposed to keep it? Pardon my lack of imagination...
I have a 5" Nexus 5 now that fits into the front pocket of my dress pants or generic Gap/Land's End/Eddie Bauer-style khakis just fine, with room to spare. It seems like a 5.5" phone ought to fit, too. But I guess if you wear skinny jeans or want to keep your phone in your back pocket (which I've never understood -- you're just begging to drop it, sit on it, or have it stolen then), it might be a problem.
The guy's hands are trembling as he applies force to the phone. Moderate force my ass. Now do the same thing (apply force to the point that your hands are trembling) to other phones and see if the results are significantly different.
Exactly. This is not a real world situation. Nobody applies pressure to their phone like that. Now I'm not here to blindly defend Apple - if the phone easily bends then that's a flaw and they need to fix it. But so far there doesn't seem to be any evidence to suggest the phone easily bends.
One wonders how a plastic Samsung large screen phone would fare with the same amount of pressure at the point where it's button cutouts reside. Plastic is also quite malleable.
They'd probably fare pretty well, as plastic is better at returning its shape than metal. Plus, the way plastic phone shells are manufactured, they don't bend. They'll just snap.
I wonder where Apple's responsibility ends and common sense/obviousness begins.
The article I read stated that one of the people who posted the first photos had the phone in his front pants pocket for about 18 hours during which he drove for several hours, danced for a few and sat at a wedding reception for a few. Seems like SOP with any cell phone...where's the absence of common sense?
We'll have to see how this plays out... Apple is by no means a stupid company, and I very seriously doubt they would put out a product that so heavily favored design criteria over the practical application of ordinary day-to-day use. Could become a PR issue if enough people complain, but I don't think we're looking at another antennagate by any means. Then again, it could also be that a substantial number of early adopters happen to wear tight pants and have really large asses.
To put a positive spin on it though, if it's determined that anyone who dares to lug this super-thin buhweemoth in their pants pocket is an idiot, Apple may have opened up a new market for European carry-all's.
I have never understood putting your phone in your pockets. I don't care if it's the front pocket or the back pocket. Every phone I've had has always recommended not putting the phone in your pocket. Early phones that I had came with the plastic molded holster. Of course the reason for this is plain why on earth you would ever want to put radio transceiver's next to such delicate organs in the human body makes no sense to me whatsoever. Putting your phone in your pocket causes the phone to have to transmit and receive at a higher level just to keep a signal to say nothing of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is obvious that the iPhone 6 + is not designed to be put in your pocket. For man I would suggest using a holster on your belt for women put it in your purse. Again I need to state this clearly I have never seen any phone even going back to the Motorola Razr where you've ever got a recommendation to put it in your pocket. I don't have all the different documentation sources in front of me but I do remember that I was always warned against putting any cell phone in my pocket.
Disappointing no doubt and quite remarkable that field testing did not reveal this flaw. Granted, it is thin aluminum, and for all intents and purposes subject to abuse such as this, and maybe even daily use for those who don't understand that the cost of the phone does not exempt it from the laws of physics. But does Apple really think they can pass this off as the nature of the thing. Why forsake structural integrity for thin aesthetics? Is this hubris or plain old engineering stupidity? They should know better. They should at least caution people of the need to use rigid cases and such in the owners' manual. I see a class action in their future, unfortunately. Lawyers are already drooling all over this.
The temperature in the pocket after long periods of time makes it easier to bend the metal, especially if the device has been running hot itself.
Err... No. Melting point of aluminium: 660C. Your pocket: 37C.
It doesn't need to melt though. The structural strength just has to be affected by temperature. It doesn't look like Aluminium is affected much around 100 degrees Fahrenheit:
There's adjustments for fatigue. If the phone is bent one way and another during the course of a day, that might weaken it. It's unusual for it to happen so soon after purchase though so it probably is just down to people wearing too tight clothing and sitting with it in their pockets.
I know internal space is tight, but they should have added some (internal) ribs to provide structural rigidity. Apple was probably aware of this danger/problem, but thought in the interests of maximizing battery volume it was an acceptable risk. But with the case deforming to the extent shown in this video, I'm scared of the lithium ion batteries becoming damaged and possibly exploding. Not to be a scare monger, but Apple, you should have built more rigidity into that thin aluminum backing!
