Exploding iPod blows up in Apple's face
By Nilay Patel 
posted August 3rd 2009 2:02PM
posted August 3rd 2009 2:02PM
Now, it's no secret that lithium-ion batteries like those used in the iPod have a long history of overheating and exploding, and Apple's certainly had large-scale problems with defective cells -- the first-gen iPod nano has been recalled in Korea and Japan, for example. It's also obvious that the sheer number of iPods sold means there are more exploding iPods than anything else -- and while we're sure some accountant at Apple has a spreadsheet showing the exact failure rate is acceptable, all we've got right now is story after story of these things blowing up with zero context. So here's our suggestion to Apple: maybe instead of having lawyers draft individual settlement agreements full of impenetrable and scary legalese for each and every jilted iPod owner out there, why not simply fess up to the problem, let people know exactly how common it is and how to avoid it, and provide a dead-simple replacement option for people who've had their iPods go up in smoke? That would put everyone at ease, and make these types of stories much less likely to blow up in a media feeding frenzy. Or, you know, do nothing because overwhelming market share inevitably leads to arrogant laziness -- your call.
[Via TUAW]
It's like the RROD for Apple
Maybe I'd rather have a BSOD
A joke so bad, even a caveman can do it.
what poor Microsoft has to do with evil Apple ?
how lame Engadget
neither Yahoo
Lame !
How can Apple's stock still be going up after this came out, it should drop like a mofo.
What about the ninjas?
It's just like the RROD, if you had to kick your 360 down a flight of stairs before the RROD popped up. This guy dropped his iPod, causing it to crack open.
@bobby: It has this to do with Microsoft: "...because overwhelming market share inevitably leads to arrogance and laziness..."
I would rather take the RROD then have my car explode.
@ Techie:
Stock price isn't affected because, despite what the media wants you to believe, this isn't that big a deal. Every product will have defective units shipped; no manufacturing process has a 0% failure rate. As Engadget noted, because Apple ships so many of these, there are bound to be more defects in iPods than anything else, and because Apple stories tend to get more attention than others, the likelihood of these defects being reported is higher. Investors don't care because it's not going to affect the bottom line.
Maybe if this reaches the rumored "30% units affected" mark like the RROD does. Until then, I think many of us have an iPod that has NOT exploded.
Even if they do blow up, a face full of exploding iPod is still better than owning a Zune.
@Jeff:
If that was the case, the high volume of Windows and its "security" flaws would be ignored and Microsoft's stock would be going up as well. Ratio-wise, it's no different from other systems out there.
It's not hit because Apple's a "hot commodity" and looked at as the very definition of "hip" to this generation.
@ tangocat:
Microsoft's stock isn't going up because Microsoft isn't offering much to the investment community. Earnings are down for the first time in history. Microsoft is being faced with increased competition on all fronts, including Windows and Office. Vista flopped. Consumers don't generally hold its brand in high regard. Its only profitable businesses are Windows and Office; everything else relies on these two to be profitable.
Maybe it'll go up if Windows 7 sells well; maybe it won't. There are a lot of factors that affect stock price, far more than we can imagine. That's basically why I was saying Apple's stock isn't going down because a statistically insignificant percentage of iPods were defective and got a disproportionate amount of media attention.
This is just not Apple's day... or week.
Is this Microsoft getting a jump on the Windows 7 launch by spiking the web with Apple Haterade?
Not that I don't find it kinda fun to jump on the bandwagon!
I wonder if the legal letter mentioned how the other apple guy committed "suicide" after being tortured.
This is a fake story. The MS fanbois would do anything to take marketshare away from apple. The iPod is a perfect product that never malfunctions.
uwaga dude. spoken like a true iDB ^_^
But I thought Steve Jobs designed the iPod to *perfection*. He won't make a netbook because it would deliver an "inferior" user experience. Every curve and every material has to meet his perfecting standards.
Yet batteries explode, Apple gets lawsuits, Apple's the target of an FCC investigation, it loses not just a board member but the board member who's a CEO of a company that they're publicly friendly with... Bad karma anyone???
But OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT - their stock keeps going through the roof!!! In fact it's about to hit 170 and soon it'll be at $200/share again and it will break Apple's all-time record again even though we're still in a recession??
(is it just me or did hell freeze over)
That's sound advice but I think they'd rather push the illusion of infallibility. I think they're a great company but the pedestal they've been placed on may have them act in more mysterious ways rather than the "hey, shit's fucked up so call this number."
Lol, it's not like they're breaking the story.
One Word: Liability
Seriously. The lawsuit rate will only go up for any company that runs around advertising that their product occasionally explodes.
Even for explosives.
You know, because those are supposed to ALWAYS explode, not only occasionally.
I wonder what is the liability insurance at Apple's manufacturing plant?
One thing about that whole who should be responsible thing - if you read the original UK Times source, the device was dropped/damaged first, just before it exploded. I'm not saying that we should expect things to explode when you drop them, but I think there's a difference between an ipod/laptop/whatever just overheating and exploding versus it becoming damaged and then exploding. Crappy compensation in either case!
