While Apple was publicly addressing 'Bendgate,' and its biggest rivals took to social media to bash the company, LG got caught in its own debacle by doing the bashing from an iPhone.
Launching new iPhones typically comes with a series of highs and, unfortunately, some lows for Apple. When the company released the iPhone 4 in 2010, it represented the biggest change from the original iPhone in terms of its design. When Steve Jobs took the stage at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2010 to officially unveil the iPhone 4, the CEO had no idea that the smartphone that was highly praised for its stunning design would tarnish Apple and introduce 'Antennagate' to the world.
The iPhone 4 featured an all-new jaw-dropping Retina display and stunning design. Jobs highlighted that Apple was able to make the smartphone ultra-thin thanks in part to its stainless steel frame, which was also the iPhone 4's antenna. A few days after the iPhone 4 launched, "Antennagate" began and customers began to flood Apple and carrier support because their iPhone 4 was constantly dropping calls and their cellular signal degraded rapidly while holding the handset. Apple eventually tried to remedy the situation by giving away free iPhone 4 cases to cover the metal-framed antenna that was being blocked while holding the smartphone--this after Steve Jobs initially suggested iPhone 4 owners were holding it wrong.
Apple is once again facing criticism on one of its latest iPhones and it is now in the midst of "Bendgate" with its new iPhone 6 Plus. Unlike "Antennagate", Tim Cook and company are handlings things much differently than Jobs.
"With normal use, a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus," Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in an email on Sept.25.
Apple then took journalists on a tour of its iPhone testing facility to show how the company puts its devices through rigorous testing before it ships devices. Apple will replace any iPhone 6 Plus that experiences bending after it passes inspection by the company.
While Apple was publicly addressing "Bendgate" its biggest rivals decided to poke fun at the company on social media. LG was quick to tweet an image of its LG G Flex smartphone, which can bend with the message, "Our phone doesn't bend, it flexes...on purpose. #bendgate"
Someone from LG France posted the same message but unfortunately that person wasn't using the LG G Flex, its new LG G3 flagship smartphone, LG tablet, or any type of Android device. Instead the LG employee used an iPhone to knock Apple while trying to promote LG. The tweet was removed once LG learned of the "issue" but Cult of Mac was able to get a screenshot and posted it to its Twitter account.
While Tim Cook's Apple is trying to learn from Antennagate and address the latest Iphone controversy by tackling it head-on, LG has also learned an important lesson: If you're going to take a huge public dig at Apple; it's best not to do it with an iPhone.
