Despite a lot of excitement as people got their hands on new iPhones and software, it didn’t quite turn into the week that Apple had hoped for, as problems abounded with both the iPhone 6, and mobile operating system iOS8. If that wasn’t bad enough, some people then fell for an internet hoax, and started putting their iPhones in the microwave.
Rumours circulated last week about new iPhones bending in people’s pockets, then analysts Consumer Reports released details of stress tests that showed that the iPhone 6 started bending under “70 pounds of force, compared to 90 pounds for the iPhone 6 Plus”. It is believed that this is less weight than Apple itself applies when stress testing.
Whether the fears around bending iPhones are “overblown” or not, it is hardly the kind of headlines that perfectionist Apple wants to read.
There have also been problems on the software side, with various bugs being found in iOS8. Critically, the problems included a loss of cellular signal, and access to the Touch ID security software. Apple themselves found a bug so big with HealthKit that they pulled all apps associated with it from the App store.
Now I obviously don’t know, but this all seems to hint at a rushed production process, and it’s not the kind of thing we expect from Apple. The company has often taken longer to produce products, before releasing both software and hardware that is better than that of it’s rivals.
The final bad news story for Apple was not even their fault. People fell for a hoax that new ‘Waves’ technology had been released in iOS8, so that they could charge their iPhones in the microwave.
Do not put your new iPhone in the microwave. Obviously.
Either way, the bad news stories have not had a negative effect on sales. Over 10m iPhones and iPhone 6 Plus were sold in the first three days they were available.
