The scandal erupted when consumer reports refused to recommend the device. Apple’s Steve Jobs famously replied, “Just avoid holding it that way.” The backlash was immediate: mockery, class-action lawsuits, and eventual free bumper cases for all users.

The scandal was compounded by an initial “safe” replacement that also caught fire. Samsung’s reputation took years to recover.

A class-action lawsuit resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement and Apple’s eventual abandonment of the design. For years, portable productivity was undermined by a keyboard that couldn’t handle daily use.

Louis Rossmann, iFixit, and European regulators pushed back. France now mandates repairability scores. The EU requires user-replaceable batteries by 2027.

Apple insisted only nine customers had reported the issue, but the court of public opinion had already delivered its verdict: thinness had gone too far.