This is all just incredibly stupid. The fact it bends and continues to function should be newsworthy, not the other way around.
They wanted a larger phone, for sure, but I think one would reasonably assume structural stability for a $1000 consumer device (often bought under a pay-as-you-go loan courtesy of carrier subsidization) under fairly normal conditions.
Further this isn't "sitting on it" -- the issues seem to be coming via seemingly innocuous, but longer term, flexing in front pockets. Aluminum is not all or nothing, and will quite happily give slowly and gradually over hours.
Maybe it's all overblown -- these things tend to be on new Apple releases -- but I don't see how some can so quickly resort to blame the customer antics.
That said, it has reached the point where I'd be ok to have slightly more weight and thickness for sturdiness and battery life. I just think thin and light are things people want.
The trend is towards a comfortable size, beyond which thinness stopped being a big selling point. The Galaxy S5, for example, is thicker than the Galaxy S4. The Note 4 is thicker than the Note 3.
Contrary to common notions, Apple occasionally chases specs, and the thin and light thing seems to be one of them (just as unobtanium type materials often make a big presence in Apple devices -- material specs -- regardless of suitability for purpose).
Apple makes fantastic devices, but just as some other manufacturers chase irrelevant things like octal core processors and truly absurd pixel densities, Apple does the same "not for your benefit, but for our bragging" pursuits.
I've never seen "thinner" nor "lighter". I have seen people asking for better battery life and that would mean fatter phones.
This unit could have a fatter battery, a sturdier chassis, a USB socket or two, and a memory slot. See how much acceptance of a thicker handset there is.
Apple's so secretive and protective of their devices that they're clearly reluctant to field test interesting new models, except maybe internally in a controlled environment. But this is precisely what they, and all manufacturers, ought to be doing.
In that case, eventually the width of the Lightning port will be the limiting factor (I'm assuming Apple will probably obsolete the headphone jack within 5 years once they work out how to recharge headphones regularly and easily)
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/189762-iphone-6-vs-ipho...
Probably the same people who use OtterBox & LifeProof cases on iPhone. Most iPhone users slap on ugly cases to protect their beautiful iPhones. Wouldn't it be much better if Apple builds an iPhone sturdy enough that it doesn't require a case?
Surely customers don't need to include specifications like "Device does not bend under moderate force" when asking for improvements?
I don't think anybody really asked for a thinner or lighter phone anyway, it's just what Apple provided.
The preamble to the printer manual (yes, printers came with 300 page printed paperback manuals in those days!) included instructions such as "do not expose your LaserWriter NT to rain or adverse weather conditions; do not operate your LaserWriter NT in the shower".
Presumably due to an idiot lawsuit following an incident when someone under the misapprehension that heavy electrical appliances and water were a perfectly safe combination ...
The closest actual source I can find quickly is this printout from the LaserWriter II manual, which states (more reasonably) "Don't use devices that produce open flames, such as Bunsen burners or welding torches, near the LaserWriter II." (https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb/user/sly/Laserwriter/0303215L...)
[updated with more precise references]
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-80s-clothing-line-2014-...
The question here is if Apple got the trade-offs wrong, and made the phone too thin at the expense of something that people might care about more--putting it in a front pocket, like you can do with numerous other phones with large screens. Or are these failures simply bizarre edge cases of which we are aware because any "news" about Apple is linkbait.