Apple admits to iPod nano smoking and sparks, will replace faulty devices

It's only taken a number of years and some seriously ruined pants -- but Apple has finally come clean on the flammable nature of the first-generation iPod nano, and is now offering to replace the faulty devices. After reports today that two more of the media players had lit up without warning in Japan, the company issued a statement admitting that the nanos do -- in fact -- have battery problems which cause them to smoke or spark and generally burn the hell out of things. In the company's words:

"Apple has determined that in very rare cases batteries in first generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat causing failure and deformation of the iPod nano. Apple has received very few reports of such incidents (less than 0.001 percent of first generation iPod nano units), which have been traced back to a single battery supplier. There have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage, and no reports of incidents for any other iPod nano model.

Any first generation iPod nano customers who have experienced their battery overheating should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Any other customers who have concerns about their first generation iPod nano battery should also contact AppleCare."

Well, thanks guys... at least we didn't die.

[Kris S. @ Aug 19th 2008 3:43PM]

Too bad my 1st Gen Nano died after a measly year of service.

[phanbouy @ Aug 19th 2008 3:46PM]

yeah, sucks to be you

[Kris S. @ Aug 19th 2008 3:49PM]

Not at all actually, I replaced it with a Cowon D2 that's still going strong.

[Blackstar @ Aug 19th 2008 4:22PM]

First rule about exploding Nanos is, you do not talk about exploding Nanos.
Second rule about exploding Nanos is, you do NOT TALK about exploding NANOS!

[David Howell @ Aug 19th 2008 9:34PM]

I called Apple and I have the exact model that has the fire issue. Mine has been getting hot for years. Its not warm, it's blatantly hot. I asked her what they would do about it and she said nothing. I told her I can't leave it plugged in for more than an hour because I gets so hot. She told me not to charge it fully then. I asked her if ipods were made so that you could leave them attached to the cable USB permanently? She responded yes. I told her I would leave mine hooked up over night tonight to see what would happen, as a test of functionality. She told me that would be misusing the product and any damage would not be covered.

[Jubei @ Aug 19th 2008 3:46PM]

Very rare cases. Most likely abused by the user in the first place and faulty batteries from the supplier.

[Zeus.:God @ Aug 19th 2008 7:16PM]

LOL!

[kccboy2004 @ Aug 19th 2008 8:03PM]

Hold on everyone !!!

This is really unkind. give the Apple fanboys a chance. EVERYTHING is going against them at the moment. Apple continues to muck everything up. Apple just can't seem to get things right.

BUT, that is not the Fanboys' fault. They have nothing to cheer about, there is no need to abuse them.

The fanboys bought something that Apple promised them would work. They beleived it. Having a dud product is bad enough, but adding to it shame a derision is over the top.

The fanboys are shamefully embarrassed. Leave it at that. Please.

[Vince @ Aug 19th 2008 10:50PM]

iFail

[bob sakamano @ Aug 19th 2008 3:47PM]

that ipod has an outtie

[Chris H @ Aug 19th 2008 3:48PM]

Quick! Buy one on eBay and get it replaced under Apple Care (H)

Sorted..!

[Zinger314 @ Aug 19th 2008 3:49PM]

First-gen Nano? Whaa? Did I fall into a time warp?

[Wolfticket @ Aug 19th 2008 3:59PM]

A time warp where people don't all run out and re-buy their mp3 player as soon a new revision comes out.
Yes. Yes you did.

[HOOPER @ Aug 19th 2008 3:52PM]

So, are they sending replacement 2nd gens then?

[Yoo Hoo @ Aug 19th 2008 4:11PM]

I'm wondering the same thing...is apple sending a new nano or simply replacing the battery?

[scott @ Aug 19th 2008 4:26PM]

i had an ipod photo and it broke within warranty and they sent me a video as a replacement because they didnt make the photos anymore. so under that circumstance, i'd say they'd give them a new one.

[grull27 @ Aug 19th 2008 3:52PM]

I didn't know an iPod could look that ugly. :O

[Todd @ Aug 19th 2008 3:53PM]

This post's title as seen/perceived by me in RSS:

"...Apple admits to smoking and sparks blunt..."

[phanbouy @ Aug 19th 2008 4:34PM]

well that'd explain a few things...

[Boynamedsue @ Aug 19th 2008 4:51PM]

I too, tend to light up without warning.

[Towncivilian @ Aug 19th 2008 3:54PM]

Is there a way to determine the date of purchase based on the serial number?

[Abhishek @ Aug 19th 2008 4:08PM]

That's the Apple Kill Switch beta which has been used in the Nano's. The Kill Switch in the Iphones promises to be much more explosive, and rid the world of phanboys, thus increasing the global IQ by atleast 2 points. Once again, Jobbs FTMFW!!

[Bassir @ Aug 19th 2008 3:57PM]

Wait, so I can just call them and say that it's been overheating and they'll replace it?

How about the geniuses at the Apple store, will they also replace it?

[David @ Aug 19th 2008 4:01PM]

Wondering the same thing myself. Better safe than sorry. (Incidentally, I would love an upgrade!)

