I need an iPad now, and I have been wrestling with iPad Air (3) versus iPad Pro 11 via Apple's refurb store. I love the pro motion screen, having had an iPad Pro 10.5, and the only reason I am reluctant to buy the iPad Pro 11 is the weakness of the body. I am careful with my devices but my ipad spends time in the backpack etc. I know new pro's are due soon, but I need an ipad now. Opinions?
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iPad Pro iPad Pro's bending issue (merged)
- Thread starter Finfin
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The “Bend” thing is completely overblown. It ain’t gonna bend.
I literally have no idea how my iPad Pro will bend, unless I physically try to do it myself.
I think some people just don't take care of their devices. No way is it going to bend through normal use.
I love my Pro, only bought a month ago but it's one of my favourite Apple devices ever. Pro motion and its power are amazing. Only go for the Pro, you'll regret it otherwise.
I think some people just don't take care of their devices. No way is it going to bend through normal use.
I love my Pro, only bought a month ago but it's one of my favourite Apple devices ever. Pro motion and its power are amazing. Only go for the Pro, you'll regret it otherwise.
Don’t worry about that.
Just treat it like it is supposed to be treated and you’ll be fine.
I’m carrying mine in a (reinforced) backpack.
It is overblown of course - I agree there.
It ain't gonna bend - I disagree there. The structural integrity is weaker then previous models and for some that is a deal breaker. The force needed on the new model is way less than the previous ones so that is an issue for some (myself included) and that is also reason why some (myself included) are waiting for the refresh that will address this.
It is a very expensive product and I really don't want to have "what if" thought at the back of my mind. $2000(CAD) is just too much to get less than perfect product.
I never abuse my devices so I should be ok but I don't want to submit and give Apple my money for something that is 'unfinished'.
Apple needs to improve and until this is not fixed (just like 6S fixed 6) I am not getting it.
@zed57 if you really can't wait then get a refurbished one or any good deal. Although I would wonder why is it so crucial that you can't wait. Few years back we didn't have iPad Pro and we were all fine so wonder what has changed that you really NEED it now. Think about it. ;-)
Anyway, good luck - I'm sure you will find a good deal as they seem to pop up quite often ;-)
It ain't gonna bend - I disagree there. The structural integrity is weaker then previous models and for some that is a deal breaker. The force needed on the new model is way less than the previous ones so that is an issue for some (myself included) and that is also reason why some (myself included) are waiting for the refresh that will address this.
It is a very expensive product and I really don't want to have "what if" thought at the back of my mind. $2000(CAD) is just too much to get less than perfect product.
I never abuse my devices so I should be ok but I don't want to submit and give Apple my money for something that is 'unfinished'.
Apple needs to improve and until this is not fixed (just like 6S fixed 6) I am not getting it.
@zed57 if you really can't wait then get a refurbished one or any good deal. Although I would wonder why is it so crucial that you can't wait. Few years back we didn't have iPad Pro and we were all fine so wonder what has changed that you really NEED it now. Think about it. ;-)
Anyway, good luck - I'm sure you will find a good deal as they seem to pop up quite often ;-)
Something as large and thin as an iPad is going to bend if force is applied. Just stick with your current unbendable iPad and you should be fine for the long haul!
I once had a friend seriously studying their phone on a glass table. It was lying face up and they were pressing on corners. “I SEE IT!”, he exclaimed, “IT IS BENT!” I picked up his phone and turned it over so that the camera bump was not propping up the phone. The bend disappeared!
The latest generation Apple pencils use QUITE soft plastic. Almost alarmingly so. As they are so easy to bend, I wouldn’t use one of those to tell if something else is straight.
Not Apple PR, we’re formally Apple Media Techs. I mean, there’s not even a problem just coming out and saying what it is because some folks will say I’m joking, some will see this as proof of what they believe and, in the end, I still pull down six figures a year! While we don’t know each other personally, I can say that no matter how large or how small the forum is, about 60-80 percent of every post you see is being controlled by Apple. Interestingly enough, we have entire threads where we’re arguing back and forth amongst ourselves (Apple Terrible/Apple Fine) while folks just “like” our posts.
