A 15-year old Belgian by the name of Salvatore is the latest victim in a series of mysterious iPhone explosions that have captured the attention of France’s and the European Commissions’ consumer affair watchdogs. Details are scarce for the moment, but according to local news reports the teenager was holding his iPhone in his hand, about to make a call, when the device suddenly ‘imploded’. The incident didn’t cause any serious injuries but reportedly gave Salvatore a headache for a couple of days. He has been promised a free replacement unit by Apple but hasn’t yet received a new phone.
There have earlier been numerous reports of exploding iPhone devices in the United States, United Kingdom and France, with most recently about ten cases having emerged in France where the official competition, consumer affairs and fraud watchdog DGCCRF has now launched an investigation to find out whether the popular Apple smartphone could pose a threat to consumers. Apple, which has sold 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods to date, said it had been informed of the French cases, but would not comment until it had closely examined the damaged phones.
Update: Apple has now said iPhones turned in by customers in France and elsewhere in Europe with shattered screens showed external pressure that would have caused the cracking. More on Bloomberg and Techmeme.
In one instance, a French teenager claimed he was hit in the eye with a glass shard when the screen of his iPhone cracked up. He said he would seek a full refund and file suit for damages. In another case, Apple came under fire for allegedly asking a young British girl’s family to sign a confidentiality agreement (aka a gagging order) before it would agree to refund her.
Earlier this month, Apple reportedly informed the European Commission that it regards all reported iPhone explosion cases as isolated incidents and have no evidence of a general problem. The European Commission, which has stated that the U.S. technology giant has been very cooperative, has asked all 27 EU nations to keep it informed of any problems under the community’s rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products, known as RAPEX.
(Image via QuickPWN)
Last night i had a nightmare that my iPhone exploded.. True story ! So happy it was just a dream
.
You know that’s pretty scary..
I never really think about that, but now that I just read about it, I can’t stop thinking about it..
Let’s just hope apple has found what is causing this, and has taken care of the problem…
Extremely scary!!! He had a HEADACHE FOR A –COUPLE– OF DAYS!!! OMG!!!
Bury your iPhones today before they destroy humanity!!!
iPhone explosion is indeed scary news. Imagine what will happen if your phone explodes when you try to send a text message or make a call. Also, will increasing cases, think it is high time for Apple to investigate further into the issue
You’re an idiot!
My uncles Iphone emploded like 3 weeks ago out of nowhere..we blamed it on ghosts..but now I see others have had this same problem….stupid apple
I followed some of those stories which hapened in france as few of them happened close to my city, and i seriously doubt any of those cases are serious .. Most hilarious is that guy who said that he received a piece of his iphone’s screen straight in his eye and removed it all by himself !
I personally dislike that phone for many reasons but i can’t beleive they suddently all start exploding ‘just like that’ .. even more when more than half are stupid teenagers who stupidly managed to brake it .. you should seriously see them being interviewed at TV .. seriously …
Why not? they are all made in the same place. With the same cheap ass parts.
how does a phone implode? did it cave in on itself? Can’t wait to hear what FSJ has to say about this one.
Besides suing the nowegian goverment for 500 billion dollars, http://bit.ly/KoTa8, we believe Apple phones implode into a apple looking white dwarf, which eventually turns into a black hole that consumes your conciousness and returns it to the appleosphere in the androidmedia galaxy. There the googloidars feast on your teenage stupidness and , you know what… it’s a conspiracy, that’s what it is.
It’s a joke, We’re not from the kongoleese goverment.
It’s the CERN particle accelerator!!!! We were warned!!
Ever since the Mobile Me fiasco Apple seems to be losing traction. It’s gliding down a very slippery slope. Before they know they may be the next “Evil Company”.
The absence of Jobs as a strong leader only reinforces this image. We have no idea where this company is headed.
Where’s the sympatethic Apple that just made good computers?
Would you like them to return to 1995, when they would make laptops that would spontaneously become engulfed in flames? Their reputation as computer makers is not spotless. While producing some gems like the new MacBook Pro that I’m using to type this, they’ve had their share of duds, too.
Apple hasn’t changed at all. The only thing that has changed is your faltering fanboy perspective.
Its all bull****. Scams. Who has seen an exploded one in pieces (exploded) and not just a cracked screen. The word EXPLODED has been used very loosely in the cases (i guess they just can not say i broke it).
