It's hard to call two incidents of some occurrence around the world a trend, but, when those incidents both involve an electrical device catching fire spontaneously, it creates a situation that's hard to ignore -- especially when that device is the iPhone. On Saturday, Italian blogger Tim Colbourne was charging his 3G handset and, after three hours, it sparked and caught fire at the base. Tim did a little investigation and found a case of a Swedish handset doing the same thing back in 2008, making us a little concerned that there could be more melted chargers out there. Apple replaced that earlier phone after something of a fight, and while we're hoping they'll be a little friendlier here, we're also hoping this gives Cupertino another bit of incentive to go ahead and switch over to micro-USB already. All the cool kids are
doing it, and you don't see their cables catching fire --
usually.
[Via
Cult of Mac]
posted Mar 4th 2009 9:29AM
iBurn?
Experiment
Take your 1st generation iphone, plug it into your computer's USB port to charge it and then touch the metal apple logo on the back.
Do you feel anything?
I get a very mild electric shock that is just strong enough to let me know current is moving through it.
When I was in Shanghai once, I plugged in my HP Jornada 525 and accidentaly plugged in a power transformer before it, not knowing it already could alternate between 110 and 220 - and the shit shocked the living daylight's out of me. Dropped it on the floor.
Thats what you get for Jailbreaking...
@iGoon
That's what you get for buying iCrApple products :)
iLowRanked
I call shenanegans! Why is only the plug burnt?
Flashpoint, if that is the case, there's no current moving through it until you touch it. Otherwise, it's just a built-up voltage.
@Flashpoint:
What you are feeling is a high impedence AC current at whatever half of your AC input voltage is -- probably ~55-60V in North America. You may have an extremely cheap PSU with terrible EMI filtering, your PSU is bad, or you have a bad or otherwise poor earth ground in your electrical system. If you are feeling it, there is enough current flowing where it shouldn't be to warrant finding the cause of the problem (particularly if it's bad grounding)
In overly simple terms, switchmode power supplies energize the common (ground) rails to half of the input voltage and then the various DC voltages are supplied relative to this. For safety reasons, the common return is also normally bridged to earth ground. In your description, this includes your computer's case, the shielding in the USB cable, and your iPhone's metal bits. When you touch the case of the iphone, your body is providing an alternative earth path and since the case is effectively energized to 60V relative to earth you can feel the tiny current.
John Laur
Good answer.
That's not an iPhone, that's a BATTLESTATION.
Mine did that exact same thing when I held a lighter under it...
John gave a great description. Let me emphasize two points -
1. It's your computer's ac power supply, not the iphone.
2. It could be bad wiring at the outlet - either a missing ground (make sure you're using a 3-wire plug) or miswired. You can buy an outlet checker to verify it.
No, actually its FireWire.
iDontCheckMyConnectorsForForeignObjects
@berger
didn't you mean iCALL?
I'm on my fourth iPhone. They're certainly not perfect.
four iphones!? I understand that they should be sturdy, but it's gotta be something your doing
My iphone lasted a year because I didn't use a protective case and I dropped it a couple times. Only problem was - the sleep/wake button broke. I just got a new one.
They are not perfect and yet people still call it the Jesus Phone.
I am convinced that the use of Jesus Phone is due to people's reaction when they see their bill...
Story of Ted, Maria and Mindy:
Maria: Hey honey, you see the new AT&T bill for Mindy's iPhone
Ted: No.
(Ted looks at bill)
Ted: JESUS!! MOTHER ****ING H. CHRIST.
Maria: I said the same thing. The sad part is that she didn't even go over her minutes or allotted text messages.
Ted: I'll be back.
Maria: Where are you going?
Ted: Going to sell a kidney and lung to pay this off.
@JAmerican
I don't think anyone calls it the Jesus Phone. Except you maybe?
If it is not something you are doing to cause the replacements, WHY GO BACK!?
