Reports of
iPhones exploding,
starting fires and killing people in cold blood have been around since the inception of the handset. They've also been relatively sporadic, seemingly short on evidence, and Apple hasn't given complaints much credence or response. So when we heard a story from France the other day about a security guard's iPhone "exploding" and sending a shard of glass into his eye (though apparently not serious enough to warrant a hospital visit), it was a little hard to believe, but with a few other stories of cracking screens due to overheating cropping up in Europe over the past couple weeks, French authorities have taken an interest in the story. Anecdotally, a teen says his phone "imploded" in Belgium and gave him a headache, a woman's phone cracked without warning, and ten or so victims in France have come forward to complain of similar problems, picking up the interest of a French consumer watchdog group. Apple is naturally not new to the concept of overheating in its battery-powered devices -- in fact, it's just entered into its first full-on
iPod nano recall in Korea of the 1st-gen players after numerous reports of battery faultiness worldwide -- but with 26 million iPhones out and about, and the iPhone 3GS tending to run a bit hotter than its siblings, a systemic problem with one or all models of the handsets isn't something consumers or Apple would take lightly.
Herve Novelli, France's top trade official, met with Apple France's Michel Coulomb today to discuss the problem, and so far Apple is sticking to its guns: it claims that reported incidents are in the single digits, and that all cases it's investigated fully so far have turned out to be blamed on "external force" to the screen. Herve and Michel seem to have parted on friendly terms, promising to keep in touch over the issue, and the EU's alert system for dangerous consumer products (inexplicably dubbed RAPEX) is staying in the loop as well, asking the 27 member nations to keep tabs on the situation. Novelli says it's "too early to blame anyone," and we'd have to agree, but we hope Apple keeps up the (freshly) open communication about this issue going forward.
Read - French minister meets Apple exec over iPhone problems
Read - Apple denies 'exploding' iPhones
Read - Apple denies battery problem with exploding iPhones
Read - Belgian teenager latest victim of exploding iPhone phenomenon
posted Aug 28th 2009 12:40PM
Vive l'explosion! Vive la France!
i call bullshit to apple its not a very good phone anyways if u drop it and there is a warp core explosion and it u move your hand fast and the screen cracks call it what it is a F'ing lemon grenade i mean well even if u get a drop of water on it that bitch shuts down and never turns back on i have not heard of any other phone doing that i can get my g1 wet have dropped it in water a few times bitch still works same for my old ass nokia, Motorola phone and my tmo dash and Sony ericsion but you guys can go and defend them all you want they make faulty products that have even killed a person and burned a car to ash but they say it all your fault and u keep there balls on your chins thats sad it really is yes they make things that run nice but if they made shit that don't burn yo ass i would get one naw fuck that sh1t i wanna live goddammit not be found dead in my house when my iphone catches fire in the middle of the night and kills us all
First off dude, you need to learn your english. Second, I wouldn't doubt these "over heating" problems were cause by stupid people (it's the French we're talking about). And even 20 out of millions really isn't that big of a deal. Sure, it's some thing to look into, but lets not cause a panic. And as far as the iPhone not being able to get wet, I call BS on you sir. I have a friend whom dropped her iPhone in the Ocean and it still worked. Also, didn't you watch the youtube video of a guy dropping his iPhone 3GS into a pool while filming and it kept recording, while under water?... Yeah, go suck it! haha
Yeah, he is full of shit. I've dropped my first generation iPhone numerous times and it's still working great... the screen didn't explode sending shards into anyone's eye. Not even cracked or scratched. The usual drop is from two to four feet onto sidewalk or dirt. But while riding my bike to work one day I crossed the railroad tracks and the iPhone somehow had worked it's way out of my bundle strapped to my rack above the rear tire. So it not only fell to the ground at approximately ten miles an hour it then proceeded to slide and tumble along for more than twenty feet in the concrete gutter. Scratched but no breaks. Yes, it was in my original leather clamp shell with the corners and sides exposed. The same damned case that broke while I was at work climbing a telephone pole. The belt clip which was glues together (leather to leather) instead of stitched came apart and the iPhone rolled along my thigh and fell to the ground roughly fourteen to sixteen feet below. Lucky for me it was just dirt not pavement or sidewalk. But it still works. I just jogged with it (playing music for me) this mourning. So over two years now with numerous drops, exposure to rain, and temperatures as high as 115 degree fahrenheit... it's still kicking it.
And before anyone gets mouthy. I do realize I have been extremely lucky. Too damned lucky. I told myself I wouldn't buy the latest generation iPhone until this one gives up the ghost. I realize there are unlucky people who drop their iPhones and it cracks the glass the very first time. An asshole at work had that happen. He bought another one and his girlfriend lost it. You know what I say to that? Karma is a bitch! :P
Nice try but that picture is clearly a photoshop as the iPhone's GPS data shows it is not anywhere near France.
haha wow what a freaking moron.
Fanboys get dumber and dumber these days.
I thought the pic was funny.
Lol, wow. My joke wnt so far over your head you didn't even feel the breeze.
@scott that was not an iphone it clearly had a camera strap fake as engadet pointed out thanks though
@Atlantian such a powerful come back, scott probably feels like a fool right about now. then again his sentences are coherent so he still probably feels like less of a fool than you. you're arguments are truly disgraceful, i can understand that the G1 is a good product and that android has serious potential, but to go around regarding the iPhone as if it isn't or wasn't revolutionary to the phone industry is just stupid. It is a solid product that introduced a new concept to the market, and thus far everyone has followed suit in there own way, Google with the G1, Palm with the Pre. Obviously the iPhone has some problems thats the point of this article but it doesn't make the iPhone as a whole a bad product, just like you dogging the iPhone doesn't make your G1 any better of a product. Why not get excited about the company with whom you've taken a following, and let others enjoy the things that matter to them rather than tear them down?
who said I'm trying to tear them down my friend has 3 i don't really give a shit except the fact they wont admit theres a problem and switch to a better battery manufacture i get Chinese sweat shops are cheaper but there batteries have lots of documented problems switch to a higher quality one they already charge u like it is so they can manage to squeeze a better battery in at that price or even better a removable battery so u can buy your own then they truly would be kings of the cloud is all you don't like that opinion oh well hit me back up after u wipe the apple sauce off your chin i have played with my friends iphone i like it but it get to damn hot so a warned him from reading engadget to store it in a cool place not in direct sunlight at all or it might no vamp in light don't have it on charger after it gets full don't drop it even once be careful cause i care for my friends well being so like i said oh well
Mmmm, Mmmm! Gotta get some of that Apple money!
Anyone who makes these claims should only be able to make them in court. That way, if it's been determined these people have fabricated their stories they'll face criminal charges.
I have no doubt one or two of these stories are legitimate, but the possibility of handouts really brings out the cockroaches.
The picture reminds me of Ladyhawke's "Paris is Burning" (great music).
In all seriousness, iPhone 3G/3GS really is becoming a concern: either a faulty battery will burn someone/explode, or the hot chip will accelerate this process.
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