Apple draws lessons from bendgate?

Remember how the Apple #bendgate saga erupted last year? It appears that the iPhone-maker took it seriously and could be making changes to avoid another embarrassment.

Last year, video blogger Lewis Hilsenteger, founder of Unbox Therapy, bent an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands in a video which has been viewed more than 66.9 million times.

Mr Hilsenteger is back with a new video showing how the supposed frame of the upcoming iPhone 6s fared.

In the 4min 15 sec video uploaded on Monday, he compared the frame with that of an iPhone 6, and pointed out some differences.

First, the area around the volume controls is now thicker and appears to be strengthened in the iPhone 6s frame. It had been identified last year as the weakest point of the iPhone 6. The plating of the iPhone 6s is about 1.9mm, compared with 1.14mm for the iPhone 6.

Second, the back plate of the new iPhone is slightly longer (138.26mm versus 138.09mm) and wider (67.16mm versus 66.91mm) than that of the iPhone 6. Despite the extra thickness and slightly bigger footprint, the back plate of the iPhone 6s is lighter (25g versus 27g), although the integration of Force Touch technology could increase the weight of the new iPhones.

The stronger frame could also be attributed to the alleged use of the new 7000 series aluminium alloy. Last month, tech site FutureSupplier also noted that the rear case of the supposed iPhone 6s Plus, the rumoured successor of the iPhone 6 Plus, had a stronger feel.

Apple is expected to launch the new iPhones on Sept 9, alongside a new Apple TV with a touch-based remote and new iPads.

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