[konshuss @ Aug 19th 2008 3:58PM]

phew, glad Apple found out it's not their fault at all, as always. pesky single unnamed battery manufacturers.

[Coolbee8 @ Aug 19th 2008 3:58PM]

Well, if it toke the egocentric company this long to admit the tiny tiny nano problem, wait and see when they will responding to the bigger iphone 2nd gen battery and plastic problem.

[Dave B @ Aug 19th 2008 4:27PM]

Heh, toke. Goes nicely with the '…sparks blunt' post above. Who's got a light?

[Decoy @ Aug 19th 2008 3:58PM]

Message to (ALL):

Update our stance from "It isn't happening" to "It's fixed"

[Zorque @ Aug 19th 2008 4:46PM]

Are you seriously faulting them for owning up to a problem and seeing that something's done about it?

[Decoy @ Aug 20th 2008 11:11PM]

For not owning up to a problem until it is fixed :-/

[Johan S @ Aug 19th 2008 3:59PM]

Whenever someone mentioned this .. the fanboys would claim it was lies and false.
At least Apple is more mature.

[Moe @ Aug 19th 2008 4:02PM]

He ain't pretty no more

[LOL @ Aug 19th 2008 4:03PM]

Forwarded this to my ex-girlfriend. Not because of safety reasons, but so she will no longer be in possession of anything that has "Love forever, xxxx" engraved on it.

[BigD145 @ Aug 19th 2008 4:05PM]

I didn't know Apple sold Hot Pants. I guess I'm not hip enough to know these things.

[TIMMAH! @ Aug 19th 2008 4:16PM]

Is that a scene from Fight Club?

[Malikye @ Aug 19th 2008 4:25PM]

"You are not your iPod nano!" - Tyler Durden

[bob sakamano @ Aug 19th 2008 4:17PM]

why is engadgeting changing the pics/posts constantly?!?!? who is running the show?!?

[BuiltByBen @ Aug 19th 2008 4:18PM]

Seeing as today apple are giving reasons to why things go up in smoke hopefully I'll be getting an answer as to why my MagSafe melted in a lovely cherry red fireball last night

...they are sending me a new one all free of charge but an explaination of been nice

[Carson @ Aug 19th 2008 4:35PM]

What a joke. I keep my nano in my glove box connected to my radio so if it were to overheat it could lead to some very serious problems. Just to ease my mind, I called applecare and gave them my serial number. The lady on the phone (Val) would not confirm or deny whether my ipod nano was affected by this problem, and it sounded like she had no idea about the recent announcement.

At least I have a call on record with them in case my nano overheats and causes damage to my vehicle so I can pursue compensation...still, a simple "No, your nano is not affected" would have made me feel a lot better...

[Devin @ Aug 19th 2008 4:54PM]

I just talked to a Valerie at AppleCare too...she said the same thing! :P

[phanbouy @ Aug 19th 2008 4:57PM]

I just talked to Tiffany and she told me to shove it!

[lolism @ Aug 19th 2008 4:47PM]

So will Steve Jobs tell us EXACTLY what percentage of 1st gen Nanos (nanoes?) were affected by this? 0.37% perhaps?

[Jason @ Aug 19th 2008 7:46PM]

According to Mork, the appropriate plural is nanonano.

[Ford Mustang @ Aug 19th 2008 4:54PM]

I just called Apple Care and they claimed to know absolutely nothing about this problem. The customer support tech said there was nothing he could do about it since Apple hasn't released an announcement to them about it. What a joke.

[Neuralgia @ Aug 19th 2008 4:59PM]

How do I know if my iPod nano has this issue?

Any serial numbers?

Just like user Carson, I have a Pioneer radio with iPod control connected 24/7 in my car.

The problem is I live in Costa Rica, so I believe I'll have to wait 'til my next visit to the US.

The OTHER problem, is which model will the user recieve?

In my case, I believe my Pioneer is not compatible with the new nano's (it's not with my iPod Touch), so if they're giving the new ones, I'm screwed.

Option A) wait until my car explodes

Option B) get new ipod which I won't be able to use what I bought it for

Option C) new ipod, new radio

[Ford Mustang @ Aug 19th 2008 5:17PM]

Apple hasn't released any information on what model number or serial number are the ones to be concerned about.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who called and was told they knew nothing about it. Sounds like Apple made the stupid mistake of telling the public about the problem before their employees.

[ChrisSchwartz @ Aug 19th 2008 5:12PM]

Maybe Apple will now fess up to subpar ribbon cables/connectors for the headphone port/dock connector on the 1st gen iPod video units as well. I know mine is just a paper weight right now.

[Ford Mustang @ Aug 19th 2008 5:18PM]

Apple hasn't released any information on what model number or serial number are the ones to be concerned about.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who called and was told they knew nothing about it. Sounds like Apple made the stupid mistake of telling the public about the problem before their employees.

[itsnotabigtruck @ Aug 19th 2008 6:05PM]

Who said it was a mistake? They've used this technique many times before - it lets them disclaim liability (you could have sent it back any time, etc.) without actually incurring the cost of replacing the defective units.

[HyperHacker @ Aug 19th 2008 5:45PM]

"batteries [...] can overheat causing failure and deformation of the iPod nano."

Oh, and fires.