Apple’s public relations team has reportedly blacklisted Germany’s largest selling tech publication after it posted a YouTube video in which a journalist bends an iPhone 6 Plus.
In an article on its website, Computer Bild claims when reports surfaced of iPhone 6 Plus phones bending first surfaced, the publication purchased one and tried bending it in order to verify whether or not the claims were a hoax.
After verifying on video the devices could be bent by human hand, Computer Bild asked for a response from Apple’s German public relations team.
Apple’s PR team allegedly responded by saying the publication would no longer receive test units from the company to review and would not be invited to the company’s events in the future.
Following the incident, the publication’s editor-in-chief Axel Telzerow posted an open letter to Apple chief executive Tim Cook, in which he claims Apple’s actions were designed to have an “intimidating effect” on his publication.
“Even if we are quite dismayed about Apple’s reaction, we won’t give up our principles… We congratulate you to your fine new generation of iPhones, even if one of them has a minor weakness with its casing. But we are deeply disappointed about the lack of respect of your company,” Telzerow said.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
