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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Tech News > Apple drops German publication over iPhone 6 Plus bending video

Apple drops German publication over iPhone 6 Plus bending video
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NewsPoster
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Oct 1, 2014, 04:32 PM
 
Apple has dropped a German publication, Computer Bild, from receiving review units or covering company events, according to the publication's editor-in-chief, Axel Telzerow. Like some other websites, CB recently decided to produce a video testing whether the iPhone 6 Plus can be bent more easily than other phones. The clip (below) has managed to gather over 510,000 views so far on YouTube; its popularity apparently caught the attention of Apple, which contacted CB to revoke press privileges.

In response, Telzerow has posted an open letter directed at Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Dear Mr. Cook: Is this really how your company wants to deal with media that provide your customers with profound tests of your products? Do you really think that a withdrawal of Apple's love and affection could have an intimidating effect on us? Luckily we do not have to rely on devices that Apple provides us with," part of the letter reads. "Luckily, a lot of readers are willing to pay money for our magazine to keep us independent. So we are able to buy devices to do our tests anyway. Even devices of manufacturers that seem to fear Computer Bild's independent judgement.

"Even if we are quite dismayed about Apple's reaction, we won't give up our principles: We will continue our incorruptible tests that have the same high reputation in the german [sic] media-landscape as Apple has for its products. So far. We congratulate you to your fine new generation of iPhones, even if one of them has a minor weakness with its casing. But we are deeply disappointed about the lack of respect of your company."

Apple is often extremely strict with its media access policies, for instance only offering pre-release review units to publications that are generally favorable. Most infamously, it imposed a ban on Gizmodo after the site paid for access to a prototype iPhone 4, which turned out to have been stolen after an Apple worker accidentally left it in a restaurant. That ban was recently lifted after a period of several years.

( Last edited by NewsPoster; Oct 1, 2014 at 10:01 PM. )
     
kerryb
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Oct 1, 2014, 04:53 PM
 
Someone please make a video spoofing the nerds that think they discovered the greatest coverup of our time. Perhaps that guy with the sledge hammer that smashed fruit could stage a comeback.
     
I-ku-u
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Oct 1, 2014, 07:53 PM
 
To rephrase Telzerow's letter: "We singled you out for sensationalized criticism, and we have people willing to pay us to continue doing so. Of course we don't need your support - but we are dismayed you won't turn the other cheek."
     
Charles Martin
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Oct 1, 2014, 08:25 PM
 
If they're paying for the phones, let 'em bend all the ones they can get their hands on.
Charles Martin
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thinkman
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Oct 1, 2014, 09:51 PM
 
I doubt this was intimidation on Apple's part. Why on earth would they want a publication of no particular repute, attending their functions or getting review products.
     
wireboy
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Oct 1, 2014, 09:59 PM
 
Exactly!

To be honest, I am not sure how this whole stupid thing is even an issue. Label me a fanboy if you will but if you grab a piece of electronic equipment and twist it until it bends, then guess what? You have bent your piece of equipment. It is not a failure on the part of the device that it bent, it is a failure on the part of the bend-happy user for being an idiot.

This is not a case of "Don't hold it like that" as was the situation with the antenna reception issue years ago. A phone is not supposed to be bent. It is not supposed to be stuffed into a pocket where your fat ass can exert pounds of pressure on it for hours. If a handful of people accidentally bent their new model iPhones, that indeed sucks for them but, if I understand correctly that Apple has offered to replace them, then I don't see the issue at all.

The people with bent phones mishandled them. Some accidentally, some by twisting them like fools.

I cannot even image subjecting my iPhone to that kind of pressure. It's a !!*&%$%!! phone not a toy. These people made a mistake and Apple has stepped up to help them out. This issue is barely worthy of mention. If iPhones were melting out of shape in your hand while you were MAKING PHONE CALLS instead of twisting them like a moron it would be a different matter altogether.

Enough with the stupidity!
     
Charles Martin
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Oct 1, 2014, 11:14 PM
 
Agreed, but I think the real reason Apple dropped them is because -- as implied by the editor's response -- they deliberately destroyed iPhone review units that had been sent to them by Apple, at Apple's expense, that were supposed to be returned after the review.