Nope. Ain’t gonna bend. I throw my 12” into my messenger bag with my MBP and all sorts of other stuff rattling around. Shove the bag under the airplane seat, or up in overhead bins, or in my car trunk. The keyboard case is pretty roughed up, but no “bending” whatsoever. You’d have to put in a pretty serious intentional effort to bend this thing.
My iPhone 6 never bent but I didn't come here boasting about it as I knew that just because it didn't happen to me didn't mean its nonexistant. Seeing how Apple addressed that in 6S it further validated that I was right to not come here.
I still have iPhone 6 and its still fine but that means nothing. So, its good you are ok and I'm sure tons others are too but for me, the iPad Pro is weaker than the previous version so I will wait. Simple as that
I still have iPhone 6 and its still fine but that means nothing. So, its good you are ok and I'm sure tons others are too but for me, the iPad Pro is weaker than the previous version so I will wait. Simple as that
I personally never bend my 6, but while visiting friends, Apple store refuse to fix her broken screen because the replacement will not sit flush against the frame, it’s true anything bend under pressure, but the new ipp takes way less force to bend.Something as large and thin as an iPad is going to bend if force is applied. Just stick with your current unbendable iPad and you should be fine for the long haul!
I once had a friend seriously studying their phone on a glass table. It was lying face up and they were pressing on corners. “I SEE IT!”, he exclaimed, “IT IS BENT!” I picked up his phone and turned it over so that the camera bump was not propping up the phone. The bend disappeared!
Precisely! We all know that things will bend, which is not what this is all about, its the amount of force that is needed is worrisome in the new iPP situation. Hence why this exist.
Just like with the iPhone 6 - Apple invited press to show them their facility and how they test it there. Bend test was one of them.
If they tested the new iPP the same way and suddenly the force needed to bend it was almost half to the previous generation then Apple should have stop and make some changes. The previous generation was perfect and this was a non issue. Don't understand why the same quality doesn't go to the new iPP.
If this wasn't the case I would already have the new iPP but unfortunately, Apple doesn't want my money so I'll wait until they fix it.
Just like with the iPhone 6 - Apple invited press to show them their facility and how they test it there. Bend test was one of them.
If they tested the new iPP the same way and suddenly the force needed to bend it was almost half to the previous generation then Apple should have stop and make some changes. The previous generation was perfect and this was a non issue. Don't understand why the same quality doesn't go to the new iPP.
If this wasn't the case I would already have the new iPP but unfortunately, Apple doesn't want my money so I'll wait until they fix it.
I think, from someone else’s assessment, we can’t blanket say “the new ipp takes way less force to bend”. What we CAN accurately say is that there a LOT of people out there with new ipps that take less force to bend than new ipps. There’s also a very large number of people out there with new ipps that, referring to force required to bend, are functionally similar to prior ipps. This accepts the reports we’ve had from both groups, leaving no one out and discounting no individuals experience.
As far as I know, there’s no scientific evidence indicating that ALL of the new ipps are more susceptible to bending. Haven’t read the whole thread, but has there been a structural comparison between iPads under controlled conditions? I’m assuming this would include a laser scan before and after pressure has been applied to determine how much deformation remains after the application of a twisting force.
This makes sense. It’s not like Apple has a process for bending phones BACK into shape. If they broke the phone bending it back, then that repair person would have to answer to their boss as to why they were torquing the phone in the first place.
Sure, controlled tests are not really there so we don't know precisely how much weaker they are BUT watch any bend test with 2017 model and 2018 model and the difference in force is massive. No need for precise measurements to see that 2018 bends with roughly half the force applied. Its just super soft compared to 2017.
So, the question is: what will happen with the iPad in 2-3 years time?
the MBP keyboard was defended by people for a long time also until Apple finally gave up and realised they messed up. This is not the same but its very similar.
The new iPad will be stronger - ideally, the stronger aluminium should be used and solve it just like 6S solved it. Case closed and I can finally buy it too.
