Apple Digging into Accounts of iPhone Explosions in Europe

[RazHyena]

I'm skeptical. How is it that everytime Apple releases something (iPhone or iPod) there's always at least 3 reports of them exploding? It never happens in the US, always in Europe or the odd case Japan.

Yes it does. Recall the iPod touch that burned that kid's leg? Fun stuff.

 

[dubhe]

I submitted this last week which is the report on the French shattering phone. It made the BBC news It also mentions the other incident was an iPod, presumably the touch.

 

[hayesk]

I would want reparations much better than that! You would be getting a new iPhone anyways through warranty. I would want fully loaded MP with duel 30" ACDs and a MBA for on the move. But, they will probably not do anything and just say that these were isolated and due to misuse, yada yada yada... Luckily my 3GS hasn't been hissing.

You may want that, but that'd be extremely selfish and unwarranted. Here's what Apple owes the guy:
- an apology
- a new iPhone
- compensation for medical bills to treat the eye injury
- compensation for lost wages due to the eye injury (and not BS psychological injuries)

Quite frankly the other stories in the article, at least the one about the iPod jumping 3 metres in the air, is not believable.

 

[armoguy94]

Why does Apple always have to be so careless and not even apologize or show at least SOME sympathy?! Even thats unlikely though... apple does not even care about its employees and treats them as animals.

 

[Lesser Evets]

I was wondering when this was going to make the MacRumors pages.

It is odd that it is always Europe. Apple is probably working hard to figure that one out. Maybe it is the voltage. It's not enough to fret over, though. Could be these phones were exposed to questionable use before they destructed.

 

[Tommigun]

Maybe because the voltage in Europe is higher, it somehow damaged the battery cells during the charge in his iPhone.

I heard a little sorta like hissing sound while I was on the phone. It sounded like a hard drive on my laptop. Hope it's not the same as his.

Yeah, the engineers didn't realize the voltage is different. Sounds veeery plausible.

 

[nagromme]

Oh, well. 30 million devices out there. A few are BOUND to detonate, or emit mind-control gas, or grow legs and and start a vendetta against humanity. It's just simple probability.

Now I'm thinking of adding a random hissing sound to my iPhone game. Maybe once a month or so.

 

[dubhe]

Maybe it is the voltage.

But it is still 5v that goes into the iPhone, regardless of AC voltage

 

[The Barron]

How about the "iPop Tart?"

POW!

Apple should rebrand it to iBlow

Hey! With Apple's history of toasting us with a few notable products, they should re-name this the iPop Tart.

 

[Darth.Titan]

Why does Apple always have to be so careless and not even apologize or show at least SOME sympathy?! Even thats unlikely though... apple does not even care about its employees and treats them as animals.

As a company, you never apologize until you know for sure you've done something wrong. Apple is still waiting to examine the phone(s) in question, so they don't know whether they are at fault.

For that matter, neither does anyone else.

 

[stellarceltic]

Bogus.

Ah yes... the big A can do no wrong...

 

[xeex]

it reminds me, when my mag safe caught fire, i got calls every hour from apple legal team when i asked them to replace it.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
There is an obvious lack of info. I'm no expert in electrical engineering but I'd tend to think that there had to be some sign of this before it happened. A battery or whatever doesn't just randomly explode. I do admit that it is possible for a battery to explode. Was the iPhone left in direct sunlight for awhile, was it hot, ... ? I'm not necessarily saying misuse but there must be some underlying logical reason that likely was a little more obvious than hissing. Unless it was fairly loud hissing, in which case, I'd put down my iPhone mighty quick or face it away from me at the minimum.

 

[peterdevries]

Why does Apple always have to be so careless and not even apologize or show at least SOME sympathy?! Even thats unlikely though... apple does not even care about its employees and treats them as animals.

The only persons that know anything about how Apple handles these kinds of situations are the affected. Apple does not apologize until the causes are completely investigated. Apologizing would be akin to admitting responsibility and hence Apple would be liable.

You don't know how Apple thinks about or treats it's employees (and don't bring the suicide of this Chinese guy up. Read up on the matter first..), and neither do most people here (including me).

I'm not saying Apple is a holy company, but they are certainly no worse than other companies.

I really wonder why people are so passionate or hateful about Apple. I'm a shareholder and like their products, but I do not see Jobs or Apple as the manifestation of God or the Devil.

 

[:Rob:]

Hi, I'm in Europe

Just downloaded iSplode from EU App store. I'll write a review soon...

 

[Gosh]

iGrenade

I don't think it will ever catch on myself!

Worry though, that's a lot of computing oomph in a tiny space. How much more can they put in without vents?

 

[Masquerade]

putting your hardware on a bag under the 45ºC european sun, is not a good ideia.

 

[Consultant]

Dubious claims blown out of proportion.

Out of tens of millions of iPhones, only what these dubious cases in which there is really no hard scientific evidence that it's the device, not the user. In addition even if these did happen, there were no proof that injuries were caused by manufacturer defect.

 

[traemirc]

cx: *watches youtube on toilet, and drops their 3GS in*
cx: *calls applecare*
rep: looks you have liquid damage
cx: omgnowai!
rep: wanna pay for an oow repair?
cx: hell no! *hangs up*
cx: *plugs wet phone into wall so it frys, battery bloats, and shatters screen, pretends to have shards in eyes*
cx: *calls in again*
rep: we diddnt sell it to you like that, too bad.
cx: FML.

 

[whooleytoo]

Poisonous baby milk. Check.
Toxic toy paint. Check.
Exploding iPhones expelling sharp glass shrapnel. Check.

Life would never be dull, if everything was manufactured in China..

(I kid.. I kid.. I've no idea who or what is responsible for the failure).

 

[djdole]

To do:

1. Identify and direct paranoid (hypochondriac?) friend with iPhone to this story.
2. Call them and hiss into the phone when they pickup.
3. ???
4. Profit!

 

[chaosconan]

It's bogus!!!

Just look at the screen. It's cracked everywhere. The only thing that can cause something like that is if he sat on it. Then the hissing noise started most likely the crossing of wires due to the already damaged frame and body.

 

[BongoBanger]

Probably real but since you get duff units in every mass marketed product I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Jamie 360]

at least with the kid with glass in his eye will get more then that 3GS 32GB of course a couple Power Mac's and what ever else Apple can throw at him. this is defiantly scary stuff. (note to self listen for hissing)

Only if he wears an eye patch with the on it. Anyone remember the bad guy on Last Action Hero with the cool glass eyes? I would totally wear one with the logo on it!

 

[Hattig]

So, what we might have is a faulty battery expanding, and exerting pressure on the display, which has a glass front, and the pressure grew to a point where the screen shattered. It's not an "explosion" really.

The problem is with millions of devices, a few will get faulty batteries - a third party component remember.

Apple might have to tweak the design to stop the pressure having an effect on the screen - maybe some bars/grids for rigidity behind the display.