On Thursday, I wrote about a flaw in Apple’s 2018 iPad Pro design. Customers of the iPad Pro have started noticing a slight bend on their device, with some even receiving their new devices with a slight bend out of the box.
And Apple apparently claimed the bent iPad Pros do not have a defect.
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That obviously enraged the internet, as well as Apple’s own fans. The problem here is clear: some of Apple’s new iPad Pro devices are clearly bent, and when you are spending so much on a tablet (yes, tablet, not a computer), you shouldn’t be told that such a bend is not a “defect”. The company allegedly said the bend is caused by the cooling process during manufacturing, all while saying none of this is a defect.
Apple has now continued to defend its claim. Dan Riccio, the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, replied to some complaints from Apple customers via email, obtained by 9to5Mac. Riccio claims that the design of the new iPad Pro “meets or exceeds” all of the company’s standard of design and precision manufacturing.
Riccio said that the company did not provide a “company statement” when the initial report on the bent iPad Pros was published on Thursday, stating that Apple would provide a statement on Friday — which, by the way, it did not (they will probably publish a statement sometime on Christmas Eve while everyone’s busy getting ready to celebrate Christmas).
Riccio went on to prove his point on the email, stating that the company’s current specification for the iPad Pro’s flatness is up to 400 microns, 0.4 millimeters. Riccio claimed that the 0.4mm variance is “even tighter” than previous generations, and the level of flatness of an iPad Pro “won’t change” during the lifetime of the product:
“Relative to the issue you referenced regarding the new iPad Pro, its unibody design meets or exceeds all of Apple’s high quality standards of design and precision manufacturing. We’ve carefully engineered it and every part of the manufacturing process is precisely measured and controlled.
Our current specification for iPad Pro flatness is up to 400 microns which is even tighter than previous generations. This 400 micron variance is less than half a millimeter (or the width of fewer than four sheets of paper at most) and this level of flatness won’t change during normal use over the lifetime of the product. Note, these slight variations do not affect the function of the device in any way.
Again, thanks for reaching out and I hope the above explanation addresses your concerns.”
All of that sounds good, and we obviously don’t have a bunch of iPad Pros to actually measure Apple’s claims, but the problem here is that some of the iPad Pro devices are clearly bent. If a product looks bent to the naked eye, all these measurements and specs are practically pointless.
Now here’s the thing: if we were to believe Riccio and Apple’s claims, the bend on the new iPad Pro could be visible because of the sharp edges and thinner design compared to previous generations. Apple says the tolerance for flatness is tighter on the new iPad Pro than ever before, and if that’s true, the only reason these slight bends are visible to the naked eye could be because of the sharp edges and/or thinner design. And that’s still, of course, a design flaw.
So, yes, some of the new iPad Pros are bent. And Apple continues to claim that’s not a defect. I would like to call BS.
skane2600
<p>There's always two questions in these situations. Does the implementation reflect the requirements, but also are the requirements adequate to produce a defect-free device? </p><p><br></p><p>The Ford Pinto which could easily catch fire in a rear collusion was nevertheless built to spec, but the specs were deficient. </p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#386566">In reply to WP7Mango:</a></em></blockquote><p>A failure to properly implement a requirement can come about either by a bad design or by a bad manufacturing process. But as I said, a problematic product can also come about because the spec was inadequate even though the design and manufacturing process properly implement it.</p><p><br></p><p>We have no way to know what part of the process is at fault in the case of the iPad.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#386600">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p>The line between specifications and design can be hard to discern. Ford considered two different designs and chose the one that was less safe based on a cost/benefit analyses. The inferior design didn't represent a failure to implement a requirement which is what a design defect would suggest.</p>
saturn
<p>If this matches their quality standards, how low are their standards?</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><em><a href="#386597">In reply to HellcatM:</a></em></blockquote><p>As long apple fans will keep blindly buy anything, why they should change? </p>
dontbe evil
<p>Bhauhauahauaha… The best are the apple fans that love to defend and keep be milked by this arrogant company</p>
Bats
<p>Look I am not a big Apple fan, nor am I a small one. However….. so what if the iPad Pro bends? These people who are saying that iPad bends…..they are purposely bending it, applying a certain force and stress to the material. Who the heck does that to their device? NO ONE! No one, that's who. What's next with these boneheads? Throw the iPad in the lake, recover it, and proclaim it's not waterproof? </p><p><br></p><p>Then, …. LMAO…..I see this one video where a guy takes the iPad and drops on a cement surface floor? LOL…who the heck does that? I do know a few people who have iPads. I am not sure that those iPads are iPad Pros, but I can tell you one thing about them. Those people all use some form of cover for their device…..to protect it from accidental mishaps. Dropping an iPad to a concrete floor or purposely trying to bend an iPad by applying pressurized force on both side of the device is not a mishap. I repeat, it's not mishap. Rather, it's a brain stroke. It's when a person's brain stops working and they do incredibly stupid things as a result. </p><p><br></p><p>NO iPads or iPad Pros are going to bend. I guarantee it. If your iPad or iPad Pro is bent, then it's your fault because you were stupid enough to try to bend it on purpose……and you probably even paid cash for it.</p>
PeterC
<p>Clearly this is just wrong on every level. Apple got caught with their pants down, again. Shame as I was considering a new iPad Pro after Xmas sometime.</p><p><br></p><p>Interestingly this years been quite a year for “device” problems across the brand spectrum. I think we’re at the edge of current ant manufacturing ability. Manufacturing miniaturisation has been the wave of innovation for quite some time but I think we’ve hit that next brick wall. Screen tech innovation is certainly breaking new ground and will unlock new features in coming years but I think we can see why Apple are focussing so intently on designing and manufacturing their own internal components now (chips, modems, screens, batteries etc) as this will be area where product differentiation will be fought in the coming years, that and software too. MS maybe getting their act together just in time for a period where software and UI gets more consumer attention……(cos the hardwares just getting boring)</p>
jedwards87
<p>This is so overblown it is not even funny. Way Way over blown. Enough of this bad reporting to get clicks.</p>