@strat
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19297486/
http://www.google.com/search?q=iphone+jesus+phone
Strat, I think you need to get out of your bubble and read around a lot more.
Nah Man, they just dont call it the jesus phone on engadget. because then engadget would get SOOOOO much crap from apple haters it would clog the system. the referance to the iphone as jesus phone has been turned down alot on other sites though. rediculous apple fanboys might still use it.
I'm surprised you didn't give up after the second.
Ha Ha
2 out of how many? Certainly not a trend. I'd venture to say that out of a batch of a million electronic devices, a couple are going to short.
Drop It Like it's Hottt, Drop it like it's Hottt...
but, but if you drop it it'll brake
@web
Yea it'll definitely brake when it hits the ground.. However, I'm sure it'll also break
It'd be nice if they switched over to micro-USB, standard DisplayPort, or basically any current generation standard port. I say this knowing full well that every USB port on the next MacBook will be tinyUSB which will need a dongle for the low price of $25 each, only available on the Greenier MacBook*, coming to you in late 2009.
*Warning: Lab only tests. Lowest screen brightness level only with new SuperHigh Gloss coat.
Pleeeeeease don't change to micro-USB... I've only just amassed enough of the current cables to be able to leave one everywhere I need one... not to mention all the docks, iTrip, iPod Hi-Fi etc etc etc
iBurn
http://tw.apple.pro/?uid-21-action-viewspace-itemid-1919
This is why I'm hot, this is why hot, this is why, this is why, this is why I'm hot.
Do you honestly think they should switch to micro USB?
Of course... proprietary connections are BS.
Even ones that are much more widely adopted than micro USB, which are easily and widely licensed, which have supported myriad products over a period of many years and maintain backwards compatibility with almost all of them?
I still prefer miniUSB to microUSB. Although, microUSB says stuck to the device unless you really pull it free.
"Even ones that are much more widely adopted than micro USB, which are easily and widely licensed, which have supported myriad products over a period of many years and maintain backwards compatibility with almost all of them?"
Still yes, first off it's smaller (smaller form factor devices are now more likely), it's more durable (it can stand 10,000 connects/disconnects), and universal compatibility is always a good thing. Imagine one day only needing one cable to charge over a dozen different gadgets (cell phone, camera, camcorder, bluetooth headset, bluetooth watch, who knows what else).
Switching to USB is crazy talk. The iPhone has a dock -- I hate screwing around plugging in usb every day. Standardizing is great, but couldn't we have standardized on a dock form factor too?
@ Collin Jensen
And why can't a dock have microUSB? My storm utilizes microUSB and I have a dock for it. A dock is a dock no matter what connector it has.
Geez. The iPod dock connector carries lots of signals - including USB. It's a superset of connectivity. And even if micro USB is standardised, the only interoperability you'll be able to count on is power. Anything else implemented is still up to the device! That's why your hard drive doesn't record video when you plug a webcam into it.
That's hot!
Oh that has to be the newest feature.. the iFirewall!
Because it caught on fire.. and ..ehm., it was connected to the wall .. eh... never mind.
If it makes you feel better, I totally got it! :D
In before the iFanboys strike back.
The words "Apple" and "standard" usually don't end up the same sentence. Apple's MO is to be proprietary all the way, unless they're forced kicking and screaming into adopting an industry standard (from display connectors to peripheral connectors to networking to whatever). Being proprietary means they can make more out of any given product, and that makes good business sense, if not actually being good for the consumer. Just look at the iPhone as a whole, about the only thing "standard" is the SIM slot, and even that is a stretch.
If what all the Apple-fans say about Apple customer support is true, there should be zero problems in getting the burned product replaced in a jiff.
Yes, everything Apple does is proprietary. That's why their OS is based on an open source OS. That's why they use SATA hard drives, that's why they use actual standards like webkit for their web browser, MP4 for the music on the iTunes store, USB, DisplayPort, that's why they help improve and implement standards like OpenGL and OpenCL for everybody to use.
