The iPhone 6 was involved with at least two scandals. First, there was the most obvious one, “Bendgate*,” when it was discovered that Apple’s new thinner, taller smartphones were bending in people’s pockets from normal wear and tear. Bendgate lead to “Touch Disease.” Touch disease was a byproduct of Apple’s bendable phones. The slight flexing of the devices over time would lead to the chip responsible for digitizing touches to become disconnected. These two issues ruined the iPhone 6 for many owners.
What if Apple knew about those problems before releasing the iPhone 6? It would make their dismissals of the issues seem dishonest and disingenuous, right? A recent court filing from Judge Lucy Koh has revealed that Apple knew their new iPhones were fragile, and not only released them anyway, but dismissed customers’ complaints, charging them high prices for repairs.
Apple Knew About Fragile iPhones
Thanks to Judge Lucy Koh, we now know that Apple knew the iPhone 6 was far more fragile than the iPhone 5s. Internal documents at Apple reveal that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 6 Plus—most infamous for bending—was 7.2 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s. That’s an astronomical difference in durability.
Apple knew this bending lead to “touch disease.” After the release of the iPhone 6s, Apple changed the manufacturing process of the iPhone 6 to account for the slight flexibility, using underfill, or epoxy, to keep the touch-reading chip in place. Apple originally charged $349 to repair phones with the “touch disease,” and refused to acknowledge that the damage could be caused by the fragility of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They now charge $149. It’s still substantial, considering it’s a defect.
Apple’s Response Was Deceptive
Apple responded to Bendgate, saying they tested the devices thoroughly before release, using machines designed to test durability and flexibility of the devices. Apple claimed met their strict standards. However, they didn’t specify their standards. Apple technically didn’t lie, they just omitted the fact that the iPhone 6 would have failed to stand up to the same standards set by the iPhone 5s, or that their standards did not account for everyday, long-term usage. Apple never publicly admitted that the iPhone 6 had bending issues, but these internal documents reveal that they did know it was a problem.
Videos showing bent iPhones showed considerable force was required to bend it significantly in one sitting. However, these devices were bent under small amounts of pressure, accrued over weeks, months, or even years. The flexibility of these phones, though slight, also lead to touch disease. It’s clear that, while Apple’s response was truthful, they deceived their customers by ignoring an obvious issue, and later charging full price for repairs.
Lawsuit
Apple is in the midst of a lawsuit over touch disease. The plaintiffs are working on getting class action status, however, due to an insufficient model for how afflicted customers would receive retribution from Apple, Judge Koh has denied class status. Her public opinion on the case, however, revealed currently classified details of the case that don’t appear promising for Apple. Apple still denies that the iPhone 6 had a design flaw, despite using stronger materials in the iPhone 6s and changing the manufacturing process. The struggle to hold Apple accountable for their negligence is ongoing.
Can We Trust Apple?
Apple has always brushed manufacturing defects under the rug. First there was “antennagate,” where the iPhone 4 could lose reception if held in a particular way. Apple, once again, showed the measures it took to test the iPhone 4 before release, but admitted there could be an issue and gave away free iPhone bumpers. Now they’re fighting MacBook Pro owners who find their keyboards become unresponsive over time. Apple insists that some compressed air is enough to solve the problem, but owners reject this solution. It doesn’t work, they claim. Consistently, Apple does the same thing every company that has discovered a defect does: ignore the problem until the cost of replacement outweighs the cost of damage done to the brand, future sales, and repairs.
To answer the question, no, we cannot trust Apple. We should, however, trust consumers. We often have a tendency in the tech community to assume errors are PEBKAC problems, that is, “Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Computer.” It’s a fun way to say “user error.” We assume users are the problem, that someone sat on their phone, or got Cheeto dust under their keyboard, or perhaps are holding their phone in a strange way. I’m guilty of this as well, and feel bad for the part I’ve played in refusing to examine Apple’s hollow responses. When you need an extraordinary excuse for a company, chances are the company is in the wrong.
* I hate the “–gate” naming pattern as much as everyone else. Watergate was the name of the hotel, it wasn’t a problem about water. “–gate” does not imply a scandal!
Sources:
- Juli Clover, MacRumors
- Jason Koebler, MotherBoard