Warning: Following Apple’s approach to iPhone problems could give you whiplash.
- The iPhone 6 Plus is bending? (Sticks fingers in ears.) La, la, la, la, la….
- We checked it out. It can’t be bending. We tested the hell out of it. And no, nine incidences don’t count. (Sticks fingers back in ears.)
- Whoa, iOS 8.0.1 hobbled your device? Okay, now that’s our bad, said Apple. Sorry! Downgrade to iOS 8 until we work it out in a few days.
- (One day later.) It’s ready!
- (Right after.) What do you mean it’s still bricking your iPhones, Australia? Uh, uh.…
One day, Apple’s battling iPhone celebrity photo leaks, the next it’s bragging over 10 million iPhone 6 units sold at launch. It suffers HealthKit bugs that stymie supporting apps, but the fix crippled iPhone 6 devices—and the new fix that was intended to fix the old fix still apparently bricks some devices. Meanwhile, right or wrong, the feds drink the Apple (and Google) haterade, freaking out over the prospect of not being able to infiltrate people’s iPhones and Androids.
See also: Will Apple’s iOS 8.0.2 Brick Your Phone?
Got all that?
Amid all of it, the one bright shining spot was Apple’s first response to iOS 8.0.1 problems. It was refreshingly candid and humble. Hopefully it will stay that way while it smooths out whatever wrinkles iOS 8.0.2 may still hold, for the sake of glitch-weary users who dare to want a fully functioning phone.
#ios802 no improvement. Still the No Service, battery issues. Also unreachable by phone.
— Emile Zweep (@emilezweep) September 26, 2014
https://twitter.com/edbott/status/515297284184367104
8.0.2 bricked my wife’s phone…. ouch. @apple
— Joel Jupp (@joeljupp) September 26, 2014
Its stance regarding #bendgate, #bendghazi or whatever you want to call the iPhone 6 Plus’ fragility issue isn’t quite so apologetic. The company played down the matter, claiming only nine people reported this problem, and took journalists into its testing facility to prove that it torture-tests devices for durability.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg spoke to insiders who say that the company failed to mention one interesting tidbit: Supposedly Apple’s choice of quality assurance manager for iOS 8 was the same person who oversaw its disastrous Apple Maps development. So apparently #bendgate has roots in #mapgate.
Now the epic failures of iOS 8 updates and #bendghazi seem to be inextricably linked.
https://twitter.com/lmk2055/status/515398709681455104
Does the #iOS802 includes a fix to prevent the #iPhone6Plus for bending?
— Albert Real (@AlbertReal) September 26, 2014
https://twitter.com/Andrewhall777/status/515298071430057985
Fingers crossed that #iOS802 doesn't bend my iPad
— Chris (@speedy1013) September 26, 2014
The image above harks back to Apple’s “antennagate” controversy, when then-CEO Steve Jobs swatted away iPhone 4 antenna problems, essentially telling people to “avoid gripping it in the lower left corner” if they have wireless reception issues. In other words, they were holding it the wrong way.
Even without Steve Jobs’ steely gaze to buttress it, Apple’s reality distortion field seems to be intact, at least when it comes to the unintentionally flexible handsets. And the jokes have taken on a life of their own, spawning parody sites and spoof videos while #bendghazi, #bendgazi or #bendgate still storm the trending charts on Twitter.
Of course, some competitors and other designers can’t resist throwing a little shade in Apple’s direction.
Our phone doesn't bend, it flexes…on purpose. #bendgate pic.twitter.com/d1DudxDQgf
— LG USA Mobile (@LGUSAMobile) September 24, 2014
#bendgate LEAKED: new iPhone Dali Edition! pic.twitter.com/0aOi9bteOX
— Jonas Daehnert (@PhoneDesigner) September 24, 2014
Apple has quite a job on its hands, dealing with a (potentially overblown) issue of bending phones while simultaneously working on the PR fallout from the very real software problem that screwed customers of its brand new iPhone 6 models.
