'Hairgate': iPhone hit by new social media storm

A woman holds an iPhone 6 Plus after it went on sale at the Apple store in Sydney September 19, 2014.

An iPhone 6 phone is seen on display at the Fifth Avenue Apple store on the first day of sales in Manhattan, New York September 19, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/David Gray

 

(Reuters) - First there was bendgate... now brace yourself for hairgate.  
 
Fresh from the online uproar over whether the shiny new iPhone 6 bends when carried around in pockets, Apple has been hit by a new complaint - that the handset traps users' hair or beards when they make calls. 
 
It is difficult to gauge whether there is any real issue, but Twitter users have made #hairgate a rising social media trend, leading major news outlets to pounce on the story. 
 
"The seam on my iPhone 6 where the aluminum meets the glass is definitely catching my hair and pulling it out," one user tweeted.
 
Bearded iPhone users have jumped on the bandwagon complaining that their facial hair gets yanked during calls, leading to spats over whether to treat #beardgate as a separate trend, or simply as a subset of #hairgate. 
 
Apple was not immediately available to comment.
 
Jokers are having a field day, with the Twitter account of the Atlanta International Fashion Week speculating that it may be an elaborate plot against hipsters for whom facial hair has become de rigeur. Another user tweeted: "Congrats, Apple, for finally getting hipsters to shave."
 
For some it is a heaven-sent marketing opportunity; Gillette Co. [PGGIL.UL] was quick to tweet: "Your phone may be smarter than ever, but leave the shaving to the experts."
 
However, many iPhone 6 users were left to wonder what all the fuss was about.  
 
"I have iPhone 6. Doesn't bend and doesn't snag hair. Who thinks up these things? Apple haters? Competitors?" tweeted Dr. John Wooten, a Virginia-based technical consultant.  
 
~ Eric Auchard

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'Bendgate' continues to haunt Apple

 

Apple has done a ton of defensive work to put out the fires of bendgate, the latest (compulsory) scandal which arrived with the iPhone 6, but Cupertino is still feeling the heat over the issue despite its best efforts.
 
Once mud has been slung, it tends to stick, even though Apple has done everything from giving journalists a grand tour around its phone stress testing lab and the rigorous procedures therein, through to releasing figures that point to only nine complaints over bent iPhone 6 models, and highlighting independent testing that shows the HTC One M8 (with its aluminum body) bends just as much as Apple's smartphone.
 
Despite this, the laughs at Apple's expense continue, with not just Samsung poking fun at the iPhone 6, but also folks pointing out amusingly placed posters in light of the "scandal", and an enterprising firm which has created a special bendgate case.
 
The posters were highlighted by The Verge, and consist of several very unfortunately placed iPhone 6 adverts, pasted up on huge billboards which are bent to fit into their environment, and of course therefore display a kinked iPhone. Check out the above image which must have left the Apple PR department none too pleased (see the others at The Verge).
 
And if giant posters of bent handsets weren't enough, then the iPhone 6 BendGate Case produced by Shapeways (spotted by Metro) is sure to get Apple a little, well, bent out of shape.
 
The case, which comes in a number of bright colors, is pre-bent to fit your kinked iPhone 6 like a glove -- and Shapeways also notes that "this bumper case fixes the leveling issue caused by the camera lens and gives it protection where it's needed!"
 
The tongue-in-cheek case is apparently in beta and has been priced at €19.07, or if you have a 3D Printer, you can download the thing and print your own. It's the perfect gift for an Android lover to give their iPhone 6 toting friend...
 
Image Credit: Tom @taknil
 
Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
 
~ Darren Allan

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Apple to replace bent iPhone 6 Plus models

Summary: In response to what some users have dubbed #bendgate, Apple says handsets which bend when placed in pockets will be replaced -- on condition of a "Visual Mechanical Inspection."
 
 
Apple has promised to replace faulty iPhone 6 handsets following customer complaints that handsets have bent while in pockets.
 
On Wednesday, owners of one of Apple's latest flagship smartphone range, the iPhone 6 Plus, took to social media to complain that the large handset unexpectedly bends when placed in a pocket. In what has been dubbed #bendgate on Twitter, iPhone 6 users tweeted that while the smartphones remained operational, slight bends formed generally in the middle or the top of the handset. According to some of the complaints, bends formed when the device be placed under pressure -- for example, when the user sits down for a period of time.
 
While the standard iPhone 6 does not appear to have this design flaw, the iPhone 6 Plus' large size and 5.5-inch screen, combined with a thin aluminium frame, may be the problem.
 
The Next Web reports that in an online conversation with Apple's support desk, the representative said bent iPhones will be replaced, as long as the handsets passes a visual inspection. Genius Bar employees must place the gadget through a test known as the "Visual Mechanical Inspection" before deciding if warranty covers the problem. When asked if bends occurring during normal use of an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus would be covered under warranty, the representative said:

"That is 100 percent up to the Genius you speak with at the store. There is a test called a Visual Mechanical Inspection that the device will have to pass. If it is within the guidelines, they will be able to cover it. If not, the replacement would be a paid one."

The support team member also implied the iPad and iPhone maker is taking the issue seriously, as the company is "looking into this with an insane amount of detail.”
 
Therefore, if your new handset has been damaged after being placed in your back pocket, you may be eligible for a replacement. However, if you've been tampering with the smartphone on purpose, you're likely out of luck.
 
There have been some amusing responses to the design problem on Twitter, as noted below. It wasn't long before brands also joined in the fun.
 

 

Our phone doesn't bend, it flexes...on purpose. #bendgate pic.twitter.com/d1DudxDQgf
 

~ Charlie Osborne 

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