Wouldn't YOU ban a publication that did that to the phones you sent them at your own cost? If they had bought the phones themselves, that would be a different story. But it seems to me that they are admitting they didn't, and thus they shouldn't be surprised that they will not be getting a free chance to vandalize other people's property anytime soon.
Charles Martin
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DiabloConQueso
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Oct 1, 2014, 11:56 PM
 
Nobody was bending phones until the iPhone bendgate debaucle. It's been shown that other popular phones bend as well, some of them bending worse than the iPhone, with others outright breaking (plastic responds differently to extreme forces than metal).

If those 9 bent iPhone 6/Plus units had never been made public, nobody would be going around bending iPhones on purpose and nobody would be complaining about the bendability of smartphones. It still remains that a reasonable total of 9 iPhone 6/Plus units out of hundreds of thousands or millions of iPhone 6/Plus units were unfortunately bent under "normal" use circumstances, and the rest of the bent iPhone 6/Plus units were bent deliberately using force that the iPhone wouldn't normally undergo.

Drop these schmucks. Their reasoning behind and justification of bending demo units is no different than those two teenage idiots bending phones inside the Apple store. "Does it bend?" Of course it bends, look at your hands positioned in a particular way and exerting extreme force on it, dumbass. Guess wha else bends? My car. That doesn't mean you're ok doing a flying kick at my car door to test what force is needed to bend it, though, and it doesn't mean that the manufacturer of the car is in any way responsible for the damage done from an obviously overt attempt at testing the bendability of it.

It's like 9 idiots posted videos saying, "Look, I broke my iPhone!" and then the entire world got wrapped up in deliberately breaking every iPhone in sight. What a mess.
     
aardman
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Oct 2, 2014, 12:38 AM
 
The idiot magazine editor conducted an unscientific, sensationalist, destructive test on a demo loaner without first asking permission? And he's upset that Apple is mad at him? Are there that many journalists on planet stupid that they have to come here seeking jobs?
     
Grendelmon
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Oct 2, 2014, 11:46 AM
 
Umm, dropped the publication from what? Please be more specific, MacNN.
     
bphagan
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Oct 2, 2014, 11:49 AM
 
So the "scientific" test is to apply pressure with thumbs to back of iPhone6+, but to the glass side of the Note3?
     
mac_in_tosh
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Oct 2, 2014, 11:56 AM
 
wireboy: "A phone is not supposed to be...stuffed into a pocket..."

That's the only thing I would disagree with in your post. Lots of people carry their phones in their pocket. When dealing with an item like a smartphone that is sold to millions of people, it's reasonable to expect that some will do that, even though more savvy people might refrain from doing so due to the larger size.
     
Charles Martin
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Oct 2, 2014, 05:18 PM
 
Grendelmon: here's the first sentence of the article. "Apple has dropped a German publication, Computer Bild, from receiving review units or covering company events, according to the publication's editor-in-chief, Axel Telzerow." I hope that answers your question, it seems pretty specific to me.
Charles Martin
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Grendelmon
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Oct 2, 2014, 11:01 PM
 
You're right, chas_m. I must have misread it.
     
shawnde
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Oct 3, 2014, 01:28 AM
 
@mac_in_tosh

I do agree with you that many people will carry their phones in their pockets, but I believe you're overlooking a detail, maybe slightly:

The iPhone 6 Plus is not exactly "pocketable" nor was it meant to be. You could say all the previous iPhones, including the 5s and older, were suitable for pockets, but beyond a certain size, the use-case is very limited and rare. I've never seen anyone with a Samsung Note in their pocket; it's always held in their hands or purse.

Therefore, when designing any handset a few things are considered in use-cases. A 5.5" phone is NOT meant to be pocketable, hence why they shaved the maximum amount from the total volume to only make it 7.1mm thin, so that it would fit "other" use-cases a lot better (i.e. wallets, purses, jackets, cases, etc.). Most laymen think that "oh ... Jony must be an idiot ... he doesn't know how to test tolerances" when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. He probably discovered this in the second day of testing, but he's willing to live with the compromise, since, this case of "pocketing" a 5.5" phone is a very rare boundary case, which would be mitigated by educating the customer, with perhaps a few replacements here and there.

If that were the case, most people would be putting small 7" Android tablets in their pockets too, no? How come there is nobody testing the bendability of those?
     
   
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