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Tue, 18 Aug 2009 Apple investigating malfunctioning iPhone reports

Company says the incidents are isolated and denies a general problem

Jeremy Kirk

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Apple is investigating reports that some of its popular iPhones may have malfunctioned following a query from a European Commission directorate that oversees consumer safety issues.

Apple told the Commission on Tuesday 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.

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"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 last week when his girlfriend's iPhone began making a hissing noise and the device's glass touchscreen shattered, according to a report in AFP. It wasn't clear which model of iPhone was affected.

In the UK, 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.

In an incident 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.

Apple's UK office said: "We are aware of these media reports, and we are waiting to receive the iPhones from the customers. Until we have the full details, we don't have anything further to add."

The Commission also asked Apple about reports of malfunctioning iPods. A Seattle TV station, KIRO-TV, reported last month that after many months of trying it obtained more than 800 pages of documents from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission that detailed 15 incidents of faulty iPods, causing fires or burning their owners.

Faulty lithium ion batteries are often the cause of overheating problems with consumer electronics. In June, the South Korean government asked Apple to recall its first-generation iPod Nano following four incidents since December 2008 where batteries overheated or exploded.

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Comments received


old git said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

I just sold mine.sick of hearing problems with them,burning holes in cars?..hell no,may be someones house next? Actually was getting rather bored with every kid seeming to have them also.

Peter said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

"Actually was getting rather bored with every kid seeming to have them also."

:§

Jenny Day said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

Rather worrying. I haven't dropped it or had any evidence of problems YET! But given li-ion's past history of EXACTLY these sorts of issues in Sony, Dell, and Apple laptops to name but a few I hope Apple will act swiftly to investigate thoroughly as I don't want to find myself on fire or worse still my house.

Kevin said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

Yep, you are an old git :D

Tommo_UK said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

15? WOW - FIFTEEN faulty iPods out of HUNDREDS of MILLIONS sold. Aiiiiiii call the police! The scandle of it all!
And it took an 800-page report to summarise that? Jesus, how pathtic... can't those Microsoft shills in Seattle think of anything better to do with their time than report on the 15 iPods over 9 years which had suffered self-imolation problems? Why don't they look in their own back yard and look at the hundreds of millions of Windows users who have suffered crashing operating systems and trillions of Dollars of losses instead?

Microdudes... or should that be Microduds? Rock on Redmond! Your media shill sure nailed Apple on those 15 iPods.

@Tommo said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

They are crap.

Jona said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

I wonder how long before the recall starts for batteries like they did with iPods in Korea?

The dumb decision to lock in the batteries will make any replacement very expensive.

@Jona said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

You do realise that if the iPhone didn't have a built in battery it would either be

A. Twice as fat
or...
B. Last half as long

Which option would you prefer? You honestly think Apple is dumb don't you? And that making a fat iPhone with a short battery life would be smarter than replacing the odd one that goes wrong.

Mr Weekender said on Tue, 18 Aug 2009

15 in 9 years - lol! Honestly what a pile of crap this report is...

@@Jona said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

Other manufactures have proved you don't need to lock the battery in. We all know why it was done, more money.

@Mr Weak Ender

1 bursting into flames should be enough to create an inquiry but the iPod Touch seems to be making a habit of it.

Mr Weekender said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

"1 bursting into flames should be enough to create an inquiry but the iPod Touch seems to be making a habit of it."

Making a habit would be more like say 50,000 out of a 1,000,000. I'd say it was more of an anomaly probably due to specific factors outside of Apple's control - like uh I don't know dropping it in a glass of water. Tool!

Badger said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

@Tommo_UK It might only be 15 but you'd have a very different opinion if it happens to you. It's not the number that's the issue, it's the fact that it's happening at all.

Crashing operating systems (though infrequent in my opinion) are far less of a hazard to your health and property.

Daniel said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

"In the UK, 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. " darn these terrosts seem to have found a new way to destabilize society

ZABAMAN said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

I dropped a Zune out of my bedroom window onto the driveway. It made a hissing noise and then started working, funny as it had never worked before. I rang Microshaft and they said they were sorry that it worked, none of our technology usually works, and they would send me a replacement. They sent me a document of 800 pages detailing the 2 Zunes out of the masive 173 they had sold that actually worked.

@Badger said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

I agree.

Mr Weak Ender the Tool

Bill Jameson said on Wed, 19 Aug 2009

It's all bad press, something Apple is not good at dealing with.

ozdweed said on Thu, 20 Aug 2009

Unbelievable - in that many sales a few have gone wrong - is this by people who now wish they had bought an iPhone instead of the dud imitations that are suddenly springing up!

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