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Move over, “Bendgate.” The latest iPhone 6 scandal is “Hairgate.” Shortly after the iPhone 6 Plus launched, some iPhone 6 owners claimed that their phone was bending in their pockets. These claims spawned articles, bend test videos, and tons of consumer outrage. Is Hairgate a legitimate concern for iPhone 6 owners, or has this “scandal” been blown out of proportion? Learn everything you need to know about this latest Apple consumer complaint right here.
1. ‘Hairgate’ Users Claims the iPhone 6 Tears Out Your Hair
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Hairgate started after a user posted on 9to5Mac. Here is the post that started it all:
“My iPhone 6 Plus…keeps yanking out my my hair when I’m making call. Initially I thought it was the hair sticking to the screen protector. But upon closer inspection, it was the seam between the glass and aluminium– hair gets stuck and when you try to free it out, it hurts. I believe it’s not only me.”
Other Hairgate sufferers have taken to Twitter to complain about their hair getting caught in the gap between the screen and the aluminum body of the iPhone 6. You can see some of these tweets below:
If you buy an iPhone 6, you better be totally bald #HairGate
Got a hair caught in between my phone and its plastic case the other day. Gonna send it all back for a refund. End it all. #hairgate
While Hairgate has become a trending topic on Twitter, many media outlets are calling BS on these Hairgate claims. Forbes has called Hairgate “nonsense.” Mashable has stated that Hairgate is simply “not a thing.” Gordon Kelly of Forbes wrote:
“Having reviewed the iPhone 6 and currently being in possession of an iPhone 6 Plus for Forbes’ upcoming longer term review, I can report the gap between the front glass and aluminium does not exist… There is a bevel, but the glass front panel is actually fused to the aluminium and the tiny gap you do see is significantly narrower than a human hair.
Furthermore even if a significant gap did exist, hairgate would still make no sense. It has been pointed out that ‘Gapgate’ on the Galaxy Note 4 (where a tangible gap exists in the phablet’s seam) was also presence in both the Note 2 and Note 3 designs and owners go by without widespread reports of hair trauma. The Note 3 alone sold 10 million units in 2 months, so that’s a pretty wide test base.”
2. Hairgate Follows the Bendgate Scandal
https://twitter.com/tefmusic/status/519488541613907968
Bendgate was the term iPhone 6 users used to discuss the iPhone 6’s bending problem. Some iPhone 6 owners noted that the new iPhone was prone to bending when stored in their pockets, particularly if the cut of the pants was very fitted.
One user on the MacRumors forum stated that bending occurred within just 18 hours of having a phone mostly in their pocket while driving to a wedding and attending the ceremony and reception. Check out the video below to see how badly the iPhone 6 has been bent after people put it in their pockets.
3. The Bendgate Scandal May Have Been Blown Out of Proportion
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Apple has issued a statement that Bendgate was blown out of proportion. Apple stated that bending issues were “extremely rare” during normal use. Here is more of their statement:
“Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed from machining a custom grade of 6000 series anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength. They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry…
With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus”
4. There’s an Easy Fix for Hairgate
#hairgate is real- sort of. This is from my beard on my iPhone 6. I will say that it took several swipes. #ouch http://t.co/rhlPqw4k5s
Hairgate seems to mostly affect iPhone 6 owners who don’t use a case on their phone. By simply putting a case on the phone that covers any troublesome seams, users should be able to avoid getting their hair or beard caught in their iPhone 6.
While using a case with the phone may mask some of the design elements, a case can help protect the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the event of a drop. Several types of iPhone 6 cases exist, including waterproof cases, “cute” cases, wallet-style cases, and inexpensive cases. There are even iPhone 6 battery cases that can extend your phone’s battery life during the course of the day.
If you want to see videos that both support and debunk the Hairgate controversy, check out this article on the Hairgate controversy to see video evidence of iPhone 6 users trying to get their hair caught on their phone.
5. The iPhone 6 Launch Has Been Marred by Bugs & Bad Press
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In addition to all the bad press the iPhone 6 got from “Bendgate,” the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch was also marred by issues with the software the phones run on. iOS 8 launched two days before the iPhone 6 went on sale.
The issues of iOS 8 included application crashes, battery drain, issues with Wi-Fi, and even the inability to make a phone call. These issues persisted in iOS 8.0 and iOS 8.01., but the issues were mostly resolved for users by the time the iOs 8.0.2 update came out.
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iPhone 6 ‘Hairgate’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know