Exploding iPhones Not Our Fault! - Apple, Inc.

Apple Inc. claims the latest reports of "exploding" iPhones are caused by an "external force" and not by bursting into flames due to overheating batteries.

Responding to the latest reports of faulty iPhones, this time in France, Apple said that all of the handsets they had seen had broken screens showing outside pressure had caused the cracking and not internal heat.

"In all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone," Alan Hely, a London-based spokesman for Apple Europe said.

"There are no confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports we are investigating is in the single digits."

Despite the reassurances, Herve Novelli, France's secretary of state for trade and consumer affairs, met with Apple's Michel Coulomb to discuss the "causes of the implosion of these devices and eventual measures they could take," according to the Associated Press. A representative at the ministry declined to comment on the meeting Bloomberg reported.

Last week, Apple told the European Commission, which is also investigating claims of overheating Apple devices, that "these are isolated incidents and that there is not a general problem," according to a statement issued by Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. Apple has sold 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods to date

"For the cases which have been reported in the media, Apple [is] trying to get more information on the details of the incidents and will do tests as necessary to investigate the possible cause," the statement said.

An 18-year-old French teenager complained his eye was injured a week earlier when his girlfriend's iPhone began making a hissing noise and the device's glass touchscreen shattered, according to a report by the AFP news agency.

In the U.K., a 47-year-old man from Liverpool told The Times earlier this month that his daughter's iPod Touch made a hissing noise and exploded after he dropped it. The Times reported Apple would offer the family a full refund only if they were willing to sign a settlement form. The proposed agreement would leave the family open to legal action if they ever disclosed the terms of the settlement, the newspaper said.

In the Netherlands, an iPhone 3G was reportedly sitting in a car when the owner returned to find it was destroyed, burning a huge hole in the vehicle's seat.

Exploding iPhones Are Latest Headache for Apple

Apple iPhone 3GS smartphones have reportedly been exploding around Europe, in what Apple is calling isolated incidents. According to some news outlets, in at least one case Apple has offered to reimburse an owner, with the agreement that the terms and existence of the settlement were to remain confidential.

Exploding iPhones?
Explosions are the latest problem attributed to the Apple iPhone 3GS, which since its June arrival has reportedly overheated to the point of discoloration, had issues with quickly draining batteries and suffered from overly delicate screens.

For now, the allegedly exploding iPhones seem isolated to Europe.

"Apple Inc. is investigating media reports that one or more of the company's iPhones have exploded in Europe, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday," Reuters reported Aug. 18.

The spokesperson, Helen Kearns, reportedly told those gathered at a news briefing that Apple is "trying to get more information on the specific details of those incidents, and they will do tests as necessary to investigate the possible cause."

Apple, for its part, is calling the incidents isolated but has said it is looking into them.

In one incident, wrote Macworld, a French teenager claimed to have hurt his eye after his girlfriend's iPhone made a hissing sound and then its glass touch-screen shattered.

A 47-year-old UK man said his daughter's iPhone also hissed and then exploded. And in the Netherlands, an iPhone left in a car reportedly caused a fire that burned the vehicle's seat.

"[Apple] did offer the Liverpool owner a [$271] refund with the proviso that, in accepting it, those involved were to 'agree that you will keep the terms and existence of this settlement agreement completely confidential,' with the understanding that any breach of confidentiality 'may result in Apple seeking injunctive relief, damages and legal costs against the defaulting persons or parties,'" wrote SlashGear, which went on to report that the owner did not accept the terms.

iPod Defective Battery

iPod Defective Battery:

Apple policy states that after a period of time, that will vary depending on use and settings, you may find that your battery will power your device for only a couple of hours - requiring you to charge more frequently. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced.

iPod Owners

Your one-year warranty includes replacement coverage for an iPod defective battery.

You can extend your coverage to two years from the date of your iPod purchase with the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod. During the plan's coverage period, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for $49 (iPod shuffle), $59 (iPod nano and classic), $79 (iPod touch) plus $6.95 shipping, subject to local tax. Apple disposes of your battery in an environmentally friendly manner.

iPod Deffective Battery?: Bottom line - have your iPod battery tested at an Apple Store just before your warranty period runs out! Remember, it only has to have less than 50% of its original capacity!

iPhone File Browser for any iPhone

Great Software!

