iPad Pro iPad Pro's bending issue (merged)

[fm_carv]

Well you requested evidence, we provided evidence as proof that contradicts your accusations.

You are easy and quick to accuse and ask for proof but then fail to provide proof yourself... Pretty self explanatory.

“we provided evidence” .....that’s a funny statement! Are you a team? I see you just joined Macrumours....what’s going on that we don’t know?

What accusations?
What proof?

Why do I need to prove that my iPad is not bent?

Why would I even waste 5 mins of my time taking a photo of my perfect iPad?

It was you and your friends (“we”) that created this thread.....remember?

You’re the one (or two) that has to prove that you didn’t sit on your iPad.

 

[1144557]

Hey, I am capable of critical thinking. I love Apple, but I’m no Apple apologist. I just take everything with a grain of salt. Especially YouTube “bend” videos that are made for clicks and money. So it cuts both ways. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with criticizing Apple for a legit design flaw, if there is one. But I also question those who profit for creating drama where there might not be any issue at all.

I haven’t gotten my new iPad Pro yet, but I know several artist friends who have gotten theirs already...and they haven’t experienced any bend issues. I trust them more than some clickbate YouTube creator.

Just playing devils advocate here. Every time Apple releases a new product...you get videos like these. You get trolls screaming about some new “gate” this or “gate” that.

Again, not saying there can’t ever be an issue. It’s good to question and be critical. But it’s also good to question the validity of the trolls and haters too.

I am going by my friends experiences with the new iPad Pros, and my own observations at the Apple Store actually touching and trying to flex the device. And trust me...it’s not like “butter”. I feel they aren’t as bendable as these videos portray. Definitely not in any real world way. And especially not if you protect your iPad Pro in a case, which I think any reasonable person would.

Yes, Youtubers and sensationalists and do this for money. But the grains of salt are adding up quickly that there may be a design issue; specifically with the inch or so of the side cut out for the pencil charger with a thing strip of metal above and below it.

 

[1144557]

Surprise surprise, burning the screen with a lighter and scratching the surface with a knife will damage the device. In what way is either of those tests useful? That guy is an idiot. Plus he is going to slice one of his digits off one day unless he learns to use a knife properly...

Except that's not what the people in any of the posted videos have been doing or claiming, while we have several members here saying they do exactly that without issues.

No you can't, that will depend totally on how strong the person is, how big their hands are, where they put them on the iPad so how much leverage they get, etc. etc.

The ones I've handled personally seemed pretty solid. If this is such a massive issue/design flaw I'm amazed none of the big media outlet reviews mention them feeling cheap/flimsy. Do you really think no professional reviewers would have noticed this? OK, they're not going to test their review units to destruction but I'm sure they would have noticed if they were flexing when they were writing on them with the Pencil, for example. The only real test for structural integrity is to use a measuring device (as has been done for many phones in the past) to see exactly how much force it takes to bend the unit by putting pressure on the centre when it's supported at each end: I'm sure we'll see that done eventually by someone reputable and we'll know for sure then what's going on. Until then take the youtube hysteria with a pinch of salt but be careful with your expensive stuff, buy AppleCare or delay your purchase if you're worried.

He is an idiot and most of his "tests" make no sense, but doesn't make this evidence less true.

No reviewer noticed the iPhone 6 bend issue either until that other idiot Lew. Surprise surprise reviewers only get review units if they say good things about Apple, and views are how they make their living so they need review products to stay competitive, and are (rightfully) afraid to damage them so wouldn't dare even attempt to bend them

 

[Finfin]

“we provided evidence” .....that’s a funny statement! Are you a team? I see you just joined Macrumours....what’s going on that we don’t know?

What accusations?
What proof?

Why do I need to prove that my iPad is not bent?

Why would I even waste 5 mins of my time taking a photo of my perfect iPad?

It was you and your friends (“we”) that created this thread.....remember?

You’re the one (or two) that has to prove that you didn’t sit on your iPad.

I'm a long time lurker of MacRumors but decided to see if anyone had bent new iPad Pros. That was my initial intention until I got attacked by people like you.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Yes, Youtubers and sensationalists and do this for money. But the grains of salt are adding up quickly that there may be a design issue; specifically with the inch or so of the side cut out for the pencil charger with a thing strip of metal above and below it.

Again, going by my friends real world experience with the new iPad pros. They haven’t had any bend issues at all.

And to play devils advocate once more concerning this YouTube video... he cut the plastic charging surface out with a knife before bending. Did you ever stop and think that the embedded plastic was creating stability? And that once you remove this plastic(which nobody would do!) of course the structural integrity of the surrounding metal will then be compromised!

