My new M1 11-inch Pro had a slight bend out of the box - and I mean slight. Ever so subtle, as in I had to actively look for it (did on purpose as I was curious). I mean, it's essentially a super-thin battery sandwich with the bread consisting of relatively soft aluminum, so of course realistically there's a chance of variations like this. People who go on about how it's the user's fault no matter what are in a fantasy land, and the same goes for folks who say it bends at the slightest touch. Again, realism's important! For example, with my iPhone XR after two years in a Mous case - the latter wasn't made completely straight and caused a slight bend on the phone. Aluminum bends under pressure, and the same can sometimes happen during the manufacturing/cooling process as Apple has stated. But for the iPad Pro, legit putting it into a cheap magnetic folio case and closing it seems to have straightened and fixed it for me. And I'm confident that the thickness/rigidity of the Magic Keyboard isn't there only for weight distribution purposes - Apple's not stupid, and I haven't yet seen any reports of bends from folks who use it.
In the case of my iPad Pro, it's just one of those instances where the manufacturing process resulted in a teeny-tiny bend, nothing drastic or worrying whatsoever. Definitely within the tolerances Apple was going on about a while back. Should they strengthen the inner frame of the device to minimize the risk of this/switch to a stronger series of aluminum? Absolutely - it would be awesome to see the stainless steel frame like on the iPhone 12 Pro for this reason (just matte and not polished ffs). But that doesn't necessarily mean they're okaying a bunch of folded-over iPad Pros like some folks would lead you to believe. It's just the nature of the material, especially with devices of this size and weight combination. This has happened on the odd iPad for years, primarily the Air and Pro series as these devices are thinner yet still have a large flat surface area for the aluminum to frame/support, so any variations are more noticeable on those models. The increase of complaints/comments regarding bends on the new devices is honestly a given as they now have flat sides, so an ever-so-slightly-unstraightened edge is immediately more noticeable.
As far as I'm concerned, if a bend is so subtle that you have to break out the calipers to confirm you're not crazy, you're not really focusing on using the device and are instead letting worry take over, and it shouldn't pose an issue in everyday use or worsen easily. If the bend is more severe, especially over time, it could either be due to a unit's aluminum wonkily weakened somehow in the manufacturing process or simply user negligence. Hard to determine which sometimes, and that's why people tend to pile onto the latter and why Apple is reluctant to replace units due to bends outside of the return period. Even they can't tell. If a bunch of units were coming back with complaints, say, of bending with a crack at the side microphone hole, then that would be a different story as it would indicate a structural failure point. Personally, I feel like relocating the pencil charger to the power button edge, then relocating the power button and camera to a landscape orientation would help to strengthen the Pro and Air devices, as fewer openings near the middle of the longest edges will mean fewer points where the bend can naturally originate. It's much less likely that a bend will occur along a shorter edge (just look at the iPad Mini 5 - no complaints on bends on any side).
Actually, when we look at the infamous jerryrigeverything bend test, we can see that he exhibits so much force and effort into the bend that the device is compromised at the microphone hole. This right here is an indication to me that he was trying too hard. When people attempt to straighten a bend carefully, which can be done without hurting the device if the bend is super subtle, this crack doesn't occur, meaning a normal-to-moderate amount of pressure under regular use/travel isn't likely going to cause an extreme variation like that. Before the crack, there is considerable bend but only because of the heavy pressure he's applying - it would "bounce back" a little if he had let go and could potentially even be reversed. Only precisely when the crack occurs does the device bend dramatically and is beyond saving, as the structure has then developed a failure point through user negligence. Unless you're Donkey Kong having a major banana withdrawal and pissed off, I wouldn't worry.