We highly recommend 'i-FunBox.'

i-funbox is an iPhone file browser for any iPhone. No jailbreak needed, no hack, no deamon install.

i-FunBox, or iFunBox, is an iPhone file manager for transfering and maintaining media, files and directories on iPhones and iPods.
It works with iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch in Firmware1.x and 2.x even without JB (jailbreak). It is a Windows application compatible with WinXP 32bit and Windows Vista 32/64bit.

Escape the iTunes headache. Download media from your iPhone and share freely - including iTunes managed media files.

Check it out today at i-funbox

Overheated iPod Nano Caused Multiple Fires

Overheated iPod Nano Caused Multiple Fires

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's trade ministry said on Tuesday that three fires had been caused by overheating Apple iPod nanos, which it said could be due to a battery defect.

No one was injured in the three fires involving the music players made by Apple Inc but the government said in a statement Apple had reported two other cases where people had suffered minor burns.

Apple officials were not immediately available for comment but the ministry said the firm had said a possible defect in iPod nano battery cells could have caused them to overheat.

The trade ministry said iPod nanos with known overheating incidents were sold in Japan between September 2005 and September 2006.

A semi-governmental body specializing in product safety will look into the cause of the incidents in cooperation with Apple, a trade ministry official said.

"We are not in the position to speculate on the outcome of the investigation. But after several incidents like these, it would be appropriate for Apple to take some measures to raise the public's awareness," the official said.

Apple 'ignored obvious defects' with iPod nano

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, the law firm representing plaintiffs in the iPod nano lawsuit against Apple, has sent out a press release announcing its claims. As reported last week, Jason Tomczak and other consumers have filed a class action suit over the iPod nano’s susceptibility to scratches.

Steve Berman, lead attorney in the case, says that Apple chose to ignore a design problem with the nano before it was released and has since downplayed the complaints from owners. “We intend to prove that in an effort to rush the iPod nano to the market, Apple ignored obvious defects in the design and later tried to cover up negative responses received from consumers,” says Berman. “We seek to recover money lost in purchasing this product as well as the $25 fee Apple has chosen to impose on those who have returned their product after it became unusable.”

The press release also attempts to describe the alleged defect with the nano. “Previous versions of the iPod separated the screen and controls from the case and was covered with a thick film of resin. In designing the nano, Apple reconstructed the housing into a seamless front where the screen and controls reside directly under a much less durable film of resin allowing irreparable damage to occur.”

The announcement goes on to say that “Apple knew the nano was defective, but chose to go forward with the release and pass the cost of replacing the defective device on to class members. The suit also claims that instead of admitting to the flaw after widespread complaint, Apple concealed the defect and advised class members to purchase additional equipment to prevent the screen from scratching excessively

Teen's iPod Bursts Into Flames

iPod Defects:

David Saadatamandi says his son's iPod burst into flames while he was listening to it at home. He says it wasn't plugged into a charger and wasn't near a flame or a heat source. It all happened unexpectedly.

He was so surprised, he researched the phenomenon on the internet and found, sure enough, other cases of iPod flame-outs. Japanese officials are investigating an iPod Nano that supposedly sparked while charging. Wired magazine keeps a photo gallery of burned out iPods.

The website HowStuffWorks traces the problem to the iPod battery. It's a lithium ion battery, similar to the kind used in laptop computers.

In 2006-2007 the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled millions of Sony laptop batteries after some overheated and caused fires. The CPSC reports the rise in portable electronic devices has led manufacturers toward batteries that "pack higher energy in smaller packages."

Whether that's the iPod defect that torched this iPod is unclear. David says he sent pictures to Apple hoping for some answers.

"It could very well be isolated cases, you know 3 bad incidents, but how many of them could be out there waiting to happen?" he says.

Neither Apple nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission would comment about iPod fires or other iPod defects.