This one was actually pretty cool, since the effect of alternative environmental gasses had not been extensively documented by MEMS device manufacturers at that time.
It was interesting and remarkable because many engineers, despite solid diligence, might have missed the possibility unless they were well versed in MEMS manufacturing processes which were not very widely known before publication.
Still, it wasn’t at all surprising to the manufacturers of the parts, since using a calibrated gas mixture for initial adjustment is a standard design step.
> If that happened before the publicised discovery, it is a very impressive example of attention to detail.
The article seems to imply it was, but I don't know timelines because links are broken and I don't feel like doing archaeology. It is a known issue with that MEMS component before it made its way into the iPhone, so I don't find it very impressive. I don't know about Apple in particular, but it is very standard for electronics user manuals and spec sheets to list operating envelopes and known issues and limitations exhaustively.
[1] https://www.ifixit.com/News/11986/iphones-are-allergic-to-he...