Apple looks to have addressed the 2018 iPad Pro ‘bending’ issue in greater detail for the first time, as a new support document explains why it may happen in cellular models.
The company first explains “new iPad Pro models feature a rectangular design with straight edges that efficiently packages the advanced technologies inside.”
For cellular models, Apple says integrated cellular bands in the sides of the iPad Pro allow “parts of the enclosure to function as cellular antennas,” similar to what we’ve seen on the iPhone.
Apple says this manufacturing process is called “co-molding” and this is how it happens:
In this high-temperature process, plastic is injected into precisely milled channels in the aluminum enclosure where it bonds to micro-pores in the aluminum surface. After the plastic cools, the entire enclosure is finished with a precision CNC machining operation, yielding a seamless integration of plastic and aluminum into a single, strong enclosure.
The company says “These precision manufacturing techniques and a rigorous inspection process ensure that these new iPad Pro models meet an even tighter specification for flatness than previous generations.”
Apple says this “flatness specification allows for no more than 400 microns of deviation across the length of any side — less than the thickness of four sheets of paper. The new straight edges and the presence of the antenna splits may make subtle deviations in flatness more visible only from certain viewing angles that are imperceptible during normal use. These small variances do not affect the strength of the enclosure or the function of the product and will not change over time through normal use.”
What the heck is 400 microns? That’s equivalent to 0.4mm, which Apple compares to the thinness of four sheets of paper. Apple says the new iPad Pro’s straight design means “subtle deviations”—or bending in ‘humankind’ speak—are “more visible only from certain viewing angles that are imperceptible during normal use.”
So essentially, the slight bend is normal and there’s nothing to see here, as it’s only visible from certain angles but won’t affect your iPad Pro’s performance. Okay Apple, if you say so.
Apple says “If you believe your new iPad Pro does not meet the specifications described in this article, please contact Apple Support.” In other words, get that iPad Pro exchanged for one that isn’t bent out of the box because of a manufacturing process.
What do you think of Apple’s explanation for this slight bending issue in some iPad Pro models?
[via 9to5Mac]
