The strange case of Apple's 'hairgate'

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For some Apple users, the new iPhone 6 might pose a hair raising, or rather, hair pulling concern. Not long after “bendgate” – some Apple customers complained that the new phone bent too easily – made waves online, “#hairgate” is now the new trending topic on social media sites like Twitter. What is this latest complaint? Some users claim that the phone’s large screen is leading to unexpected hair loss. Apparently, hair easily gets stuck in the seam that separates the phone’s large glass screen from its aluminum backing. Those users with long hair and full beards have complained that ending a phone call has resulted in some unexpectedly painful results – strands of their hair reportedly get yanked out when pulling the phone away from their heads.

This has made for a string of snarky social media posts. From bearded hipsters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to shaving product companies, "hairgate" is proving to be the social media gift that keeps on giving.

Twitter user Dave Smith tweeted that the phone’s alleged design flaw might be a positive for those without a full head of hair. “If you buy an iPhone 6, you better be totally bald,” Smith tweeted. On the other end of the spectrum, “hairgate” poses something of a hipster hazard. User @DavidFeras wrote “Congrats Apple you found a way forcing hipsters to shave.”

For the more entrepreneurial at heart, the social media trend led to some free publicity. Men’s grooming giant Gillette tweeted a picture of one of its razors along with the message “Your phone may be smarter than ever, but leave the shaving to the experts.”

Sir Zee, another user, created his own faux advertisement. In an imitation of the shaving and personal grooming industry’s typical kind of advertising, Zee posted two side-by-side images, one of a man wearing shaving cream and holding up an iPhone next to the image of a woman shaving her legs with the Apple smartphone.

However, there are also plenty of "hairgate" skeptics. A series of tests conducted by Mashable, for example, found that the iPhone 6 posed no problems.