The thing is, we have to approach newer technology with more caution just like we always have...a tube TV could take a drop but most flat panels can't, a old Nokia brick phone could take some abuse that most newer smart phones cannot, an old Cutlass could take a damn brick wall but you run newer cars into a street sign and they're totaled. It's all relevant.
Apple releases an aluminum chassis smart phone with a large surface area screen. You put it in your pocket and bend over, sit on it or do a jumping jack and you stand the chance of bending the chassis. Did Apple have a flawed design? Nope...they just have a design that can bend (just like several of the competitive phones on the market under certain circumstances).
Nobody in this thread is calling Apple perfect...but at the same time, on the other extreme part of the spectrum, nobody should be saying that Apple made a mistake with this design, because they didn't...it is designed just fine, it just doesn't tolerate some people's day to day activities...and like many of the things I listed above, it comes with progressive design and manufacturing...we demand smaller and lighter and more powerful, but many of us refuse to adapt to the durability changes that come with it. THOSE people are the ones that need to chill out, especially since Apple is readily replacing their phones when they were the reason the phone bent.