The iPhone 6 has unquestionably been a runaway success for Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL. In sales terms it has exceeded even the most optimistic predictions, and additionally critical response to the device has been extremely positive. This has been reflected in some bullish figures for Apple in the financial markets, with sales of the iPhone 6 contributing to the healthy revenue figures that Apple released just this week.
But the release of the two new iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and the phablet-sized iPhone 6 Plus, has not progressed entirely without hiccups. A few little niggles and problems have been reported by iPhone 6 users, and while some of these are either minor or very well publicised, some are perhaps not as well known.
iPhone 6 issues
Bendgate
This is by far the most widely reported issue with the iPhone 6, more due to the fact that it is so unusual rather than its prominence in terms of numbers. Very few people have suffered from the issue of the iPhone 6 Plus model apparently bending somewhat, but it is such a rare occurrence and such a visually striking image, that ‘bendgate’ receive more than its fair share of media publicity.
There is no apparent fix to this issue, but Apple has promised replacement devices for the few dozen worldwide consumers that have been affected. Bending your iPhone 6 Plus does not in any way invalidate the warranty, and it would seem that the amount of pressure which is needed to be applied the iPhone 6 Plus unit before it bends is really quite excessive, and not something that every day users are likely to realistically encounter.
Dyeing Plastic
The latest issue to befall the iPhone 6 has recently been reported. On Wednesday, this publication announced that a certain number of iPhone 6 owners have complained to Apple that their jeans are dyeing the white plastic strips on the backside of the gold model. Naturally this is not exactly a desirable design feature!
Customers have reported this issue to Apple, and have been told by the consumer electronics giant to use a variety of ordinary household cleaners on the stain. Apparently this has produced very little in the way of results, but iPhone 6 users are still waiting for Apple to respond to this latest embarrassment. However, at this point in time, this unfortunate dyeing issue affects a very small number of users.
Hair Issues
A number of iPhone 6 users have reported that their hair can become stuck in the device when they are holding the smartphone to their faces. Apparently, for a small number of people, the seam between the aluminium and glass screen is causing problems, apparently catching hairs and even ripping them out of the head of iPhone 6 consumers. This is another extremely odd issue, and one that would seem to be completely insoluble. One might suggest that people should use the smartphone slightly more carefully once they become aware of this…
Crashing
There can be few words that fill a technology company with more dread than the simple five letter word of ‘crash’. This has been something that Apple has rarely needed to deal with during its time as the world’s largest seller of mobile devices, as its products have been notoriously reliable and free from any of the issues associated with either Android or Windows-based systems.
It is debatable, though, whether the same can be said about the iPhone 6. According to the Apple Support Communities forum, many uses are reporting identical crashing issues. One of the threads on the website now runs to more than 60 replies, with nearly 10,000 people having viewed it.
The cause of this crashing issue has not been isolated yet, although those posting claim to have identified a few common factors among those affected. The 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus is the most readily afflicted model, users who’ve installed more than 700 apps are tending to find particular difficulties, and user interaction is not central to the crashing process. It has been suggested that hardware is at the root of the issue, as Apple’s recent iOS 8.1 update has reportedly failed to fix the issue.
But at the time of writing there is no official cure to this illness. iPhone 6 users have been working around this difficulty by restoring the phone into a new condition, and then manually installing each app individually. However, not only is this a time consuming undertaking, but it is also not a perfect solution by any means. Some users reports that this does not work for them at all, and others that it only solves the problem on a temporary basis.
Battery Life
Aside from the more major design flaws in the iPhone 6, there have also been a number of more rudimentary reports of functionality issues. By far the most common of these is the complaint of poor battery life being achieved by the iPhone 6 Plus in particular. This has been reportedly exacerbated for several iPhone 6 Plus consumers by Apple’s latest update to iOS 8.1.
However, there are ways to rectify this problem. If the iPhone 6 Plus battery doesn’t last as long as you feel it should, then access Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage. This will enable you to assess whether your usage and standby are the same, which would indicate that there is a problem with either your iPhone 6 or iOS 8.1. There are also a variety of potential app tools here, as well as numerous other iPhone 6 Plus battery fixes.
Fireball
Finally, the most dramatic claim regarding the iPhone 6 comes from a man in Arizona. Phillip Lechter reportedly suffered second-degree burns after his sizzling iPhone 6 burned through his pocket and his boxers during a minor rickshaw accident. It appears that the lithium battery contained in the iPhone inadvertently popped out of it socket, causing the fire. Thankfully, this seems to be an isolated incident…
