Recently there have been issues regarding the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus bending and Apple responded by offering to replace the units, that got bended during normal use. Some concerns have been raised regarding the quality standards of these newly release products.
In response, Apple has let reporters take peek at its testing facility. Inside the building, one can see the various machines used by Apple to simulate normal human usage of the iPhone 6. The tests include dropping the device from a certain height, putting pressure to it, tapping and twisting it and they also conduct bending tests.
This is not the first time that Apple has opened its testing facility to the media. Back in 2010, there was quite a furor regarding the lost of signal in the iPhone 4 and in an effort to assure the consumers, Apple led a select group of press people to its "black lab".
The Verge asked Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio on how much pressure an iPhone 6 can take when it is being bended. He replied, "The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it's going to deform." Still, Apple would not reveal how much pressure it can actually take. The iPhone 6 maker would only say that it uses 25 kilograms of weight on top of the iPhone's screen when subjecting it to the bending test.
Riccio clarified that they do not only put the entire 25 kilogram but instead use numerous and smaller weights for the bending tests. During the conduct of the tests, the company will be able to determine at what weight will an iPhone 6 "bounce back" without being bent permanently.
All Apple products undergo these tests such computers and laptops, and not just the iPhones 6. Riccio says that its U.S. testing facility is actually small compared to their testing facility in China. The bulk of Apple's product are manufactured and tested in the Chinese Mainland.
