Another iPod touch catches on fire, Mr. BlurryCam is there

Perhaps this is some sort of elaborate hoax, maybe it's an epidemic of iPod touch coffee stains, or perhaps this player really just is this hard to photograph. Still, our second set of blurry "my iPod touch caught on fire" pictures certainly has us reaching for our Flaming Goblet of Skepticism (+3 WIS). Similar to Max's experience a couple days ago, tipster Ryan F. says his iPod caught on fire from the inside. Ryan says he plugged it in to charge and it showed a dead battery, then the screen went white and the device started to get super hot, so he unplugged it but it continued to burn. The fire ended up leaving a blackish orangish circle in the screen, along with a brown dent in the metal on the back (pictured after the break). Ryan's going to try and track down a better camera to take some better pictures of the damage.

[Chris Macdonald @ Mar 15th 2008 4:16PM]

is it just me or did the text get bigger at the end of our?

[martin @ Mar 15th 2008 4:18PM]

just about to post the exact same thing lol.. its getting huge on the other storis too :-s

[darkroom @ Mar 15th 2008 4:21PM]

your camera's macro setting is you friend! please use it...

*nods* to the first comments about the HUGE TEXT

[WillisOGeeky @ Mar 17th 2008 7:34AM]

Magnifying glass+sun anyone? It could catch fire underneath and burn the back through?

[Max Shanly @ Mar 15th 2008 4:21PM]

Mmm, believe me now?

[derX @ Mar 15th 2008 11:40PM]

"Perhaps this is some sort of elaborate hoax, maybe it's an epidemic of iPod touch coffee stains, or perhaps this player really just is this hard to photograph."


I'd say no.

[Max Shanly @ Mar 16th 2008 4:31AM]

Since I no longer have my flamin' iPod, I can't take any more photos to prove that it actually happened. I can say though that Ryan's photo definitely looks like a copy cat fake, it is just too blurry and too grainy to look real. I don't know what to say really, other than that mine was real. Engadget have even been forwarded the emails I have received from Apple regarding the matter, so if I can't prove it happened beyond that well then you're all a bunch of really skeptical arseholes.

[E71 @ Mar 16th 2008 11:41AM]

It looks like it's urinated itself.

[Jordan @ Mar 16th 2008 7:51PM]

Who cares if people believe or not? Does it really matter if I think your ipod caught fire?

[ammi @ Mar 17th 2008 3:49PM]

@chris:

How, exactly, does a blurry photo make the guy an Etard? Was he wearing giant neon-colored pants and dropping tabs whilst he was attempting to photograph the "damage"? Do you sense the presence of trance music?

Know your slang put-downs plzkthx.

[kyle allen @ Mar 15th 2008 4:24PM]

my iriver doesn't catch fire....

[Dude @ Mar 16th 2008 2:05AM]

and also it's not on Space Shuttle Endeavour.

[kyle allen @ Mar 15th 2008 4:39PM]

heck ill take built in fm tuner and microphone over having been-to-space-itude any day!

[nxtiak @ Mar 15th 2008 5:18PM]

My Zune doesn't catch fire.

[ijyt @ Mar 15th 2008 5:24PM]

My Nano doesn't catch fire.

[Cycomachead @ Mar 15th 2008 5:26PM]

4 ipods in my family don't catch fire either.

[Andrew @ Mar 15th 2008 5:30PM]

Ryan's pants caught on fire.

[Tom @ Mar 15th 2008 5:35PM]

Liar liar pants on fire..

:P

[YoMomma @ Mar 15th 2008 5:45PM]

my momma doesn't catch on fire.

[zachwd @ Mar 16th 2008 3:23PM]

my record player doesn't catch fire

[Bryant @ Mar 15th 2008 5:53PM]

"and also it's not on Space Shuttle Endeavour."

That fourth gen iPod only landed on the Endeavour after the flammable component (the LiIon battery) was swapped for one-time alkalines. They wouldn't have put the iPod in the flying brick otherwise.

[Chris @ Mar 15th 2008 8:32PM]

Stupid people can make any product look bad. He probably used some cheap china charger
that put out too much voltage. The guy can't even used a camera so what credibility should
anyone give him! Of the millions sold he is the only one? Something up and I smell an Etard!

Irivers and zunes don't catch fire because nobody uses them, their still sitting on store shelves...

[ryangohabs @ Mar 15th 2008 6:39PM]

I used an Apple charger thank you very much. And until I see a good picture of your iPod up on here, kindly shut the hell up.

[Chris @ Mar 16th 2008 7:57PM]

I don't own an ipod so he are some photos of my iphone:
http://img702.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2008/03/16/cimg1810-49uyn23il.jpeg
http://img110.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2008/03/16/cimg1811-49uynea9k.jpeg
Hmm, took me like 5 seconds. So what's your problem?

