“I really like that it bends now,” Jake VanAuker, junior in television and digital media production said. “The new iPhone is customizable to my lifestyle and now I can be an individual thanks to its Laffy Taffy-like structure.”
VanAuker is joking of course, but it is true that the internet has been abuzz this last week with reports that the new iPhone 6 Plus bends in the front pockets of its owners.
On September 19, Apple released the new iPhone 6, featuring a 4.7-inch display and the iPhone 6 Plus, featuring a 5.5-inch display. Apple reports that it sold a record 10 million devices in its first weekend, with 4 million pre-orders in only a day.
In what has been referred to as “Bendgate,” several videos have been circulating, one titled “iPhone 6 Bend Test,” that show people forcing pressure on their new iPhones until they bend.
However, Business Insider suggests that “Bendgate” could be simply “a plot orchestrated by the mainstream media.” Apple enthusiasts have taken to the internet to analyze the bend test videos, calling them fake.
Meanwhile, Apple claims to have only received 9 complaints about bent iPhones. Apple even went as far as to invite a CNBC film crew into its “reliability testing lab” to prove the iPhone 6’s durability. The CNBC video shows iPhones in vice grips being tested by machines under extreme pressure. Dan Riccio, Apple’s head of engineering, claims that the new iPhone had been tested a record 15,000 times before its release.
Kenyatta Peterson, a junior in social work, says she’s perfectly content with her current phone, the iPhone 5c.
“I don’t think the iPhone 6 is worth it,” Peterson said. “It’s another overrated device.” So what would entice her to get a new phone? “ I would like a phone that doesn’t ask my location all the time,” Peterson said.
Verizon recently began a promotion offering the new iPhone 6 for free if current users traded in their old iPhones and re-upped their contracts. Employees at Verizon’s Big Rapids branch declined to comment on “Bendgate.”
For specifics on the design and features of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, visit apple.com.