Apple knew ahead of time that its iPhone 6 was “more likely to bend” than other iPhones, according to tech news site Motherboard.
A lawsuit filed in 2016 claims Apple knew about defects with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, including so-called “touch disease” — or problems with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus touchscreen responsiveness, which can happen if the phone is bent.
While documents submitted by Apple in this case are under seal, U.S. District Court judge Lucy Koh made some information public in a procedural ruling on the case on May 7. In it, she said that “Apple’s internal testing ‘determined that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s (the model immediately prior to the subject iPhones) and that the iPhone 6 Plus was 7.2 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s.”
She continued: “Underscoring the point, one of the major concerns Apple identified prior to launching the iPhones was that they were ‘likely to bend more easily when compared to previous generations’ something that Apple described as ‘expected behavior.'”
Koh also wrote that Apple began adding reinforcement to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in May 2016 that caused malfunctions. (Koh also presides over a long-running patent infringement case between Apple v. Samsung).
After the premiere of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, some customers complained about the phones bending, leading media outlets to give the problem the nickname “bendgate.” Following those reports, Apple released a statement that minimized the problem:
“Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy. IPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed from machining a custom grade of 6000 series anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength. They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry. We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability. We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle including 3-point bending, pressure point cycling, sit, torsion, and user studies. IPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.
“With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.”
Apple, according to Motherboard, has argued that bending cannot cause “touch disease” “unless the phones had already been repeatedly dropped on a hard surface.”
Coins2Day contacted Apple for more information about Motherboard’s report and will update as necessary.