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- Apple execs challenged interviewers to put the iPhone Air's durability to the test.The Air held its shape as Tom's Guide attempted to bend the device.Pre-orders for the iPhone Air start at $999, with release set for September 19.
The durability of the iPhone Air — Apple's thinnest phone yet— is being tested. So far, it's passing.
Apple execs Greg Joswiak and John Ternus appeared so confident in the strength of the Air that Joswiak challenged interviewers to try to bend the device during a video published Thursday by Tom's Guide.
"Try to bend it," Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in the video.
Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer and TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff obliged by taking turns attempting to bend the iPhone Air with their hands. The phone looked like it held up to their tests.
"It bows, but it comes right back into shape," Spoonauer said as he bent the phone both ways.
Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, said the titanium band around the side of the iPhone Air is "key" to its durability.
"It is more durable than any previous iPhone," Ternus said. "It exceeds our internal metrics for bend strength, which are really high."
Joswiak compared the iPhone Air to a "seismic building" that has some give but comes back into place. That allows the phone to have a thin and light form factor, which is a big selling point, he said.
Apple debuted the Air on Tuesday at its "awe-dropping" fall iPhone event, where it showed off how it fits Pro-level performance into a 5.6-millimeter frame. The Air is available for preorder starting at $999 in select countries beginning Friday, and is set to be released on September 19.
"It does seem like it's going to fly away when you're holding it," CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal, after unveiling the phone.
In the Tom's Guide clip, the iPhone Air appeared to do just that as Joswiak tossed it to Ulanoff for the bend test. It bounced out of Ulanoff's hand and onto the table.