Until then, there is one less customer for them
So, the question is: what will happen with the iPad in 2-3 years time?
the MBP keyboard was defended by people for a long time also until Apple finally gave up and realised they messed up. This is not the same but its very similar.
The new iPad will be stronger - ideally, the stronger aluminium should be used and solve it just like 6S solved it. Case closed and I can finally buy it too.
Until then, there is one less customer for them
Yes, it’s quite unfortunate that no one has seen this issue as important enough to expend the effort on a scientific test. A scientific test of bending (and twisting) would show precisely how much force is required to deform the new iPad. Once you have that number, then you KNOW that every bent iPad underwent n amount of force to deform it. I mean, it’s not even a question anymore at that point. The only question that remains would be... is that amount of force suitable for the device? Is it likely that amount of force could be applied in a way where the user would not be aware they applied that much force?
Without a core set of data to go by, it’s just one group saying “we’re fine” and another saying “no, you’re not!”
I would NOT bet money on it.
Especially if they go again with the straight sides of the new instead of the curved sides of the old.
I doubt we will see a thinner iPad for a long time yet - if ever. The costs and compromises of going even thinner than this begin to escalate rapidly, I would expect the only reason they bothered with the minor decrease from 6.1mm to 5.9mm was to offset the loss of the rounded sides which also help to disguise the true depth of the unit. knocking another mm off would require some serous re-engineering of components and most likely the complete loss of the USB C port which is currently a significant selling point of the machines.
I love the way people say things like "it ain't gonna bend" despite the huge amount of documented evidence that they do.
This is what mine looks like. From one side, not bent, from the other, it clearly is bent.
This ipad has never left the house. It has never been kept in a case, either, but 99% of its use has consisted of my partner using it whilst sat on the sofa and then putting it on the coffee table. No, she hasn't sat on it, and neither have I. We don't have kids who have been secretly smashing it about while we're not watching, either.
Basically, it's used like any other high value piece of consumer electronics kit i have - i look after it, but I am not going to be wetting my pants at the fact it's not in a case / wrapped in cotton wool all the time.
I'll also add, I really don't care that it is bent. It works, the bent-ness has zero impact on its functionality, and so long as that stays the same, I really don't mind.
I only noticed it the other day, and have barely given it a second's thought. The only reason I am posting this is because there STILL seem to be people refusing to accept that this stuff happens, despite the evidence.
I'm sure someone will pop up now and insist that I've applied unreasonable usage to it to make this happen - I haven't. And that's the thing, if they are not prone to bending, that must mean an awful lot of people with unreasonable physical demands of their kit.
You make your own choice - can you live with the risk that something like this might happen, or do you really not want to chance it?
I don't care, it works and does what i want it to do, but I appreciate others might see that differently. It's really up to each of us to decide whether we can live with that sort of thing, but to still see people suggesting they don't bend or that you're some kind of luddite who disrespects the tech in some way and asks for it and that's why it's bent makes me laugh.
Incidentally, there will be plenty of people who have non bending ipads, I guess. I have had three MBPs from the era of the dodgy keyboards and have not had a single keyboard problem with any of them, but that doesn't mean I refuse to accept the fact there is a relatively frequent problem with them.
There are also probably millions of people out there with bent ipads who aren't venting about it on here, and the reason most of them don't vent is because they don't spent every waking hour checking to see if there's any bending to notice it. They're, vast majority, blissfully unaware of the discussions on places like this, and accordingly won't have paid it any attention.
Anyway, here's my photos. Bent or not bent?
![ipad_bent.jpg]( "ipad_bent.jpg")
![ipad_notbent.jpg]( "ipad_notbent.jpg")
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This is what mine looks like. From one side, not bent, from the other, it clearly is bent.
This ipad has never left the house. It has never been kept in a case, either, but 99% of its use has consisted of my partner using it whilst sat on the sofa and then putting it on the coffee table. No, she hasn't sat on it, and neither have I. We don't have kids who have been secretly smashing it about while we're not watching, either.
Basically, it's used like any other high value piece of consumer electronics kit i have - i look after it, but I am not going to be wetting my pants at the fact it's not in a case / wrapped in cotton wool all the time.