Because they're so "proprietary".
Zak, I guess you missed my comment, that Apple does use standards, if they're forced to. What did they use before OSX? What did they use before USB? What did they use before going the Intel route? Before displayport? The list goes on, since Apple was (and still is) king of proprietary. These standards were pretty much forced on them, when their proprietary stuff didn't work. Not only that, they broke compatibility with old hardware and software many, many times. Or have you just started using Apple products in the last year or so? Even then, it still doesn't make Apple free of proprietary stuff, far, far from it.
Like I said, it's good business practice, and Apple is there to make money. Apple also makes nice products, but they're far from perfect.
Is their OS proprietary or not? Psystar is on the phone and wants an answer.
apple created mini display port and OS X is not a standard its only found on apple products
Well, given that this guy has applied an easily scratched *plastic* screen protector to an almost scratch-proof tempered glass screen, I would say his intelligence is in question. Also, if he has a cat, and was not paying attention for even a second (likely), that would cause this kind of damage.
I question why Engadget is even bringing this up as a serious issue if all we have are two data points years apart in different countries when the iPhone has sold millions around the world. Those are some of the smallest odds that ever were.
My cat also spontaneously combusts.
Apple is just as guilty as Microsoft at stifling competition and forcing their standards on others.
The reason they don't use micro USB is that the iPod docks would then work with every other MP3 player and people would finally leave the endless cycle of new dock->new iPod-> new dock-> new Ipod.
While I'm quite far from an apple fanboy or defender, 2 phones in almost 2 years is definitely not a trend. It's probably a combination of a defective charger, defective phone, and possibly not being plugged in correctly. And it's quite possible that both of these phones had sustained some damage through their owners that also helped to cause this accident. I'm sure we would have heard about this before if it was actually a serious problem.
And Apple has built up such a market around iPod accessories that use the proprietary port that there is no way they will ever switch to mini usb.
I hope they do switch to micro usb. Before anybody makes the but what about tv-out and things like that , My htc fuze has a special 11 pin mini usb compatible connector. Allows mini usb to be plugged into it for data sync and charging but also allows the special 11 pin adapters for tv out and headphones.
Maybe apple should talk to htc about it :)
I think we would have seen more of this, if it was a common defect, given the amount of time Apple's been using the dock connector.
maybe defective cable/charger, with a lot of fake iPod low quality cables and accessories proliferating around.
Why does this sort of stuff always happen to bloggers? It's like people with an in-built audience and a modicum of tech-savvy are prone have terrible, random defects with their computers.
It may have occured more then twice but, it happens to have appeared on the internet twice thanks to it happening to tech savvy bloggers. Many people I know would not think that the whole internet must know if this occured to them.
I called it bullsh*t, just by looking at the picture it just don't look right, i think if anything the phone would have catch fire from the inside like the iPods do or any other device would do, internal cables are smaller and weaker. i think this is one of those iTorch cases.
shut up - it happened in the USA too
@gabe, Am not saying it can't catch on fire you freggin tard am just saying no like that it won't, it's also kind of strange his a freggin blogger to, so he might be desperate for traffic who the heck knows.
I was visiting a friend two weeks ago and he brought out his iPhone charging cord and it looked just like that
Screen protector placement fail
Fanboy or not, I may even have to defend a Zune if this was reported on them.
OOOOOOH!!!!! 2 devices out of 15 million. Yes, we have a real crisis on our hands. Who wrote this, Obama?
Sheez. More crap journalism from Crapgadget.
stop reading if you don't like the journalism? I suppose you're a masochist.
Here's my theory.
The port has pocket lint in it.
He charged it.