The original description from Times
"Ken Stanborough, 47, from Liverpool, dropped his 11-year-old daughter Ellie’s iPod Touch last month. “It made a hissing noise,” he said. “I could feel it getting hotter in my hand, and I thought I could see vapour”. Mr Stanborough said he threw the device out of his back door, where “within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10ft in the air”."
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article6736587.ece
I dont care what they did, I dont care if it wsant under warranty. If it exploded, the iPod should be replaced or refunded. Apple should send them a check, no strings attached. If they want to sue Apple, and Apple settles with them, a gag order in that case could be understood.
Great article. Thumbs up. A+++ would read again.
"It's also obvious from the sheer number of IPods sold means there are more exploding IPods than anything else."
Let's look at that sentence: "also obvious" qualify that phrase please and "means" equals a very weak word.
"Until Liverpool itself goes bankrupt." Cute. You need to get a book on urban myths and the hysteria of the masses. Problems? Probably, but because of the sheer numbers involved, meaning sales, its truly obvious that the product as designed is beyond safe. Even that woman from Seattle, despite being burned by an IPod, (she claims) lets her children, five of them, go to bed with with IPods.
Look, let me help you here. You're obviously trying to ride a story that has already been created. How about doing some research instead of repeating things that are already in the press? Cal Apple for god's sake! Have you done that?
No, of course not, you're an intern.
Assuming every product has an equal failure rate, more iPods have exploded because Apple's sold orders of magnitude more units than anyone else. Sounds like Engadget agrees with you that this is hysteria, but is suggesting that Apple actually take steps to deal with the meme instead of ignoring it.
"Let's look at that sentence: "also obvious" qualify that phrase please and "means" equals a very weak word."
I think you need to look at that sentence again.
^ How to be a dick.
Chill man.
Because they happen to be fanboys. Never take anything fanboys say seriously........it is a policy that works quite well. Unfortunately you happen to be a fanboy as well, so this will most likely fall on deaf ears, but hey.
I wouldn't liken it to RROD.
I would be concerned about the language in the settlement agreement.
So don't sign it. He didn't either.
If you had it in your back pocket and it exploded, RROD would be most likely IMO.
@whynot
The fact that Apple would put wording like that in a confidentiality agreement should be disturbing to anyone.
Lawyers are like that. If you don't like it, don't sign it. He didn't.
I don't need to be worried because he isn't being compelled to sign it. If he accepts a free iPod to replace his (that he broke on his own), then he has to do something in return.
I personally probably wouldn't find the $250 iPod enough inducement to sign away my ability to talk about it, so I wouldn't sign it. If others want to make the opposite decision, it's not my place to criticize.
I remember when it was cool to hate on Windows and Vista. :(
What are we going to pick on once Windows 7 is out? Vista will be "history"... Snow Leopard is aparently good too... Maybe it's Linux's turn to take a battering... oh wait, it has done most of its life.
I remember when Apple were cool.
its still cool to hate windows vista. Its just growing cooler to hate apple due to their rising usage/profits. People will always hate rich and powerful corporations, the more money one makes the more people there will be out there that dislike you. Personally if i was the boy with the exploding ipod i would rather not accept the deal and sell the story to the newspapers for more.
The guy dropped his iPod, triggering the smoke. This isn't even something to fess up to.
Why should there be a dead simple replacement system for people who abuse their iPods?
Seems like maybe engadget has some market dominance going on here, because they sure have the arrogance.
If you drop an iPod it will start to smoke...it's an enhancement help you find it! Genius!!
It's a PMP and should expect to be able to withstand some abuse. So rather than getting riled up that someone dropped the thing, you should be more concerned that the product failed under "normal" conditions. You should be even MORE concerned that parts started burning. I guess if it's not your 11 year old it's no big deal though.
You're kidding me, right? It's one thing to hope your device survives being dropped, it's another to blame someone else when things don't turn out so rosy.
If $250 is enough of a loss to you that you would be tempted to sign away your ability to speak out to recover it, then you should learn to treat devices that are worth $250 better so you are less likely to end up in this conundrum.
Maybe part of the problem is people seem to think it's okay to spend what is to them a small fortune on a device that can be easily dropped, lost or stolen. Just because you can do so, doesn't mean it is wise to do so or that someone else should make your problem go away when it doesn't turn out so well for you.
I can't quite understand how dropping an iPod Touch could reasonably result in such a reaction though. I've dropped my Zune (2nd Gen) more times than I can count, usually bouncing off a treadmill or gym floor and it's just fine. No cracks, smoke, no damage of any kind.
Dropping an iPod on the ground is within the scope of a normal event. My expectation is that it should just break and that's it. No smoke coming from the device thank you very much. If by some miracle it survives, well happy day.
@whynot
You are totally missing the point. The iPod should not start BURNING just from being dropped. That should concern anyone. That family had every right to contact Apple about this incident.
Put your cynicism on break for a sec and look at the big picture.
I agree with CJ here...
Yes it's totally his fault that he dropped it...I think he's fine with the fact that it broke and could ACCEPT that. I think the part he couldn't accept was when it started hissing, smoking, heating up, which required him to get rid of it like a grenade...before it EXPLODED like a grenade.
But that's just me. If you're cool with your PMP exploding, or accepting that your PMP might explode, that's fine...Just not something I expect during the normal course of my day.