Remember...Questioning things goes both ways. And I have seen no real world first hand experience of any bend issues with the new iPad Pros. Not from any of my friends...and not when i’ve Been in the store flexing them myself. I am not scared, and I don’t think anyone contemplating buying one of these should be either. But I encourage anyone on the fence to go down to their local Apple Store and actually hold one in their hands. Test it out for themselves.

Either way, it’s an expensive device, and people should make sure it’s the right decision for them. I hold no issue with anyone. And if they do decide to buy one, get a case for it, and enjoy.

Well that’s my advice anyway.

 

[DNichter]

Here are 2 more examples - first one is mine, the 2nd one is one of my friend. Both 11 WiFi only.

This looks fine to me?

 

[alFR]

He is an idiot and most of his "tests" make no sense, but doesn't make this evidence less true.

No reviewer noticed the iPhone 6 bend issue either until that other idiot Lew. Surprise surprise reviewers only get review units if they say good things about Apple, and views are how they make their living so they need review products to stay competitive, and are (rightfully) afraid to damage them so wouldn't dare even attempt to bend them

I don't think that's true: Nilay Patel at The Verge and Joanna Stern at the WSJ criticise Apple frequently and still get review units, for example. I agree reviewers aren't going to try to bend their units deliberately, but that's not what people here are saying will happen: they're saying the iPads will bend in normal use, so surely at least one reviewer would have seen that happen?

 

[Finfin]

“we provided evidence” .....that’s a funny statement! Are you a team? I see you just joined Macrumours....what’s going on that we don’t know?

What accusations?
What proof?

Why do I need to prove that my iPad is not bent?

Why would I even waste 5 mins of my time taking a photo of my perfect iPad?

It was you and your friends (“we”) that created this thread.....remember?

You’re the one (or two) that has to prove that you didn’t sit on your iPad.

I have applied a bend indicator to a picture of your iPad that you posted in another thread.

The bend indicator line is a computer perfect, straight line, with no anti-aliasing applied, generated by Photoshop.

Look at it at the pixel level.

I have placed the line where the light indicates the edge of the flat surface of the display.

You can determine if it is bent or not. Analyzing the picture at the pixel level, your iPad looks slightly bowed in the exact same place as mine (antenna band) with the same type of bend!

** Look carefully at the black gap between the white line generated by the light on the left side and the red straight line on the right. The gap between the 2 is slightly larger around the antenna band area than it is on the top and bottom parts of the picture.

If you want to make it clear that your iPad is not bent, please post a picture of your iPad laying down flat on a table top with a metal ruler on top to indicate its straightness.

 

[nikusak]

Truth is often stranger than fiction in these bendgates.

“I just put it in my backpack and it was bent!” Yes, it bent because there was a significant force on it at some point.

It is very much possible that the new iPad Pro bends more easily, but it doesn’t bend by itself.

Be careful with your $1000+ devices. I’ve never broken a phone or tablet, apart from some minor scratches on displays.

(Knocks on wood...)

 

[seadragon]

Truth is often stranger than fiction in these bendgates.

“I just put it in my backpack and it was bent!” Yes, it bent because there was a significant force on it at some point.

It is very much possible that the new iPad Pro bends more easily, but it doesn’t bend by itself.

Be careful with your $1000+ devices. I’ve never broken a phone or tablet, apart from some minor scratches on displays.

(Knocks on wood...)

I think that is the question. Does the new iPad bend more easily than previous versions and at what point do we conclude it is too fragile for its intended use. The pursuit of ever thinner devices will reach a physical limit of practicality. Maybe we’re there now.

 

[fm_carv]

I have applied a bend indicator to a picture of your iPad that you posted in another thread.

The bend indicator line is a computer perfect, straight line, with no anti-aliasing applied, generated by Photoshop.

Look at it at the pixel level.

I have placed the line where the light indicates the edge of the flat surface of the display.

You can determine if it is bent or not. If you want to make it clear as to whether your iPad is bent or not, please post a picture of your iPad laying down flat on a table top with a metal ruler on top to indicate its straightness.

“Bend indicator”

brilliant you made my Friday evening dude!

 

[spacebro]

I've damaged a Thinkpad before putting it into the laptop sleeve of a tightly packed backpack. You can damage anything if constrained in tightly packed bag. It really helps to have it against something flat and rigid.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Sigh. This is EXACTLY the attitude real Apple fans of the company/products are trying to get out of the spotlight and away from sheep that it's the user's fault; the "you're holding it wrong" user error mentality.

If the device needs a hard shell case (not soft TPU and that wont help with flex) just to survive normal use or put into a bag then it is not built well, period. And for $1,000 that's inexcusable.

