Apple made a rare apology Thursday for a software bug that has seen iPhone users lose service, while seeking to quell a storm over reports that its new handsets are susceptible to bending.<\/p>\n
The slew of negative headlines saw a steep drop in Apple stock, as the US tech giant acknowledged the software glitch, offering a temporary fix immediately and a full update “in the next few days.”<\/p>\n
But Apple sought to minimize reports on bending of its newly released oversize iPhone — one analyst described the damaging claims as “a black eye” for Apple — saying it had only received nine complaints about the matter.<\/p>\n
“Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy,” a spokeswoman said in an email to AFP.<\/p>\n
“They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high-stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry.”<\/p>\n
The statement said that “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.”<\/p>\n
Apple has offered a “workaround” to the software glitch after numerous users complained on social media and online forums that the iOS 8.0.1 update left their phones largely inoperable.<\/p>\n
The update, which was released and then pulled within hours Wednesday, had been developed to add in fitness monitoring programs which were omitted from the iOS 8 platform released last week.<\/p>\n
“We have a workaround for you if you have an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and you lost cellular service and Touch ID functionality today after updating to iOS 8.0.1,” Apple said.<\/p>\n
The temporary fix allows users to reinstall iOS 8 through iTunes until the full update becomes available.<\/p>\n
In a separate statement emailed to AFP, Apple said, “We apologize for the great inconvenience experienced by users and are working around the clock to prepare iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue.”<\/p>\n
It is further embarrassment to Apple after some users posted comments about bends in the bodies of the oversize iPhone 6 Plus when carried in trouser pockets.<\/p>\n
On the MacRumors forum of Apple users, one iPhone buyer noted that, after carrying the handset in a front pocket for 18 hours, “I saw the reflection of the window in the iPhones slightly distorted.”<\/p>\n
The user posted a picture of the bent iPhone, and dozens posted similar complaints on Twitter, using the hashtag #BendGate.<\/p>\n
Apple shares tumbled 3.8 percent to $97.88 on the news, amid concerns the problems could hurt sales of the hugely profitable iPhones.<\/p>\n
“It’s certainly a black eye for Apple,” said Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.<\/p>\n
Kay said the software glitch “is not a major problem, they can fix that” in a short period of time.<\/p>\n
More serious, said Kay, is the whether Apple’s new “phablet” will be viewed as too fragile for some buyers.<\/p>\n
“The bending problem is baked into the design of the phone so its something they can’t just fix,” Kay told AFP. “They’re committed to this design.”<\/p>\n
The analyst said Apple may offer some compensation to buyers or it may take a “hardball” approach by saying, “you’re not supposed to abuse your phone or sit on your phone, you’re supposed to treat it like a piece of electronics.”<\/p>\n
Brian White, analyst at the brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald, said the problems were blown out of proportion and that the share drop offered a good buying opportunity for Apple stocks.<\/p>\n
“Let’s get real,” White said in a note to clients, calling the concerns about bending “irrational.”<\/p>\n
“After taking both new iPhones for a spin at Apple’s special event, and again this week in Hong Kong, concerns with bending the iPhones never crossed our mind as both felt very durable,” he said.<\/p>\n
“As such, we believe this concern offers investors an opportunity to take advantage of this media-hyped situation and participate in what we believe is the next ‘super cycle’ for Apple.”<\/p>\n
Apple said Monday it sold more than 10 million of the new smartphones in the first three days since launching in a handful of countries, setting a new record for opening weekend sales.<\/p>\n
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were launched Friday in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico and Singapore.<\/p>\n
They will be available in more than 20 additional countries on September 26, and 115 countries by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
South African tablet war: Apple vs Samsung<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n