[Tony @ Mar 15th 2008 4:23PM]

It's as if they Photoshop their images to add noise.

[Eh @ Mar 15th 2008 6:28PM]

Thats what I was going to say, this is clearly the noise filter, theres no way a camera generated that.

[Chuck @ Mar 15th 2008 6:33PM]

To me it looks like he was taking the picture in a dark room.

But then again, what do I know

[Chuck @ Mar 15th 2008 6:34PM]

In a dark room with a concentrated light source, that is

[hamster3000 @ Mar 15th 2008 11:33PM]

Yeah just added some Gaussian blur and as Eh stated the noise filter. Replicated a pic just like that too.

[Chuckles McGee @ Mar 16th 2008 2:44PM]

No, no, the tortured orphan soul trapped within this iPhone has escaped, releasing spectral, camera-blurring energy in its wrath.

[Sachin @ Apr 13th 2008 4:35PM]

i'd say it's pretty obvious what happened...this picture was taken at the turn of the century...resulting in this low quality, 0.5 MP picture.

[chris @ Mar 15th 2008 4:28PM]

id have to say that imo, its definately pshopped

[Josh @ Mar 15th 2008 5:48PM]

This looks shopped. I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time.

[Carl Vitullo @ Mar 16th 2008 8:02PM]

ITS CHOPPED I CAN SEE THE PIXELS!!!!1!!1!

[Chris Mulkey @ Mar 15th 2008 4:36PM]

What is it with these people,(if this is legit) they can afford a $300 to $400 ipod but they can't seem to buy a decent digital camera: "Click" "Dang, that one was blurry, (delete) let me take a better picture of this burn." Go Figure.

[BowserUSC @ Mar 16th 2008 1:05AM]

I own an iPod but not a camera. It's because I have no use for a digital camera really, and would never buy one just to photograph a damaged product. Kind of looks like a cheap camera phone picture to me.

[DarkLightConnection Unbanned @ Mar 16th 2008 4:26AM]

I'm the same.. I have a Lyra (of the expensive video variety) but I have no decent camera, no use for it...

[lex @ Mar 17th 2008 5:42AM]

I'm on my sixth iPod in 7 years (currently a touch) and I still don't own a digital camera. The photos I took with my camera phone came out blurry, but not quite this bad.

[Can @ Mar 15th 2008 4:37PM]

This really looks like a obvious photoshop.
As Tony said, it exactly looks like the Add Noise filter of Photoshop, real camera noise isnt like that, it is more colorful.
The burn is really easy to create in photoshop also, just in a few seconds.

[Cycomachead @ Mar 15th 2008 5:30PM]

I'd have to agree. This one especially. The burn is also so uniform and circular. As with the noise. You also can't actually tell if it is a touch by the first photo. This one looks more like a touch than the last post.

I think it's a photo of a touch in an Apple store plus some PS.

[Paul @ Mar 15th 2008 4:40PM]

For the people taking pictures out there that get blurry pics from close up shots (And that arent just using a cellphone camera) there is a little setting on almots (if not all) cameras, it is a universal logo "from what I have seen" and it looks like a flower. That is for close up shots, and set it to auto-focus. That will help these close up blurred images.

Now for those that are going to tear into me for this: It is simply advice for those that do not know what all these logos are for, because lets face it, most people are good with point click and shoot and aren't picky. I only learned the setting a few years ago after osmeone told me. I am just trying to help out and not pick on anyone i promise. I hope it has enlightened one person, that would make my post all worth while.

Obligatory plug of wifes website for all the gals and movie home theater lovers out there.
www.partywithlite.com because I am the loyal dog err hubby.

Regards,
Paul

[happy_penguin @ Mar 15th 2008 4:41PM]

Never let it be said that Apple doesn't have hot products.

[The Dude @ Mar 15th 2008 4:50PM]

I see what you did there.

[happy_penguin @ Mar 15th 2008 6:25PM]

Fanboy?

[barrykingstar @ Mar 15th 2008 6:05PM]

I wonder if he was using an old firewire ipod (i.e. not iphone) charger? IFAIK these operate at a higher voltage so may be the source of trouble, if indeed there is any...

[ryangohabs @ Mar 15th 2008 6:16PM]

I used a wall charger.

[barrykingstar @ Mar 15th 2008 7:15PM]

Hey Ryan, was it the original iphone charger?

[ryangohabs @ Mar 16th 2008 1:03AM]

It was an official Apple wall charger.

[Jhongerkong @ Mar 15th 2008 4:54PM]

It seems that iPods are one hot commodity.

Im here all week folks.

[PA @ Mar 15th 2008 4:58PM]

Hurry! Buy a Zune... I guess that's what happen when a product is...HOT! ;-) Hoax from jealous competition, bring me laboratory analysis that prove the problem not blurry pics