France to Investigate Apple Over Exploding iPhones
Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:48 am
Half a dozen new claims of exploding iPhones have come out of France, as Apple faces an official investigation over the possible risks of its popular smartphone.
An 80-year-old Parisian pensioner, Rolland Caufman, claimed his iPhone screen began cracking in his hands a week after he bought it.
"I went out shopping, with my iPhone in my left pocket, when I suddenly felt it heat up and start vibrating -- even though I never use the vibrate setting," said Caufman. "I took it out of my pocket and held it to my ear -- and saw the screen crack up like a car windscreen."
In another case, a 26-year-old security guard, Yassine Bouhadi, said he suffered an eye injury when the screen of his iPhone suddenly shattered.
In all, ten French iPhone users have now come forward claiming their handset screens have either cracked or exploded without explanation.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company insists the exploding screen cases were isolated incidents. It has sold more than 26 million iPhones since it first debuted two years ago.
"We are aware of these reports and we are waiting to receive the iPhones from the customers," said Alan Hely, Apple's European head of communications. "Until we have the full details, we don't have anything further to add."
But France's consumer affairs watchdog, the DGCCRF, is still launching an inquiry to determine whether Apple's flagship device poses a threat to consumers.
Additionally, the European Commission has asked the other EU nations to report any iPhone-related problems.
"We just need to monitor closely now and see if these are isolated incidents," said Helen Kearns, the Commission's spokeswoman. "We'll be vigilant and if necessary we'll take further actions."
Three years ago, similar lithium-ion batteries made news when Sony voluntarily recalled millions of laptop batteries after they caused laptops to possibly overheat and catch fire.
Experts blamed part of the problem on the increased demand that sophisticated portable devices are placing on batteries.
Since batteries were first manufactured on a large scale in 1991, consumer electronics have become over 200 times faster -- outpacing developments in battery technology.
