Is the whole "bendgate"of the iPhone 6 plus blown out of proportion?
Since Apple’s keynote, the iPhone 6 plus has been on
everyone’s minds whether its people saying the phone is like a mini-mini tablet
or how they are so excited for a bigger screen. Once it was released to the
public in late September, the 6 plus sold out immediately. Suddenly, reports of
6 plus bending began to surface on the Internet. The reports stated that the
iPhones would be slightly bent or curved when their owners would take them out
their pockets. Instantly, people from the Internet came out to comment and test
the problem at hand. Pictures of warped phones were all over social media and
people began to call this event “Bendgate”. The most popular video showcasing
“Bendgate” is the YouTube channel: Unbox Therapy. He shows how just putting a lot pressure on the side of it can bend the
phone. He admits that bending it did hurt his fingers. Other YouTuber’s got to
speak about the issue of the IPhone 6 pluses warping.
Internet
news show, “The Know” reports on the “Bendgate” scandal by talking about the
straight facts allowing users to know everyone going on in the situation. Reporter, Ashley Jenkins, states “At 5.5
inches the screen [of the phone] is significantly larger than earlier models which
means they can’t reposition as people sit down and they will be called on to
bend more instead.” She also gives another reason why the 6 pluses are
“bending”. Jenkins says the “new cases are made of aluminum… which addition to
being light weight and Apple getting the weight down also means the frame is
less rigid then other materials.” Jenkins also talks about Apple’s competition
the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The Galaxy Note 3 is much thicker then the 6 plus.
The language Jenkins uses allows for viewers to have a little laugh with the
important news, she remains unbiased throughout the video. So the question is
“bendgate” making a point or just being blown out of proportion?
“Bendgate”
was blown completely out of proportion. Writer Samuel Gibbs of The Guardian,
agrees "as smartphones become thinner and longer with bigger screens,
their relative strength decreases while the force applied to them inside
pockets can increase due to a lever effect.” Technology is always looking for
the next big thing and usually going thinner, smaller, or bigger is what
inventors do. The sales of the iPhone 6 plus weren’t affected by the “bendgate”
scandal. According to the Huffingtonpost writer Timothy Stenovec, “a new report
from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), a Chicago-based market
research firm, says that 13 percent of all iPhones sold in the U.S. in the
quarter that ended last month were iPhone 6 Pluses.” The language chosen for
the articles were about getting the facts about the bending of the 6 pluses and
dismissing any rumors given out by the Internet community. The Internet
community blew the whole iPhone 6 plus scandal called “Bendgate” out of
proportion. The videos went to the extreme with bending the phone and most
people wouldn’t go around purposely bending their phones. Putting a case on
your phone would stop this problem.
Sources:
·
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/29/iphone-6-plus-bending-overblown-consumer-reports