I'll also add, I really don't care that it is bent. It works, the bent-ness has zero impact on its functionality, and so long as that stays the same, I really don't mind.
I only noticed it the other day, and have barely given it a second's thought. The only reason I am posting this is because there STILL seem to be people refusing to accept that this stuff happens, despite the evidence.
I'm sure someone will pop up now and insist that I've applied unreasonable usage to it to make this happen - I haven't. And that's the thing, if they are not prone to bending, that must mean an awful lot of people with unreasonable physical demands of their kit.
You make your own choice - can you live with the risk that something like this might happen, or do you really not want to chance it?
I don't care, it works and does what i want it to do, but I appreciate others might see that differently. It's really up to each of us to decide whether we can live with that sort of thing, but to still see people suggesting they don't bend or that you're some kind of luddite who disrespects the tech in some way and asks for it and that's why it's bent makes me laugh.
Incidentally, there will be plenty of people who have non bending ipads, I guess. I have had three MBPs from the era of the dodgy keyboards and have not had a single keyboard problem with any of them, but that doesn't mean I refuse to accept the fact there is a relatively frequent problem with them.
There are also probably millions of people out there with bent ipads who aren't venting about it on here, and the reason most of them don't vent is because they don't spent every waking hour checking to see if there's any bending to notice it. They're, vast majority, blissfully unaware of the discussions on places like this, and accordingly won't have paid it any attention.
Anyway, here's my photos. Bent or not bent?
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Just looking at that, I’d imagine it would have to be show as bent on two sides. If it’s not bent all the way across, have you looked at the top and bottom to see if those are bent, too? It would be interesting to know.
I’m late to this thread and haven’t gone through all the posts, but I don’t think anyone is doubting that it happens at this point. There are folks that have unbent iPad Pros, and there are folks that have bent iPad Pros. The only difference between the two is that, in one case, they’ve undergone enough stress to become bent (or they’re an especially weak batch) and in the other, they haven’t (or they’re of exceptional build quality). The only thing we don’t know is... exactly HOW much torque is required to deform an iPad Pro? If someone had that, then you could surmise that any bent iPad was certainly exposed to that much force.
I guess, just for completeness sake, I should add a third case.. one is that it had pressure applied and bent, the second is that it has not had pressure applied and NOT bent and the third is that it has NOT had pressure applied and IS bent. I’m not sure what would cause this one to occur, but, just putting it out there.
Wonderfully enlightening. Based on your expert field test of amount: 1 (aka anecdotal evidence) we can now safely discard the other 1500 posts on the topic as nonsense.
When you take a serious look at it ALL the evidence has been anecdotal. There hasn't been a single scientific test performed to find out precisely how much effort is required. So, this doesn't discount the other anecdotal evidence, just add it on!
Of course, I wouldn't say "Ain't gonna bend", I'd be more like "Ain't gonna bend unless you apply a required amount of pressure, but, unfortunately, no one knows what the required amount of pressure is."
Probably won't be. They wanted to take away the headphone jack so they can sell their bluetooth headphones and they want to advertise that it is thinner and lighter than ever, instead of putting back the jack and making it a little thicker and maybe even an ounce or two heavier, and using something a little more expensive than beer can grade aluminum (there are many different grades of aluminum), like carbon fiber or magnesium or something. They charge enough and laptop makers use those materials, but not Apple. Until they do I won't go back to the IPad and I'll Stick with my durable Samsungs...and they need to fix their dinky volume control button too!
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As others have posted, anything will bend if you apply enough pressure. Unfortunately, because we don’t know exactly how much pressure is required to bend the current iPad Pro, we can’t say what amount of pressure any NEW iPad Pro would have to withstand in order to define “corrected”.
I wonder if anyone has done a scientific analysis of how much pressure it takes to bend a Samsung tablet?
It makes me mad that they didn't put a FireWire port on the iPad Pro. Extremely disappointing...
I like the idea of a headphone jack, but when they first started to remove them from their newer products I thought about it and realized that I've bought and sold many devices and have absolutely no idea if the headphone jack was broken out of the box on any of them. ?♂️