Chinese Woman Electrocuted by iPhone 4 Likely Used Unauthorized Charger

[Swordylove]

"Likely"?? What is that supposed to mean? Is it so hard to determine whether the charger is truly fake?

 

[Pablo90]

Not particularly surprising, although I'll bet there were other factors as well given that the phone didn't explode--an unbonded AC neutral line that had been pulled high, for example, and she was touching something grounded with her other hand so that current would pass through her heart, which could explain burns on the outside of the phone but the internals being okay.

In any case, stuff like this makes me glad I live in a country where we only have 120V household AC instead of 200V+. Might be a little less efficient for heavy appliances and waste a lot of copper in the walls, but WAY safer. Not that 120V can't kill you too, but it's a whole lot less likely, and from what I've heard from people who've been hit by both (I've fortunately never felt more than 120), 240V will leave you feeling much, much worse.

In Europe most countries have 220-240V and it's not a problem.
It depends on regulations concerning outlets and the whole system, for example RCDs or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter as I think you call them in the US.
For example in Switzerland it's mandatory to install them, so most (maybe not all) problems are solved.

When I was little I stuck my finger in the empty spot where you should put the lightbulb in a refrigerator (220V) and nothing serious happened (a little shock and that's it).


Plus, do you seriously want to compare China's safety regulations and standards to those from Europe's?
I use my iPhone right out of the shower (while charging) when still wet and nothing has ever happened.

And btw, I use those non-original charges and they work fine most of the time: you may get a couple of them that don't work properly (as soon you connect the iphone, it starts going crazy, being slow, opening apps itself etc etc), but you just throw them out and the next one usually works like a charm.

 

[Boske]

Even if it's fake, I don't see how it could electrocute her to death. Maybe she could have touched the AC power outlet, but at it seems like this thing at worst (sending the AC through the wire) would short out instead of sending the current through the body.

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If you have enough current at only 1 volt going straight through someone's heart, yeah. Through skin on the hands, no. I would have been dead from a car battery.

From now on I'll only use my iPhone in my car !

 

[ValSalva]

"Likely"?? What is that supposed to mean? Is it so hard to determine whether the charger is truly fake?

I think this wording is used because an 'official investigation' is still under way. The fact that someone has even hinted that the charger could be fake before the investigation is complete tells us all we need to know. Once this investigation is done I'm sure the wording will be more decisive. There is potentially a lot of money at stake here because a loss of life occurred.

 

[AnonMac50]

My MBP knock of was making queer noises, I imminently threw it away, along with all the knock off schist I have.

This is why we should all use 30V DC electricity, instead of 120V and for crap's sake 220V???

220V/240V but it uses less Amperes than 110V/120V.

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Not particularly surprising, although I'll bet there were other factors as well given that the phone didn't explode--an unbonded AC neutral line that had been pulled high, for example, and she was touching something grounded with her other hand so that current would pass through her heart, which could explain burns on the outside of the phone but the internals being okay.

In any case, stuff like this makes me glad I live in a country where we only have 120V household AC instead of 200V+. Might be a little less efficient for heavy appliances and waste a lot of copper in the walls, but WAY safer. Not that 120V can't kill you too, but it's a whole lot less likely, and from what I've heard from people who've been hit by both (I've fortunately never felt more than 120), 240V will leave you feeling much, much worse.

The things everyone forgets is the amps. Europe and the US both output a similar amount of power. Europe has double the volts but half the amps. That gives you the same amount of watts.

 

[iapplelove]

I always been kind of a accessory snob and always only bought apple

 

[inlovewithi]

People use knock off cables and news outlet blow the stories out of proportions and blame it on Apple, just to get attention.

Yep, that's pretty much it.

That must really hurt you that the media didn't know what kind of charger she was using. poor Apple.

 

[GuitarDTO]

Watt are you talking about? This story is absolutely current.

I would say the power in this story is more or less due to how current current it is, along with the resistance it seems to be meeting

 

[mw360]

NO.
If AAPL sold their cable at a decent price, people would not be buying cheaper counterfeits. Lightning cable just makes this cables more expensive.

And if you could buy software for $1 there wouldn't be piracy...

 

[MacBookPro13"]

I know this is only one story but I think I will have to lose my third party charger now (it didn't even work that well anyway) and stick to the official charging accessories from Apple. You can save a few bucks on cheaper cables but you can't put a price on your life.

 

[Tigger92]

This story sparked my interest at first, but it is no longer current.

I try and try to resist your comment, but it is just too electrifying.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

No matter. I'm sure Apple haters will find a way to blame Apple anyway.

Here's one I'm sure they'll use: It's Apple fault because the high cost of its chargers forces people to use inexpensive knockoffs. If Apple priced its chargers at .99 w/ free shipping like sellers on eBay this would have never happened. (I'm being sarcastic, but no doubt some people think like that).

 

[everything-i]

Yet the phone and accessories remained intact. Amazing!

To me this makes the whole thing sound suspect. If the charger had failed and sent 220V to the phone it would have fried the internals, yet the report stated that the phone still worked afterwards. This story seems to have way too many inconsistencies to be accurate. We need to wait for an official explanation to find out what actually happened but that does not stop the rumour mill from going into overdrive

 

[Maury]

The woman was also reportedly using an iPhone 4 at the time of the incident, rather than an iPhone 5 as was originally stated. The iPhone 4 contains stainless steel, while the iPhone 5 is primarily aluminum.

