No company is perfect, but after the debacle that was “Antennagate” with the launch of the iPhone 4, you’d think that Apple would be more meticulous about future generations of products. It appears that the answer is “Not so.”
It’s been widely reported that Apple had begun distributing a software update on Wednesday morning to fix several issues in last week's iOS 8 operating system for iPhones and iPads. Hours later, it pulled the update after some people complained it rendered their phones unable to make calls and caused problems with a feature that lets people unlock their phones with their fingerprint. Right now, the software update is at a standstill, but Apple has apologized for the inconvenience saying it is "working around the clock" to prepare an iOS 8 update for release in the next few days.
Additionally, the internet is buzzing with reports, photos and videos indicating that the aluminum shell of the iPhone 6 Plus is vulnerable to bending. Owners of the new device have taken to blogs and social media to report bending issues with their phone and some are even using the hashtag #BendGate.
The allegations of bending haven’t been from the normal sources of careless mishandling, but due to common practice of keeping the phone in a pants pocket. CNN notes:
There are reports circulating online claiming that the new, larger iPhone bends when owners carried them in their pockets for long periods of time. Ironically, the reports came the same day that smartphone warranty provider SquareTrade called the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the "most durable smartphones ever."
According to an article on The Huffington Post, it's too early to tell if BendGate is going to blow up like the antenna issue did in 2010 — which created a huge headache for Apple and for its customers. Timothy Stenovec even suggests that maybe it's a good idea to hold off buying the bigger version of Apple's new phone until things shake out.
"It's possible that this is a real issue. We'll have to see if it pops up with more consumers," Avi Greengart, research director at technology market research firm Current Analysis, said in an interview. "One or two instances do not a crisis make."
As Greengart suggests, anytime a new product is released, the potential for somebody to find something wrong with it is there, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an overall flaw. One would expect that there is adequate rigorous testing before releasing a product. Maybe this time Apple will address the issue head on and offer something more than a free phone case — like the solution to “Antennagate.” For now, Apple has declined to address the bending phones.
In a world where BYOD is becoming more popular in the workplace, problems like software glitches and potential design flaws remind us just how fragile our technology can be at times. Many of us slap on a protective case as soon as we purchase new tech, but is that giving us real or imagined security? Because in some manufacturing environments, that may not be enough.
What Do You Think?
Is Apple just starting to crack under the pressure to perform? Or are these issues just a fluke that will be resolved? Do quality issues like BendGate and software glitches make you think twice about purchasing new technology? Do you worry about something happening to your devices at work? Do you think the bending issue just instills the need for durable phone cases like an OtterBox? Tell us what you think by leaving your comments below.
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