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 "Bendgate," as the problem has already been dubbed on social media
sites, is a reminder of 2010's "antennagate," when iPhone 4 users
reported a design flaw that caused dropped calls.
Apple did not comment on the bending-phone reports. But it did
announce that it was investigating reports of an issue with an
update of its iOS 8 operating system and in the meantime had pulled
the version designated 8.0.1.
The bendable-phone situation might prove particularly troubling for
those who wear skinny jeans, according to reports on Facebook and
Twitter. The phrase "Your pants are too tight for your phone" has
already received hundreds of mentions.
Some say the device, which has a lightweight aluminum shell, is more
malleable than expected, but that might fall short of a design flaw,
according to analysts.
Overall, evaluators seem flummoxed.
"A 'bendability test' hasn’t been part of our breakability testing
to date because up until this week we’ve never seen a phone thin
enough to make this a potential issue," said a spokesman at
SquareTrade.
SquareTrade, which provides warranties to iPhone users, said it
planned more tests later on Wednesday.
Reports on the quirk first surfaced on Unbox Therapy, a
gadget-review show on YouTube.
Brandwatch, a company that tracks and analyzes data from social
media sites, said only a small number of people tweeted about the
"bend" in the days leading up to Sept. 22. But after the release of
the YouTube video, which had racked up over 6 million views by
midday Wednesday, Twitter mentions of the "bend" had skyrocketed to
75,000.
Tweets are flying about the "bend in your pocket," the challenge of
wearing "tight pants," and that the iPhone 6 Plus bends "with bare
hands," said Brandwatch spokeswoman Dinah Alobeid.
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Another key topic, she said, is a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy
Note 3 phone, which has nearly 4,500 mentions.
Apple spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for
comment, but at least one rival smartphone maker jumped at the
chance to weigh in.
"I would challenge you guys to bend our Passport," John Chen,
Blackberry’s <BB.TO> chief executive officer, said on Wednesday at
an event in Toronto to unveil its newest phone.
On Monday, Apple said it had shipped 10 million units of the iPhone
6 and 6 Plus since it began selling the phone on Friday.
Apple stock edged down 89 cents, or 0.87 percent to $101.75 on the
Nasdaq on Wednesday.
(Reporting By Christina Farr and Anya George Tharakan; Editing by
Andre Grenon and Jonathan Oatis)
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2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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