Aluminum is a MUCH better conductor than steel, so I'm not sure what this statement is trying to say.

 

[iGrip]

This is why we should all use 30V DC electricity, instead of 120V and for crap's sake 220V???

Yes, that is a reason in favor of low voltage DC. However, there are a zillion other, better reasons to use AC.

Look up the Westinghouse/Edison infowars for more information.

 

[Elijahg]

I own a bunch of cheapo lighting knockoffs for my iPhone 5. One thing I have done is test them before using them. Simply take a multimeter and test that there is no current to the pins when it's not plugged in. That indicates it is working correctly as the power should only be activated after the iPhone sends a small current back down the line to confirm it is connected.

There is 5v on the + pin at all times, connecting the + pin and ground will result in 5v flowing at a non-zero amperage until the charger shuts down due to overcurrent. Overcurrent shutdown probably doesn't happen in the fake chargers.

It is also not the cable that failed, any failures in the cable can't suddenly provide high amperage 220v from 5v.

Also, you test the charger every time you use it do you? What happens if it fails due to a loose solder joint and becomes 220v on the output sometime after you test it?

That being said, if you answer ANY phone when in the shower you can expect things to go wrong. It may only be 5-10 volts but the current is fairly high on most chargers to get the best charging time.

No you can't. It's not 5-10v, it's 5v (on the iPhone at least). It's also not "fairly high" current, it's 1 amp, which at 5v is 5 watts. You could barely fry a fly with 5w. The voltage is so low and skin resistance (even wet skin) is high enough so very little current will flow. Real chargers are current limited too, and tend to shut down when there's too much current flowing. Fake chargers just keep pumping out juice until they catch fire.

If the charger had failed and sent 220V to the phone it would have fried the internals, yet the report stated that the phone still worked afterwards.

Not necessarily. As others have said, if the neutral wasn't tied to Earth as it should be, it could result in there being 5v between the charging pins, and almost any voltage between the charging pins and the actual Earth.

 

[scbond]

Both incidents in China...now what is China famous for?! Ah yes, really cheap, poor quality knock-offs. Will this stop any of them? No.

 

[gnasher729]

No matter. I'm sure Apple haters will find a way to blame Apple anyway.

Here's one I'm sure they'll use: It's Apple fault because the high cost of its chargers forces people to use inexpensive knockoffs. If Apple priced its chargers at .99 w/ free shipping like sellers on eBay this would have never happened. (I'm being sarcastic, but no doubt some people think like that).

It seems you didn't read all the posts. Exactly what you said has already happened.

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And if you could buy software for $1 there wouldn't be piracy...

Pirates will pirate for $1 as well.

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The things everyone forgets is the amps. Europe and the US both output a similar amount of power. Europe has double the volts but half the amps. That gives you the same amount of watts.

Unless you plug your European shaver into a US wall plug. Done that. Instead of the usual energetic bzzzzzzz you get a gentle hum as the blades are gently rotating. Takes a bit longer to shave. Don't try a US shaver in a European outlet!

 

[Tiger8]

*throws away 6 generic chargers*

Oh my God! You and me both! I used to think 'what's the worst that could happen I can get a new phone', but yikes! Luckily I have only 2 of those.

While at it, I have truckload of mini-USB and 30 pin connector cables -- They are hitting the bin too

 

[Reason077]

All laptop batteries come from China.

The assembled batteries, perhaps. But the Li-ion cells inside are made in various locations around the world. e.g.: Japan, South Korea, and even the USA.

 

[cgk.emu]

... Also iphone 4 doesn't use the lightning cable so you fail.

That's some amazing investigative work you've done, Mr. Holmes!

 

[PittAir]

Yes, that is a reason in favor of low voltage DC. However, there are a zillion other, better reasons to use AC.

Look up the Westinghouse/Edison infowars for more information.

It was actually Tesla/Edison. Westinghouse "licensed" (ie, ripped off at at incredibly low price) Tesla's AC patents.

 

[Ptjones1968]

You put it to your ear and you are not wearing shoes or touching anything metal with the other hand and Mr. electricity will try and find a ground to go to.

Talk about a little knowledge can be dangerous! As previous posts have said, voltage doesn't kill it's the current. Look at police tasers as an example. Second, Japanese voltage is 220v just like Europe so it's no surprise. Third, the article says that she was killed with the iPhone 4 and not the 5 which has an aluminium casing. That would make no difference, if they had plugged the lightning connector into the USB of the adaptor, she would have still been electrocuted. The adapter components broke down creating a dead short to the phone. Maybe one of those plastic Android phones would have saved her.

 

[Reason077]

From the linked article:

“Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan all use an electrical voltage of 110 volts,” Xiang said.

This is incorrect. Hong Kong uses 220V 50Hz AC, the same as mainland China. The plugs are different sizes (HK uses a British-style plug), but the voltage is the same.

 

[Ptjones1968]

by definition, electrocution is always fatal...so he either wasn't electrocuted, or he is dead.

Not true. In America electrocution defined as fatal. Other parts of the world could mean a serious shock.