Current + Lint + Power Port = Arching = Fire of Lint
Metal elements are more likely then lint to have caused this damage, it doesn't take much to cause a short, something as simple as a penny in your pocket can easily get lodged in there. I once pulled my phone out of my pocket to find it had the "this accessory is not compatible" message on the screen, only to find thats because the accessory in question was an arcade token that had found its way into the port. I no longer let it share pockets. Also twisting and damage to the charging chord given then thin nature of it can lead to weakened insulation.
+1. Lint is a pretty common occurrence up in the dock connector there. I've also read of people getting dirt under the home button to make it stop functioning, but I've never actually seen it and I know plenty of people with iPhones.
oh, and i also wanted to say, that the dc voltage being supplied by the cable is way to low to cause arching required to burn lint.
@Hunter - you obviously have never touched a 1W resistor operating at full power. USB can provide 2.5W, which is more than enough to melt this.
As much as I would love apple to switch to a usb-standard, I would miss being able to hang the ipod from the dock cord, as bad as it may be for the cable.
Also, getting a line-out 1/8" jack signal would require a NEW special jack/dock/donglew... defeating the purpose or nixing line out all together, which will stop me from ever using one again (the interior amp blows.) Right now I just have an ipod-->usb/1/8" cord, and it's the greatest thing ever. let me get some digital line out from the usb though (without hooking it through a computer), and i'll get one...
He couldn't like up his screen protector correctly so maybe he jammed the
plug in at an angle and shorted some pins out.
2 flaming phones out of millions= 2 idiots.
stop being such an apple b1tch
its a flawed product
Go back to school and learn math and statistics!
2 Phones of of 8 million is a flawed user not a flawed product.
I had a first gen iphone and when I charged it overnight I would have to wake up in the middle of the night to take it off the charger.... everytime I left it on the charger for more than a couple of hours it would get very hot.... one time I was charging it on the bed and forgot to take it off... I rolled over and it left a pretty little mark on my side
The worst idea in the wold is to REPLACE the dock connector with some micro-usb craptastic connector. First and foremost there are more iphone/ipod accessories than any other... and it's just starting to get enough market penetration that the prices are falling below ridiculous points for some gadgets. Say nothing of car stereos and other integrations that have had these connectors placed in them. I would be fairly pissed at apple. We might even see an FTC unfair/deceptive competition action from apple because around the 4th/5th gen when things really started taking off with accessories they stated that the connector was universal and that your stuff would be compatible with all future ipods. At best it would take 3+ generations of having multiple connectors on the device and then maybe you could pull the connector - but that's still a giant pain in the ass.
Any other connector and I would agree with you. Hell I think micro-usb is a stupid idea and we should have gone to mini-usb (Because people already have the damn cables) but noooooooooooo we need to sell more cables.
this happened to me - the usb port got outstandingly HOT and burned the usb port.
unfotunately i was using a tmobile service - BUT i had my friend (ATT customer) get it replaced.
u suck apple
@ Gabe: stop being a trolling little bitch.
MILLIONS of people have no problem with their phones... don't you think we'd have heard about it all kinds of people burning themselves/children/pets/their house if the phone got hot enough to give you a burn mark?
You probably don't even have one, you're just whining. And if you do, then bloody go get it looked at, dolt! I can leave my plugged in for a day straight and it doesn't get much warmer then a luke-warm hand warmer; which is more than normal.
We need to write a troll theme song for engadget...
NoandThen,
award for the best simile in history,
""No hotter than a lukewarm hand warmer"
So...fanbois... you guys really paid for all this junk?
All what junk, exactly? Are you saying you think two incidents out of millions and millions of iPhones means something?
Is this the first generation iPhone? Cause that actually doesn't look the same as my 3G... I'm from Canada.
I am specifically speaking about the ridge that seems to border the outline of the phone and then extends around the button. Whereas the entire surface of my iPhone is completely flat except for the button.
Looks like it might be one of those Chinese knockoffs maybe.
My iPhone cord got burnt last week just like in the picture however my iPhone was not ever plugged in at the time. I was about to plug it in to charge when I burnt my hand form the heat of the cord. I haven't had a chance to return it to Apple and get their feedback yet but when I do I'll post an update.