Speaking of which, I'd imagine the lack of the side microphone hole and ever-so-slightly "thicker" design of the Air 4 would make it a little less structurally prone to this than the Pro and I've seen next to no complaints on bends for those, but if the risk of it happening at all bothers you I'd recommend iPad 8. It's perfectly understandable if you'd prefer to avoid this altogether, and hey, you'll save quite a bit of money at the same time. 8 is still an extremely versatile and capable machine, marketed towards the education market and therefore using a thicker/stronger design (they're pretty damn durable tbh). Plus Applecare's cheaper/it's easier to repair, you get a headphone jack, and it apparently gets exceptional battery life. If I change my mind on the Pro and return it for whatever reason, I'll gladly try either it or the Air.
In the case of my iPad Pro, it's just one of those instances where the manufacturing process resulted in a teeny-tiny bend, nothing drastic or worrying whatsoever. Definitely within the tolerances Apple was going on about a while back. Should they strengthen the inner frame of the device to minimize the risk of this/switch to a stronger series of aluminum? Absolutely - it would be awesome to see the stainless steel frame like on the iPhone 12 Pro for this reason (just matte and not polished ffs). But that doesn't necessarily mean they're okaying a bunch of folded-over iPad Pros like some folks would lead you to believe. It's just the nature of the material, especially with devices of this size and weight combination. This has happened on the odd iPad for years, primarily the Air and Pro series as these devices are thinner yet still have a large flat surface area for the aluminum to frame/support, so any variations are more noticeable on those models. The increase of complaints/comments regarding bends on the new devices is honestly a given as they now have flat sides, so an ever-so-slightly-unstraightened edge is immediately more noticeable.
As far as I'm concerned, if a bend is so subtle that you have to break out the calipers to confirm you're not crazy, you're not really focusing on using the device and are instead letting worry take over, and it shouldn't pose an issue in everyday use or worsen easily. If the bend is more severe, especially over time, it could either be due to a unit's aluminum wonkily weakened somehow in the manufacturing process or simply user negligence. Hard to determine which sometimes, and that's why people tend to pile onto the latter and why Apple is reluctant to replace units due to bends outside of the return period. Even they can't tell. If a bunch of units were coming back with complaints, say, of bending with a crack at the side microphone hole, then that would be a different story as it would indicate a structural failure point. Personally, I feel like relocating the pencil charger to the power button edge, then relocating the power button and camera to a landscape orientation would help to strengthen the Pro and Air devices, as fewer openings near the middle of the longest edges will mean fewer points where the bend can naturally originate. It's much less likely that a bend will occur along a shorter edge (just look at the iPad Mini 5 - no complaints on bends on any side).
Actually, when we look at the infamous jerryrigeverything bend test, we can see that he exhibits so much force and effort into the bend that the device is compromised at the microphone hole. This right here is an indication to me that he was trying too hard. When people attempt to straighten a bend carefully, which can be done without hurting the device if the bend is super subtle, this crack doesn't occur, meaning a normal-to-moderate amount of pressure under regular use/travel isn't likely going to cause an extreme variation like that. Before the crack, there is considerable bend but only because of the heavy pressure he's applying - it would "bounce back" a little if he had let go and could potentially even be reversed. Only precisely when the crack occurs does the device bend dramatically and is beyond saving, as the structure has then developed a failure point through user negligence. Unless you're Donkey Kong having a major banana withdrawal and pissed off, I wouldn't worry.
Speaking of which, I'd imagine the lack of the side microphone hole and ever-so-slightly "thicker" design of the Air 4 would make it a little less structurally prone to this than the Pro and I've seen next to no complaints on bends for those, but if the risk of it happening at all bothers you I'd recommend iPad 8. It's perfectly understandable if you'd prefer to avoid this altogether, and hey, you'll save quite a bit of money at the same time. 8 is still an extremely versatile and capable machine, marketed towards the education market and therefore using a thicker/stronger design (they're pretty damn durable tbh). Plus Applecare's cheaper/it's easier to repair, you get a headphone jack, and it apparently gets exceptional battery life. If I change my mind on the Pro and return it for whatever reason, I'll gladly try either it or the Air.
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