If it needs a hardshell case not to bow because it is so thin and poorly reinforced internally then one should have been included for $1,000 as an option to the user; which also may have slightly relieved Apple of responsibility at that point to fix/replace them if user elected not to use it despite being warned.

I typically ignore the Fandroid and ignorant Youtuber Apple haters, but when Apple is wrong they are wrong; and I have no problem saying it.




They do, someone posted the 10.5 bending (albeit with a shattered display again). But it took a LOT more force, you can tell by their hands and skin color/wrinkles which is more or less force.

And that got only a slight bend in the 10.5 even with a shattered display, not folded in half like butter like a brand new new 11"

Dude. Then don’t buy it. Simple. All I know is that no matter what iPad I have, I am not stuffing it into a backpack without a case. You may think that means it is not built well...me? I think that’s being smart. I take care of my devices. iPad screens can crack or get scratched. If you want to put your $1,000 device into your backpack without a case, cause you think it should be indestructible go for it. I have never done that with any of my iPads, and I am not going to start now.

And it’s not cause I am scared it will bend. It’s because I put cases on all my iPads.

Many of my artist friends have the new iPad pros, and not ONE of them has had any bending issues. I haven’t gotten mine yet, but i’ve been to the Apple store, and i’ve Flex tested them myself. And I have no worries at all. I hear people saying the new pros are like “butter” and I have to laugh. They aren’t, and I will point out this overly dramatic BS every time. My advice to all those on the fence, or who are being swayed by all this negative conspiracy talk...don’t listen to the trolls. Don’t listen to me. GO down to the Apple Store and hold one yourself. Be your own judge. These things cost a lot of money, and you should be sure based on your own real world experience.

 

[Ghost31]

My Pencil is not bent, it is a dead straight cylindrical shape with a single flat surface on the side. The Pencil attaches flush to the magnetic side of my iPad. It does not sit flush on the front or back though.

I have attached a picture of the iPad laying flat on a table surface with a ruler along the top of it. Notice how the bend starts at the antenna band!

What next? First you accuse people in other threads of lying for not posting pictures. When pictures are posted, you are accusing people that their pictures are wrong and you are right. Then you demand more of the same pictures...

Should I photograph it alongside the Leaning Tower of Pisa? I hope you realize that the Leaning Tower of Pisa isn't straight and that it is actually leaning... I might need a ruler that is longer than 8 stories...

Bottom and top of iPad.

iPad is bent on bottom right.
View attachment 804520

iPad is bent on top left.
View attachment 804524

Well damn. Op delivers

 

[jiholl]

I've damaged a Thinkpad before putting it into the laptop sleeve of a tightly packed backpack. You can damage anything if constrained in tightly packed bag. It really helps to have it against something flat and rigid.

Do we think that the Apple Folio or Keyboard case provides the added rigidity to help here? I'm thinking that when having the device in a typical soft briefcase or messenger bag...typically the bag will conform to the curve of your body...that is NOT good for the ipad...hmmmmmm

 

[wittyphrase]

I think that is the question. Does the new iPad bend more easily than previous versions and at what point do we conclude it is too fragile for its intended use. The pursuit of ever thinner devices will reach a physical limit of practicality. Maybe we’re there now.

People responding to this stuff by saying, essentially, some variation of “stop using it that way” are being really disingenuous or missing the point entirely.

Responding with “just be careful with your stuff” or, in response to my thread about the screen smudging very easily, “just clean it once a day” isn’t actually getting at the issue. The issue is people are using the new model in the exact same way as their old devices and noticing negative consequences. If putting the new iPP in the exact same spot I’ve always put my older one in my bag resulted in the device bending I’d definitely be pissed about that and it would be enough for me to conclude that, for my personal use, the new model isn’t as durable as the old one.

Everyone can continue trying to lecture people about how they should treat their stuff all they want. It’s completely ignoring the fact that most of us have now been using fairly fragile pieces of technology for the better part of our lives. There’s an understanding as to how breakable it all is. What’s changing are the devices and in this pursuit of “thinness” you’re going to have to trade some durability. I love the new model, but I’m not crazy about seeing the screen flex significantly under the same kind of writing I’ve been doing for three years.

 

[LeeW]

I mean I saw people complain about the bending iPhone 6, not s**t sherlock, stuff it in your back pocket and sit down, rinse and repeat several times and a thin device is going to bend. Put it in your back pack with stress on it, then it's going to bend. This is not just Apple, seen it happen to lots of relatively thin devices.

Those images don't show a slight "I did nothing wrong bend", they show a bend as a result of it being under stress.

