iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched September 19, 2014, marking Apple’s belated entry into the “phablet” market dominated by Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. The 4.7” iPhone 6 ($199) and 5.5” iPhone 6 Plus ($299) represented Apple’s first screen size increase since the iPhone 5, ending Steve Jobs’s insistence that “no one’s going to buy” a big phone.
Bendgate Controversy
Within days of launch, users reported iPhone 6 Plus units permanently bending in front pockets—dubbed “Bendgate.” Unbox Therapy’s bend test video (30+ million views) showed the aluminum unibody failing under hand pressure. Apple insisted only nine customers complained, but silently reinforced internal structure in later production runs.
Record Sales
The iPhone 6/6 Plus became Apple’s best-selling iPhone generation, moving 74.5 million units in Q1 2015 (holiday quarter)—a record that stood until iPhone X. The larger screens satisfied years of pent-up demand, and upgraders from iPhone 4S/5 flooded Apple Stores.
Apple Pay Launch
iPhone 6 introduced NFC and Apple Pay (October 2014), letting users tap-to-pay with credit cards stored in Wallet. Initial support from McDonald’s, Walgreens, and Whole Foods legitimized mobile payments in the U.S., years after NFC’s failed Android launches.
Design Philosophy Shift
The 6 Plus validated customer preference for screen size over one-handed usability. Apple’s subsequent iPhones grew progressively larger (6.5” XS Max, 6.7” 14 Pro Max), abandoning the “thumb-reachable” design Jobs championed. The rounded aluminum back also ditched the iPhone 5’s premium chamfered edges for mass-production efficiency.
The iPhone 6 generation represented Apple’s transition from hardware idealism to market pragmatism—giving customers what they wanted (big screens, mobile payments) even if it compromised original vision.
Sources:
- Apple iPhone 6 announcement, September 9, 2014
- Apple Q1 2015 earnings call, January 27, 2015
- Consumer Reports Bendgate testing, September 2014