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Apple Pledges Investigation After Chinese Woman Reportedly Electrocuted Using a Charging iPhone 5
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I've been looking for sources as well but have only turned up with the original post on this page. My guess is that it was an attempt at a joke that's now been taken as fact within the Macrumors community.
i doubt the iphone charger is 2.1 amps. the ipad, probably, but iphone one? i'd guess closer to 1 amp. could be wrong, but that's my guess
as far as lethal amperage... yes, it takes very little across the heart to kill someone, but 5v isn't enough to overcome skin's resistance. to the person who said they'd get a light shock... no... no you wouldn't. not even a little. you'd have a better shot at feeling it if it were AC or chopped DC, but even then, at 5v, probably not.
if she died from electrocution, it wasn't from 5v. it was probably a knock-off charger that had poor mains isolation and it arced or shorted and she got mains through the charger cable.
That children, is why you buy proper Apple chargers.
As long as you buy a charger from a reputable source you're find. Apple definitely over charges for their products.
Seriously? Did you read the article? You don't think a fact like whether or not this person existed wasn't checked before an investigation was sought? Before details of their occupation made it to print? Oh yes - CLEARLY this is a made up report and China Southern Airlines is in on it too.
According to mainland media reports, Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her iPhone 5 to answer a call while the battery was being charged when she was electrocuted and killed.
The incident reportedly took place at her home in Xinjiang on Thursday.
It has sparked safety concerns over the bestselling smartphone.
Ma's brother, Yuelun, said in an interview with Apple Daily that the family believe she was killed by an electric shock while using the phone. He said the iPhone in question and its accessories had been handed over to Xinjiang police for investigation.
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That children, is why you buy proper Apple chargers.
Sounds like nonsense anyway, how could any phone charger (Apple or otherwise) output enough power to actually kill someone? Will be interesting to see how this story develops.
It appears you don't know a lot about electricity. It's not voltage - it's amperage that kills.
Further - buying proper Apple chargers and devices definitely lowers risk - but technology is not infallible. There have been plenty of incidents of batteries, devices, etc from ALL manufacturers (official) that have had issues.
Well, it didn't look like a joke in any way to me.
At least we know who made the statement and the mods can take action if they so desire.
Why? I've learned quite a few things from some of the comments here. More so than most other MacRumors news discussions.
How is this racist? China is well known for knockoff products and poor safety standards. With more cheap knockoff chargers than real ones in that country, I'd wonder why this didn't happen more often.
What does this have to do with anything? A woman was electrocuted while picking up her iPhone. No one knows the details. Apple is said to be investigating the issue. Apple may have no fault at all. We don't know, but your contribution to the thread is "Well Samsung..."
Deflection is the word your looking for.
Clearly you are highly uneducated, if someone has tinkered with the device/charger. Then the circumstances matter. If you use your phone in the shower then maybe its just darwinism. Its like throwing a toaster in the shower, its just stupid.
Interesting reads on the internal workings of the iPhone charger and cheap knockoffs.
http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html
http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html
Along with no scuba diving while holding a plugged in mac mini.
I'm not trying to be insensitive, but some things like water and electricity not mixing should not have to be stated on all electrical items. It's kind of like warning people not to sleep on subway tracks or play chess in the middle of the freeway.
And because of that they deserve to die? Also, there's no evidence to substantiate your claim whatsoever.
Voltage doesn't kill. Amperage does. The 1amp the iPhone 5 charger uses is more than enough to kill a human.
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Because China is known for the quality of their electrical wiring and electrical codes....
You obviously have not spent much time in mainland China.
Knock-offs du-jour are the name of the game ranging from electronics to food.
Depends on the voltage
You are correct about the amperage, but the voltage must be sufficient to overcome the body's natural resistance. AC vs. DC also makes a difference.
A properly functioning iPhone charger outputs 2.1 amps at 5 volts. 5 volts is far below the lethal voltage threshold.
Electrocution below 50 volts is very rare. The minimum safe threshold is 25 volts, from what I could find in a quick search.
You are correct about the amperage, but the voltage must be sufficient to overcome the body's natural resistance. AC vs. DC also makes a difference.
A properly functioning iPhone charger outputs 2.1 amps at 5 volts. 5 volts is far below the lethal voltage threshold.
Electrocution below 50 volts is very rare. The minimum safe threshold is 25 volts, from what I could find in a quick search.
Please supply source of your assertion that the equipment used was a knock-off.
Thanks...
I think you're confusing a flippant comment made by a random internet forum member with a legitimate, regulated news agency.