Just the other day, we told you that some 2018 Apple iPad Pro units were arriving out of the box with a slight bend in the aluminum chassis. Apple immediately acknowledged that this was happening, but added that the bend was a side effect from the manufacturing process and would not get worse over time. The company added that the bend will not affect the performance of the device.

Today, an email from Apple's VP of hardware engineering Dan Riccio was made public by Mac Rumors. The email was sent in response to one sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook by a consumer who received one of the bent iPad Pro units. In the letter, the executive says that the design "meets or exceeds all of Apple's high quality standards of design and precision manufacturing." Apple's specs call for a flatness of up to 400 microns which Riccio says "is even tighter than previous generations." And if you're wondering, 400 microns is the width of less than four sheets of paper.

"Relative to the issue you referenced regarding the new iPad Pro, its unibody design meets or exceeds all of Apple's high quality standards of design and precision manufacturing. We've carefully engineered it and every part of the manufacturing process is precisely measured and controlled.

Our current specification for iPad Pro flatness is up to 400 microns which is even tighter than previous generations. This 400 micron variance is less than half a millimeter (or the width of fewer than four sheets of paper at most) and this level of flatness won't change during normal use over the lifetime of the product. Note, these slight variations do not affect the function of the device in any way.

Again, thanks for reaching out and I hope the above explanation addresses your concerns."-Dan Riccio, VP of hardware engineering, Apple
The cooling process used in the manufacturing of the iPad Pro is being blamed for causing the bend, and Apple says it continues to stand behind its new high-end tablets.