Former Apple Marketing Boss Returns His Bent iPad Pro Amid ‘Bendgate 2.0’

While reviews of Apple’s latest iPad Pros (2018) have so far been positive, a report published last week by The Verge revealed that some buyers of the first-ever edge-to-edge and Face ID-equipped iPad Pro tablets noticed a bend in their device’s chassis.

As clamor of a looming bendgate 2.0 began circulating the web amid increasing reports of the issue, Apple offered an official statement in which it acknowledged the perceived bending “is the result of a cooling process involving the iPad Pro’s metal and plastic components during manufacturing” and that the bending “shouldn’t worsen over time or negatively affect the flagship iPad’s performance in any practical way.”

Apple’s response, in which it specifically points out the issue is not a structural defect, came in response to a flurry of reports on social media, lodged by disgruntled users claiming their new iPad Pros either had “a small curve or bend” when they first unboxed it.

Others proclaimed that their devices began exhibiting signs of warping (or bending, over time, as the result of general usage) within just days or weeks of acquiring it.

While some 2018 iPad Pro owners experiencing this issue might still be eligible to return their device for a replacement, as we noted in our initial report, there’s no imminent reason for concern here, as Apple’s SVP of Hardware Engineering, Dan Riccio, assured us: this is not a defect!

Problems Just Around the Bend

Well, it looks like Apple’s got some more explaining do to this week, as the tech-giant’s former Senior Marketing Director, Michael Gartenberg, went public with his recent experience of purchasing a 2018 iPad Pro with (of all things) a bend in it.

In a tweet published to his account on Monday, Gartenberg noted that he quickly returned the device for a replacement, though not without first publicly attesting that Apple’s tolerances shouldn’t allow for a clear noticeable bend.

Unfortunately, beyond the technical details outlined in Apple’s seemingly dismissive statement last week, we don’t know anything about the true nature, extent or prevalence of this bend issue. Heavens forbid it winds up escalating into a full-on bendgate 2.0.

What’s ultimately clear, though, is that if reports like this continue pouring in as they are, Apple will have no choice but to step up and provide a solution.