Disastrous start for record-selling iPhone 6

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook called the introduction of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over the weekend the “best launch ever”. He may have spoken too soon.

Just three days after announcing that Apple had sold a record 10 million new iPhones over the opening weekend, the new devices have run into multiple snafus as users complained that a new software update blocked their calls, while a widely circulated video showed the larger of the two new models is vulnerable to bending.

A software update Apple sent on Wednesday did the opposite of what the company had intended, disabling cellphone service on untold numbers of iPhones, among other problems.

Twitter and technology news sites quickly overflowed with reports of people who encountered the troubles after downloading and installing the update, iOS 8.0.1, which was intended to fix various bugs in the operating system for Apple’s mobile devices. Apple responded by withdrawing the update.

This is not the first time a software update from Apple has caused, rather than fixed, problems on devices.

But it appears to be one of the first times the company has withdrawn such an update.

“We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can,” Apple said in a statement. “In the meantime, we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.” The problems appeared to mainly affect users of the latest iPhones, the 6 and 6 Plus, and not users of older iOS devices.

Users on Twitter reported that the update also disabled the Touch ID capability on their devices, which lets people unlock their phones with fingerprints.

Apple said in a statement that it would release iOS 8.0.2 in the next few days to fix the issue. In the meantime, it offered step-by-step instructions to reinstall iOS 8 using iTunes.

The company said users should make sure that they are using the latest version of iTunes before reinstalling iOS 8.

“We apologise for the great inconvenience experienced by users,” Apple said in the statement.

The stumbles blemished what had been a carefully choreographed product unveiling that was meant to put Mr Cook’s stamp on Apple. Executives at Apple had for months teased the introduction of the new iPhones before finally debuting them on Sept 9.

The devices had spurred a frenzy of demand, with pre-orders topping four million, the record weekend sales and a thriving gray market for the smartphones in China and elsewhere.

Now Mr Cook’s rollout of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is marred, recalling incidents that the CEO has faced with other product debuts.

Last year, Mr Cook apologised for the iPhone’s warranty and repair policies in China after receiving criticism from state-run media over customer service in the market.

In 2012, Mr Cook also said he was sorry for Apple’s malfunctioning mapping software, which was faulted for misguided directions and inaccurate landmark locations.

The new iPhones are crucial to Apple. The devices generate more than half of the company’s annual US$171 billion (S$217 billion) in revenue and precede a swath of other products, including new iPads, an Apple Watch and a mobile-payments system called Apple Pay.

Yet, while Mr Cook deals with consumer criticism over his handling of the iPhone rollout, the issues may have little impact on Apple’s sales.

Demand for the new handsets has the company poised to sell more than 61 million iPhones in the December quarter, surpassing last year’s record 51 million sold, said Barclays.

Sales are also set to pick up — not decelerate — as the new iPhones become available in more countries.

“It will do nothing, I don’t suspect it will dampen any demand,” said Mr Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies.

Still, some consumers are thinking twice. After having problems with Apple’s new software upgrade to his old iPhone, Mr James Zahrt, a customer since 1989, decided to put off a new smartphone purchase.

“I was going to order one immediately, but now I’m going to wait,” said Mr Zahrt, 58, who has had troubles with his iPhone 4s’ alarm clock working properly since downloading Apple’s iOS 8 software last week.

“I think the bugs need to be worked out on this thing.”

The popular tide turned against the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus earlier this week when reports began emerging that the 5.5-inch screen larger model was bending when people sat on it.

Rivals, including BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen, took a jab at the iPhone on Wednesday, saying he “would challenge you guys to bend our Passport device”.

Both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus were given high ratings in a recent “breakability” test conducted by SquareTrade, a San Francisco firm that sells extended-protection plans for electronic devices. The test did not include bending.

SquareTrade chief marketing officer Ty Shay said that after reports of bending circulated online, two staffers at his firm tried to bend a pair of 6 Plus phones.

The male staffer was able to duplicate the results from the video, while the female staffer could not. He said the bent phone appeared to still function normally. Agencies