Apple’s new iPad Pro seems to bend pretty easily

Apple’s new iPad Pro seems to bend pretty easily

A new video from YouTube channel JerryRigEverything shows that Apple’s latest iPad Pro can be bent and completely destroyed seemingly without much exertion. The tablet gave out quickly when host Zack Nelson performed his signature bend test, cracking down the middle near the microphone hole on the tablet’s left side and the Apple Pencil’s magnetic charging area on the right.

This YouTube video is not the only case of the new iPad Pros having less-than-ideal structural integrity. I’ve seen scattered forum reports of the tablets showing slight bends after just a day or two of usage or after being carried around in a backpack. A few people insist that their devices were a little bent out of the box.

Indeed, the iPad Pro is a premium, expensive gadget, and it should obviously be treated as such. Don’t be reckless with the thing. Do not bend it. I purchased the 11-inch model last week and have carried it in my own backpack daily, and it’s holding up perfectly fine so far.

A new video from YouTube channel JerryRigEverything shows that Apple’s latest iPad Pro can be bent . Also, it can be completely destroyed sans much effort. The tablet gave out quickly when host Zack Nelson performed his signature bend test, cracking down the middle near the microphone hole on the tablet’s left side and the Apple Pencil’s magnetic charging area on the right.

Notably,  it was possible to bend previous iPads in a similar fashion. By design, tablets are thin devices with a lot of surface area. Of course, they’re going to break if that’s what one intends to do. This does not apply to Apple, only. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S4 would also fail a bend test, too. (The iPhone 6 bendgate saga was different and indeed controversial because smartphones are typically much more rigid.)

What’s a bit alarming to me, though, is how little effort Zack seemed to put in before getting his end result. Is Apple shaving off too many millimeters? The company almost certainly put the new iPad Pro through a slew of tests in the lead-up to its release — including durability checks — and The Verge has reached out for comment.

And before you go beating up on Zack at JerryRigEverything for the anti-Apple slant in this video (and others) or for doing it all for clicks, it’s worth noting that he occasionally gives credit where it’s due:

With that said, the iPad Pro is a premium, expensive gadget, and it should obviously be treated as such. The user shouldn’t be reckless with the thing. Do not bend it. I purchased the 11-inch model last week and have carried it in my own backpack daily. It’s holding up perfectly fine so far.

Is this something I think iPad Pro buyers need to worry about? No. If you’re concerned, get a case. Just know that both “cases” Apple sells for the 2018 iPad Pro. Both, the Smart Keyboard Folio and Smart Folio — don’t do much to reinforce the device’s integrity. When using the iPad; all its four sides are left exposed. So if you expect to roughhouse your iPad, you might want to keep it in something slightly more rugged. Case selection is a bit poor at the moment, however.