Apple Suffers Software Glitch, Bent iPhones Backlash
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - Apple, hot off the record breaking iPhone 6 sales, is facing backlash from a software update that rendered phones useless. While a video circulating on the web shows the new models are vulnerable to bending.
The company said it was pulling its software update meant to fix several issues with last week's iOS 8 operating system for iPhones and iPads.
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Users took to social media following Wednesday morning's update, complaining about the issues they experienced. Some said their phones couldn't make calls, while others said their screens froze.
By noon on Wednesday, Apple announced it was investigating the reports and would issue advice "as quickly as we can."
Some tech blogs reported the problems were only happening on new iPhones – the 6 and 6 plus. Older iPhones can still upgrade to iOS 8 if they haven't.
Besides software issues, the new iPhone 6s are experiencing hardware problems too.
Several social media sites are reporting the new iPhones' aluminum shells are vulnerable to bending.
Some Twitter users claimed their phones showed a slight curving at one end after several hours in a pants pocket. A YouTube video showed someone bending an iPhone 6 Plus by applying extended pressure with his hands — not from normal sitting.
Here is the iPhone 6 Plus bend test video.
The iPhone 6 Plus is thinner and longer than any other iPhone model, so open world stress tests were bound to reveal issues.
Both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus were given high ratings in a recent "breakability" test conducted by SquareTrade, a San Francisco firm that sells insurance to consumers for their electronic devices. The test did not include bending.
But SquareTrade Chief Marketing Officer Ty Shay said that after reports of bending circulated online, two staffers at his firm tried to bend a pair of 6 Plus phones: One staffer, a man, was able to duplicate the results from the video, while the other, a woman, could not. He said the bent phone appeared to still function normally.
Shay said his firm then checked and found a small number of bent older-model iPhones had been reported in the past. "It does happen," said Shay, "but it seems like for the most part it's cosmetic damage."
He suggested the bending is not a major issue. Referring to the iPhone 6 Plus, he added, "I think it's still a very durable phone. But we'll keep an eye on the claims."
Apple did not comment on the reports of bending.
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