Yes I'm sure I can find a ridiculous example if I searched the inter-webs long enough. But the fact remains the best way to carry this phone is in a holster on your belt it should never go in your damn pocket. I stand by my statement.
I'm not sure how anyone could comfortably put a 6 Plus in front jeans pockets. Cargo pants or maybe dress slacks with deep pockets is another story but if you have it in your front pocket and aren't sitting down I don't see how the phone dould bend. And I don't see how anyone could comfortably sit with this phone in their front pocket.
Comments
As a new iPhone 6 Plus owner...I have to admit this is pretty troubling. I imagine keeping your phone in a case SHOULD help with this situation, but for the price of the phone this is pretty unacceptable. Hopefully Apple addresses this concern, soon, as I intend to carry my phone in my front pocket (pretty obviously).
This may be cause for Apple to supply all plus owners with a free protective case to withstand the bend...
If they don't answer to this at all, I would be really shocked. Especially considering the overwhelming number of people experiencing the issue. I've been lucky enough not to yet, but I'm definitely not taking any risks.
Maybe they'll just add a warning notice like the one HTC has on the protective plastic their phones come wrapped with.
http://www.pocketables.com/2012/07/warning-dont-sit-on-your-htc-evo-4g-lte.html
The 6+ is not a pants-pocket phone unless you're Ronald McDonald.
People keep saying this but where else are you supposed to keep it? Pardon my lack of imagination...
I have a 5" Nexus 5 now that fits into the front pocket of my dress pants or generic Gap/Land's End/Eddie Bauer-style khakis just fine, with room to spare. It seems like a 5.5" phone ought to fit, too. But I guess if you wear skinny jeans or want to keep your phone in your back pocket (which I've never understood -- you're just begging to drop it, sit on it, or have it stolen then), it might be a problem.
One wonders how a plastic Samsung large screen phone would fare with the same amount of pressure at the point where it's button cutouts reside. Plastic is also quite malleable.
They'd probably fare pretty well, as plastic is better at returning its shape than metal. Plus, the way plastic phone shells are manufactured, they don't bend. They'll just snap.
I need new pants.
DUMBASS
I wonder where Apple's responsibility ends and common sense/obviousness begins.
The article I read stated that one of the people who posted the first photos had the phone in his front pants pocket for about 18 hours during which he drove for several hours, danced for a few and sat at a wedding reception for a few. Seems like SOP with any cell phone...where's the absence of common sense?
http://www.lapsura.com/drawings/archives/images/european-carryall.gif
Maybe they'll just add a warning notice like the one HTC has on the protective plastic their phones come wrapped with.
http://www.pocketables.com/2012/07/warning-dont-sit-on-your-htc-evo-4g-lte.html
This will be good ammo against the trolls.
Most Samsung's are made of mostly plastic?
Disappointing no doubt and quite remarkable that field testing did not reveal this flaw. Granted, it is thin aluminum, and for all intents and purposes subject to abuse such as this, and maybe even daily use for those who don't understand that the cost of the phone does not exempt it from the laws of physics. But does Apple really think they can pass this off as the nature of the thing. Why forsake structural integrity for thin aesthetics? Is this hubris or plain old engineering stupidity? They should know better. They should at least caution people of the need to use rigid cases and such in the owners' manual. I see a class action in their future, unfortunately. Lawyers are already drooling all over this.
Pe
For man I would suggest using a holster on your belt
Yep that's a good look
It doesn't need to melt though. The structural strength just has to be affected by temperature. It doesn't look like Aluminium is affected much around 100 degrees Fahrenheit:
There's adjustments for fatigue. If the phone is bent one way and another during the course of a day, that might weaken it. It's unusual for it to happen so soon after purchase though so it probably is just down to people wearing too tight clothing and sitting with it in their pockets.
Yes I'm sure I can find a ridiculous example if I searched the inter-webs long enough. But the fact remains the best way to carry this phone is in a holster on your belt it should never go in your damn pocket. I stand by my statement.
I wonder where Apple's responsibility ends and common sense/obviousness begins.
Apple should've made a more durable product. I can't in any way defend Apples phones being this easy to bend.
I'm not sure how anyone could comfortably put a 6 Plus in front jeans pockets. Cargo pants or maybe dress slacks with deep pockets is another story but if you have it in your front pocket and aren't sitting down I don't see how the phone dould bend. And I don't see how anyone could comfortably sit with this phone in their front pocket.