The 'Bendgate 2.0' saga continues: An iPad Pro customer who email Tim Cook about his disappointment with the situation in which the US$799+ devices arrive deformed out of the box got a response. This reply was not from Cook himself, however, but from another Apple executive who explained how well the new iPad fits in with Apple's design philosophy.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-executive-reiterates-company-s-support-for-iPad-Pro-2018-design.386116.0.html
I love Apple products. I've happily stuck with every iPhone iteration since it's debut, owned a Powerbook which convinced me I never needed another Windows PC, again, and owned a 9.7" iPod Pro. I haven't replaced my 17" Macbook Pro, however, as the fetish for thinness at the expense of power and practicality made it unnecessarily expensive. I know someone is going to point out how powerful the newest gen Macbook Pro's are, but to be useful they get to a crazy $4500 price point. Getting back to the iPad Pro's, what is the point of such a thin device as the current iPad if we must put it in a bulky case to protect it from bending?
You sell it to people based on fashion/design, which people go crazy for. That requires being thin.
Then the ecosystem around it sells a case for it. In some cases, the smartphone manufacturer sells it directly.
Same with Smartphones. You need a case now. My Moto E 3rd Gen doesn't, because its thick enough that it can have a grippy surface.
Not good for the customer, but good for the company.