Apple Boycotts German Magazine Computer Bild In Reaction To “Bendgate” YouTube Video

Apple has revoked its PR accreditation of Germany’s Computer Bild, Europe’s best-selling PC magazine, in reaction to Bild’s posting of a “#Bentgate” YouTube video.

Axel Telzerow, editor in chief of the German magazine, recorded a 5 minute clip showing how he bent an iPhone 6 Plus. The video has generated over 350,000 hits, along with blogs and TV stations reporting about it.

Apple’s German PR department responded by a manager calling te magazine to inform Computer Bild that its reporters will get no more testing devices and no press invites to official events any more.

Mr. Telzerow riposted via an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook:

Dear Mr. Tim Cook!

Just like anyone else who is obsessed with digital technology we have eagerly awaited the new iPhone. We felt relief when the head of our telecom department one day shouted Here we go!, presenting an invitation to the great event. And certainly we took a flight, went all the way to California, just to tell our readers every detail about the device that you and your company have worked on so hard for such a long time.

When the iPhone 6 Plus finally hit the market we noticed a few reports on a possible problem. According to them the case seemed to be weak, bendable, to drop the evil word. Being popular for our tests with utmost scrutiny, we could not leave the subject without comment. Of course that required further tests since testing new products without any prejudice is our obligation to our readers.

And so we bought an iPhone 6 Plus, just to find out whether it was a singular problem or some kind of hoax. The test was quite simple, so we could easily record it on video. Just to prove that what happens is nothing but the truth.

To be honest: We were shocked about how easy it was to bend the device. And so were around 200,000 viewers who watched the video up until now. We can imagine that you and your colleagues must have been shocked, too. This might have been the reason why we got a call from one of your German colleagues the next morning. He was upset, and it was a rather short conversation. From now on, he said, you wont get any devices for testing purposes and you will not be invited to Apple events in the future.

Dear Mr. Cook: Is this really how your company wants to deal with media that provide your customers with profound tests of your products? Do you really think that a withdrawal of Apples love and affection could have an intimidating effect on us? Luckily we do not have to rely on devices that Apple provides us with.

Luckily, a lot of readers are willing to pay money for our magazine to keep us independent. So we are able to buy devices to do our tests anyway. Even devices of manufacturers that seem to fear Computer Bild’s independent judgement.

Even if we are quite dismayed about Apple’s reaction, we won’t give up our principles: We will continue our incorruptible tests that have the same high reputation in the german media-landscape as Apple has for its products. So far. We congratulate you to your fine new generation of iPhones, even if one of them has a minor weakness with its casing. But we are deeply disappointed about the lack of respect of your company.

Best regards,
Axel Telzerow
Editor in Chief COMPUTER BILD-Group

Computer Bild both published this open letter, and mailed it directly to Tim Cook and to the European Apple headquarters. At press time there had been no reply from Apple.

Throwing a hissy fit won’t help Apple, but I am inclined to agree with CIO mag’s Al Sacco, who maintains that Apple is (mostly) not to blame for the ‘Bendgate’ fiasco, arguing, sensibly, that if you buy a gigantic phone, pack it into a pair of skinny jeans, sit on it for 18 hours and find that it’s bent, Apple’s not to blame for the damage — you are.

If you apply enough bending stress, virtually anything will bend, and Consumer’s Reports in its testing found that the iPhone 6 Plus was actually among the more robust smartphones it sampled, and Sacco observes that even if the iPhone 6 Plus does have some sort of design weak spot near its volume up and down keys, the company shouldn’t be blamed for misuse. He suggests if you want tocarry the iPhone phablet in your trousers, get some loose cut ones, or a holster or maybe even a fanny pack, and he suggests it would probably be prudent for Apple to put some kind of anti-skinny jeans warning on the iPhone 6 Plus packaging.