Paying $xxxx does not mean you should be able to throw it about or that it is not strong enough.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Get a case? So on a $800 minimum MOBILE device, one should have to pay even more to obtain any sort of structural integrity? Ha. Riiight. That’s why Apple gets away with stuff like this.

I was going to get the 11”. Until I found out the device that’s supposedly “mobile” is as structurally weak as a graham cracker.

Dude. Graham cracker? Butter? Come on. It’s an iPad. And it’s thin. But it’s not going to bend like butter or crumble like a cracker. Stop being hysterical. Lol. You’ll be able to walk around with this iPad Pro without it bending or shattering. And what’s wrong with a case? I’ve put a case on every iPad i’ve ever owned. You make it sound like a bad thing. For scratches alone I wouldn’t put a brand new iPad in a backpack without a case. And if you’re walking around holding it without a case...great. Just don’t drop it on concrete and not expect it to be damaged. Look, if you’re trying to talk yourself out of upgrading, fine. But people shouldn’t be scared to buy the new iPad Pro.

 

[seadragon]

I mean I saw people complain about the bending iPhone 6, not s**t sherlock, stuff it in your back pocket and sit down, rinse and repeat several times and a thin device is going to bend. Put it in your back pack with stress on it, then it's going to bend. This is not just Apple, seen it happen to lots of relatively thin devices.

Those images don't show a slight "I did nothing wrong bend", they show a bend as a result of it being under stress.

Paying $xxxx does not mean you should be able to throw it about or that it is not strong enough.

Yet, the original iPhone 6 did use a much softer series 6000 aluminum shell. Apple went with a stronger aluminum series 7000 with the 6s which was/is much stronger. Why would they do that if not realizing series 6000 wasn’t adequate?

 

[Smartass]

It bends faster than Thailand hooker


While we're here: How long do you think Unbox Therapy will need to put out a video about this issue?

 

[sh65746153]

its a beta unit, apple will fix this stuff in the next generation 1-2 years from now, just in time with releasing actual pro ios/software. the best ipad at the moment is the 10.5 generation. the 11 hardware is ahead of its time with an major internal design flaw and no software.

just shiny and nice..

 

[Waterman316]

Dude. Graham cracker? Butter? Come on. It’s an iPad. And it’s thin. But it’s not going to bend like butter or crumble like a cracker. Stop being hysterical. Lol. You’ll be able to walk around with this iPad Pro without it bending or shattering. And what’s wrong with a case? I’ve put a case on every iPad i’ve ever owned. You make it sound like a bad thing. For scratches alone I wouldn’t put a brand new iPad in a backpack without a case. And if you’re walking around holding it without a case...great. Just don’t drop it on concrete and not expect it to be damaged. Look, if you’re trying to talk yourself out of upgrading, fine. But people shouldn’t be scared to buy the new iPad Pro.

Yea. Thin. Compromising what’s more important. The durability of it. I don’t expect to be able to drop it on concrete and not damage it. I expect to be able to reasonably place it in a back pack, without a case, as I do with my 10.5 pro without an issue. Hysterical? Not being hysterical in expecting a device marketed as mobile to be able to withstand being in a back pack without being bent. Stop being an Apple apologist. They messed up with this.

 

[fokmik]

thats why the last 12.9" didn't bent, because was thicker than the smaller one....because of the larger footprint , going thinner, is not a good choice from Apple...
Remember the 12.9 got thinner by whole millimetre and the weight not so much

 

[JP913]

Now that there is more evidence I will walk back my criticism a bit. It bends WAY too easy brand new; there certainly appears to be some design defect here.

Skip to 6:23

This video is stupid. This whole thing is stupid. Everything breaks at some point, everything bends at some point. The Lunar Lander was 3 sheets of tinfoil thick at some parts. GUESS WHAT? You put your foot though that wall, you're gonna have problems.

I'm done with Bendgate.

 

[sracer]

I'm a long time lurker of MacRumors but decided to see if anyone had bent new iPad Pros. That was my initial intention until I got attacked by people like you.

Are you really surprised that he didn't believe you after posting pictures using a steel ruler? Even if you can convince someone that your iPad is bowed, you absolutely won't be able to prove that it (A) came straight out of the box that way or (B) it bowed under "normal" use.

You could have shot an uncut video of you walking into an Apple store, buying an iPad Pro, unwrapping the shrinkwrap, and removing the iPad from the box and showing it bowed, and there will still be those who will not believe.

Just state your case, provide reasonable evidence, and that'll be enough to help others avoid actions/scenarios that would normally be viewed as innocent. That's one of the things we do in this community. Help others.