Facepalm: Remember when Apple's new iPad Pro was shown to be prone to bending? Now, the company has finally confirmed that this can happen, but it assures buyers of the new tablets, which cost up to $1899, that it's not a defect---phew!
Last month, YouTube channel JerryRigEverything showed the iPad Pro's apparent lack of durability when he snapped it in half with his hands. While most users are unlikely to repeat this scenario, there have been plenty of reports of people finding the devices were bent after leaving them in their backpacks, and many are misshapen straight from the box---even the replacements were often bent.
Apple has now confirmed to The Verge that the bend in the chassis is caused by a cooling process involving the iPad Pro's metal and plastic components during manufacturing. The company said it "shouldn't worsen over time or negatively affect the flagship iPad's performance in any practical way."
The issue is said to be worse in the LTE model of the iPad Pro, as there's a plastic strip where the antenna line divides two sections of the metal. "Apple did not say the perceived flaw is strictly limited to the cellular iPad Pro, however, and some buyers of the Wi-Fi model also claim to have encountered it," the publication writes.
Apple claims it hasn't seen an above average return rate for the new iPad Pro. Unhappy owners should be able to exchange or return their tablets within the 14-day window, but it's not clear if this will be permitted once the two weeks are up. There are reports of some stores telling customers the bend counts as accidental damage and warrants an AppleCare+ claim.
The Verge says that Apple's confidence suggests this isn't a repeat of the iPhone 6 bendgate controversy, but the company's insistence that a bend in a $799 - $1899 machine is normal is unlikely to sit well with buyers, especially as Apple is pushing the tablets as laptop replacements.