Apple Says iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Bending Complaints Number Less Than 10

Apple has responded to the various reports of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus bending, saying that it’s “extremely rare,” and that in fact, only nine people out of all the customers that bought devices thus far have complained. That would presumably mean nine out of the well over 10 million that have sold thus far.

Apple noted to TechCrunch that under normal use, the problem rarely occurs, which is in contrast to the demonstration videos hitting YouTube showing users deliberately trying to deform their devices in extremely artificial circumstances. Since the first reports had emerged, mostly in forum posts on Apple enthusiast sites, others including Wired contributor Mat Honan have also come forward noting that their devices had warped somewhat.

Apple also added that the newest iPhones are built with “steel/titanium inserts” to “reinforce stress locations,” and that they use “the strongest glass in the industry” in order to prevent any problems like those described. In addition to the use of high-quality materials, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also underwent ample testing to ensure they can endure bending, sitting, torsion and other kinds of stress, even over prolonged periods, throughout their design and development. These kinds of tests are standard in the industry, and can be seen directly in this video from TechCrunch shot on location at Nokia’s gadget labs in 2008.

The echo chamber that is the tech blogosphere has perhaps contributed to blowing this problem out of proportion, which often happens when new hardware ships and a small but noteworthy issue comes to light. Apple has faced similar uproar in the past, particularly around bending with its devices since they switched to metal cases, but this time the amplification was especially loud.