Greetings my esteemed readership. Breaking news (or should I say “bending” news) in tech this week. Just days after the iPhone6 and iPhone6 Plus were released, reports of noticeably bent iPhone6 pluses began to appear all over social media, cleverly tagged with “#bendgate”. Good one, internet.
Here’s what you need to know about the bent devices:
1.) Only the larger iPhone6 Plus seems to be suffering from bendability.
2.) Only iPhone6 Pluses that were worn in the pockets of tight pants seem to suffering issues. If you aren’t a proponent of the “skinny jean”, one can only assume your iPhone will remain aligned. Personally, I wear loose fitting chinos, specialty made for my short legs.
3.) It’s certainly not a hoax. A vlogger recently bent an iPhone with his bare hands – watch and be amazed!
The soft aluminum in the iPhone6’s frame is to blame. While the metal is lightweight, smooth, easy to cast and aesthetically pleasing, its atomic makeup sacrifices sturdiness and structural integrity.
The arrangement of atoms in a metal determines how soft or hard it is, and in aluminum’s case (haha, case, get it, iPhone…case? Um yes, ahem)…
In aluminum’s case, parts of the atom are farther apart from one another and therefore slide over one another more easily than in harder metals such as cobalt or nickel. Observe these simple atomic charts for illustrated guidance.
So what steps can one take to save one’s precious new iPhone6 Plus from its soft aluminum fate?
1.) Buy looser pants.
Pros: Custom-made chinos might make a style comeback.
Cons: Perhaps not terribly cost effective depending on your current wardrobe.
2.) Buy an original iPhone6 instead.
Pros: Your iPhone most likely won’t bend with this more compact model.
Cons: Once again, not terribly cost effective. Perhaps you can make use of that extra iPhone come Hannukah?
3.) Purchase a high-grade, military strength-titanium case for your iPhone.
Pros: Titanium, an incredibly dense metal, will certainly protect your iPhone from bending.
Cons: Definitive proof of such a case existing is inconclusive.
Despite #Bendgate, the new iPhone has received mostly positive reviews. Perhaps a slightly curved device is the way of the immediate future, at least until technology advances to the point where, at birth, we are are all equipped with smartphone devices behind our eyeballs.
Happy bending.