I really doubt this the case. A couple months ago my power adapter was acting up (the prongs were making popping sounds), called into AppleCare, and was dealt with quickly. The thing that stuck out most in my mind was the second guys first question-- "Are you okay?" Also, I had no wait time for the second rep. Apple seems to take product safety really seriously, so I doubt they'd try to cover anything up, especially something as serious as this. I think they requested the pictures be taken down to prevent any mass hysteria. If Apple found anything wrong with their design, I'm pretty sure Apple would call for an instant recall of all the PowerB... er, MacBooks.