The phone can actually get pretty hot. On a couple of occasions when I talked on the phone for a while (50 mins +) the phone got almost too hot to hold in my hands. And we all know about how hot Apple products can get (1st gen Macbook Pro much?)
He took a lighter to it.
Jeez.
While I'm against proprietary standards mostly....
The apple connection is great in terms that is has been around the longest out of ANY music player - Apple has stuck by it like a fat kid does potato chips. The Dock connection actually does quite a few more things than a USB connection does, and offers a wide range of devices to plug into it with backwards compatibility. (http://pinouts.ru/Devices/ipod_pinout.shtml). Hell, my 3 year old deck in my car still supports the newest iPods' dock... The same CANNOT be said about other manufacturers. Period.
If I had a dime for every time every OTHER mp3 manufacturer changed their connection, I'd be able to buy out Apple
its not an Iphone look at the distance between the home button and the plug its not right!
Italian blogger?
More like a British blogger currently living in Italy.
Anyway, coupla days ago I plugged my iphone into the USB jack to charge it and synch it. It buzzed as normal when the connection was established and I went to bed. Next morning it was very hot and the thing had not charged at all. Tried it again and it started charging and it cooled down.
Nothing wrong with the contacts in that they were not bent.
I am definitely going to go back and check now after this incident and the one posted by this "Italian blogger".
Just got my iphone 3g replaced by apple for overheating. I am convinced it is connected to the 2.2.1 update. Here's why - after loading the update my battery started to drain significantly faster than normal. If I went a whole day and had 80% left normally, now I had less than 10% left, and it was always hot to the touch. Apple claimed that higher than 95 degrees was too warm, and mine, after sitting on the countertop, unused for 2hrs, was over 102 degrees. I did not update the replacement unit, just reloaded my apps and music, and I have not had the issue since.
I've dropped my iPhone about four times on the pavement. Mostly from four feet up. While briefly horrified each time, I've been shocked each time that there's no damage other than a little scratch on the upper black plastic. I'm pretty proud of the little thing.
They sold 5 million. Two cables melted. That's nothing.
And you think there's less than a 1 in 2.5 million chance of a device with a microUSB cable melting? I doubt it.
you don't really knowns that there are only 2 burned iphone.
You can't trust on Apple, for example the case of defectives 8600m gt (present in some macbook pro). Apple in this case must admitted their mistake after the massive group of "isolated" cases of users with the same problem.
Iphone is still a recent product, so the number of this kind of incidence can be increased in a (near?) future, or may be not and indeed its can be considered as a special case.
I thought Apple stopped using Firewire.
Thank you.
Same thing happened to my MBP power adapter. I left it compressing uncompressed HD to mpeg2 (something I do all the time), then started smelling burnt rubber from the other side of the room and found the base of the cord where it meets the adapter burnt through from the inside. Luckily I caught in time before it started a fire. I've got pictures I can put up later.
Looks exactly like what happened to their shitty MagSafe connectors.
That happened to my Powerbook g4 once. It was charging then all of a sudden started smoking and melting
Looks like a Meizu
Changing plugs kills backwards compatibility. I can use either my old video, my toch, my wife and my sons classic, my sons nano all in my car dock, to the stereo, the mini system in the bedroom, and both boomboxes. I will lose this if they change plugs. I wanted to eventually get an iPhone. would piss me off not being able to use it in the car and the other places.
Oh and my Bluetooth plug for the headphones wouldn't work anymore either.
He probably had it connected to something that overpowered it. Apple products are flawless.
And NO! They should not use the Micro USB. That is just the dumbest idea. The Dock Connector is perfect. it's the best interface and it is unique. I hope they don't ever change.
and some how people still buy the worst smart phone on the market, its like people buying ps3's your paying more for less, and mini-usb
is going to be the next port on everything