Should Apple give out free cases for iPhone 6 Plus to fix the bending flaw like they gave free bumper cases for iPhone 4 to fix the antenna design flaw, since both appear to have material and/or engineering defects which result in the failure of the device to perform normally?

Of course Apple could give away something for free, but this would mean they acknowledge the issue as a flaw, which is a very risky move... The nature of the bending problem (if it even is one) is different when you look into it. Apple was stuck in a corner on the iPhone4 because their antenna flaw affected the main function of the product. It was a substantial functional defect of the device and they were about to be doomed. The iPhone 6 Plus is a different case. It is thin and maybe made of the wrong material, but the fact that it is prone to bend at one point of the chassis is not affecting the main function of the product. Warranty law: In most countries of the world, a customer has the right to return a product for full refund within the first days (or much longer, depends on the country) if the device is "faulty, not as described or doesn’t do what it’s supposed to". The retailer may offer a repair or replacement, but if the customer insists on a refund, the retailer is required to comply. iPhone4 "Antennagate": The iPhone4 antenna issue was ticking those boxes. The product was faulty because a main function of it (make/receive calls) was not functioning as described due to a design-flaw of the device itself. Apple was trapped here. It was no defect they could even fix with a repair or a replacement, they lacked of experience in RF-design and manifested it into a product. EVERY customer would have been able to insist on a refund and they would have had legally no other choice than comply. The problem would have been even bigger if Apple would have acknowledged the flaw without a solution, because this would make it a confirmed fault of the device and thus would have extended the "window" for replacement or full refund to 2 years in many countries (including the EU). The decision to give out a free bumper was incredibly effective, although it actually did not solve the problem. Apple got away cheap by offering a bumper accessory for free, diverting the customer from the actual problem to a free molded plastic piece they normally charged 20USD for (not sure whether it was 20USD exactly). This made customers waive their right for refund at the retailer in favor of free goods, gave retailers the option to offer a "solution" to claiming customers and avoided the problem in first place by putting the bumper even into sales-boxes later-on. Apple magically made the problem disappear, without actually solving it. "No claim, no case"... iPhone6 Plus "Bentgate"/"Bendgate": The iPhone 6 Plus "bending flaw" is not the same. Yes, there is a structural weak point on the device nearby the volume button. Yes, maybe they should have done their mechanical stress-tests on spots of such structural weakness (like other manufacturers are doing based on calculated "heatmaps" of the material, which shows risk-areas for mechanical stress). Yes, it might be a concerning flaw for a device of this price. But it is legally not a flaw affecting the main function of the product, unless the manufacturer confirms it as such. A user of a very thin product made of glass and aluminium can expect that he should take care in order to avoid that such a problem happens. Hardware improvement: Apple should improve the construction in a upcoming HW-revision so that it has means to reduce their warranty repair costs (it's questionable whether they can really reject bent iPhones in their current condition). One supporting element of the "bending flaw" is for example a screw on the inside of the device, holding the volume button with a metal plate against the housing. The screw and the metal plate are stabilizing the design when force is applied at the edges, but are forming a crank when force is applied closer to the center of the chassis. The Reputation question: All that said, in terms of reputation Apple may have to take action and offer something to affected customers. But as says, it's too early to tell whether this is even necessary. The amount of "9 cases" as Apple states cannot be trusted though. Frankly they need to play the problem down, regardless whether it is small or not, otherwise it will be too expensive to fix it. A problem Apple generally has is, that every move of them is observed very publicly. So just opening the window for free goods to one customer will result in everyone wanting that free case... Any other vendor would deal with affected customers one by one, improve the HW-design in production and later offer the remaining complaining customers to swap to a new hardware revision (which usually works fine, because it's a new shiny device without scratches and bumps). It would be normal business to fix it and learn a design-lesson for the next model.

I'd agree with the premise of your question. If Apple wants to keep their clientele, let them aim to satisfy the iPhone 6 owners with bent phones, a free case to prevent further damage. Unlike the iPhone 4 which showed an engineering defect in the phone's functionality, the iPhone 6's physical design flaw doesn't make it 'not usable'. Only a small percentage of people have experienced this. Everyone else is careful with their phone. People who now know this can spend the $10 for a case to prevent if from happening.

Doing the math Apple sold approximately 10 million phones in the first weekend and received 9 complaints. 10,000,000/9=1,111,111 That's a one in 1,111,111 chance of Apple receiving a complaint for every phone sold.  From Apples point of view I don't think that would warrant handing out 10 million free iPhone cases. Also if the customer is stupid enough to sit on their brand spanking new £300 mobile device then they should be the adult about it and accept responsibility.

"All the iPhone 6 Plus owners" are a lot of people. A very small percentage of them have bent their iPhones and actually no one knows how it happened—whether it was a defective device or the owner's carelessness. They could give away baggy pants, but only time will tell if this is an actual issue.

Bendgate is a media overhype

I think this issue has been blown out of all proportion. Check out this video by Consumer Reports were they test some smartphones to see how easily they bend. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/consumer-reports-smart-phone-bendability-test/index.htm The fact is that as phones are built thinner, they will bend more easily , at least with currently available (commercially feasible) materials.

I agree with answer. A company would rather just replace the few failed units than provide free compensation to everyone. One reason for this could be the number of reported cases. However, another reason  what I think could be that if Apple provides free cases to everyone who has bought iPhone 6 Plus, it would seem to everyone that Apple is acknowledging all their units are defective/failure in design--even though it might not be the case. It is possible that bending issue was due to extremely rough usage. But it is not like Apple may not be doing anything about this. They might be researching on this matter right now.

No. With non-abusive treatment bending is a non-issue, and if you feel like you need to get a case for your iPhone not to bend then buy your own. In any case: stop worrying about bending your phone!

I don't believe so. Antennagate was a widespread issue that deserved attention and a solution. BendGate is an isolated issue and in most cases was caused intentionally. Unless you're abnormally using your phone by sitting on it or putting large amounts of force for prolonged times upon it, I don't think bendgate should be an issue.