1st in England, 2nd in France and now in Belgium… Tainted region
LOL Apple’s new product – an IED! Pretty soon we won’t be able to take them on airplanes.
“… in the United Stated, United Kingdom and France …” ????
ugh, fixed
I think its kind of sad that tech media journalists complain of things overheating or blowing up when the vast majority of customers never the thing you’re describing. The thing you’ve have been flogging these types of stories for years now, and I think its pathetic. I remember when Dell laptops were catching fire a few years ago.
This is basically a form of moral panic – tech panic- designed to get people to read your blog more often for more terrifying tales of iphones blowing up, asking themselves the question could it happen to me?!
never *experience*, the thing *is*. Sorry, rushed through comment.
not everyone on earth gets killed for mugging. but do you ignore it? i had a white 3gs and it heated like crap. got it returned because even the swap they gave was not fixing the problem. i will complain out loud if i have an unreasonable thing happening with a product. (at least apple were nice enough to refund the whole thing unlike att that would impose the bloody restocking fee)
iPhone my like
Iphone Users beware!
Iphone is a fad!
I agree.
yea it is a fad…but its DEF very convenient to have…until something better comes out…then THAT will be the next fad
Out of interest does anyone have any feedback on how robust the iphone is? I’m not really too concerned about it exploding, but I’ve heard a few stories about cracked screens, and noticed quite a few people having to carry their phones in protective cases.
Would love to get one but am concerned that it might not survive the usual drops and scratches…
I have had mine for just on a year now. I am extemely careless. I have dropped it several times, onto the roadway, ceramic tiles and carpeted surfaces. The back is a little scratched, but actually in better shape than any other phone I have ever had. The screen is still absolutely flawless.
I don’t know why people carry it in a protective case. I bought it because of it’s slim beautiful shape. I want to hold it and touch it, not some stupid piece of silicon or rubber sold at a price that is ridiculous.
That’s good to hear! I suspect I might still go with a BB or the hero for the time being since in the UK the carrier that provides the iphone has extorionate prices for data roaming (and I spend much of my time in europe). But will almost certainly get an iphone once data roaming opens up or if I am more uk based.
Yeah the case thing always seemed a bit odd to me. The phone is pretty huge as it is, and the case only makes it bigger and detracts from apple’s styling.
What I would love is if the made one just say 20% smaller.
One plus of the cases is that they inject a little personality so that you’re not just another vanilla iphone user. Also, in a lot of places the iphone doesn’t seem to be that common yet (compared to london), so I wonder if it might make you more of a target for theft – using a case makes it look less like an iphone at first glance.
I think the iPhone is quite solid because I dropped mine a couple of time without any damage done. It feels solid anyway, but I have a friend who accidentally cracked his screen by dropping it while walking and stepping on it inadvertently. I would advise people to use their iPhone in a safe environment, not running or walking and surfing the internet at the same time. Bad accident can happen. Have anyone noticed that most of these exploding iPhones happen to teenagers. Is this a coincidence or what?
I’ve dropped my iPhone, gotten it wet, left it out in the sun (I could barely pick it up), you name it (both my old and new one). Nothing has ever gone wrong with it.
I’d also be very curious to find out if the exploding iphones were jailbroken.
Or maybe this is just a ploy to get everybody to buy a bluetooth headset ;p
If nothing was wrong with ur old one…why did u get a new one?
Where did I ever say I got a new one? I did upgrade, from the OG to the 3Gs (I did not get a 3g), but that was related to features, it had nothing to do with the durability or quality of the phone. My old one still works perfectly (I use it for regression testing a bit, and have skype installed on it, so it’s sort of a house phone).
i have a 1st gen. and a 3g too some of us like iphones and arent worrying about explosions they’re very durable
I’ve dropped my iPhone, gotten it wet, left it out in the sun (I could barely pick it up), you name it (both my old and new one). Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. I don’t even use a case, just a screen protector.
I’d also be very curious to find out if the exploding iphones were jailbroken.
Or maybe this is just a ploy to get everybody to buy a bluetooth headset ;p
I have been checking the original press article about poor Salvatore and it’s very funny.
The boy’s phone imploded in his hand … but he had headaches for a few days … pretty strange.
His father is very upset, he has sent the iPhone back on August 26 … and he hasnt got any answer yet but he already had the time to contact the press for an interview.
By the way, the phone dates back to March, so it would be a 3G but that is not clear, neither where/how he bought the phone.
Overall it is very sad to read national press agency, newspaper, … report stupid affirmations without any fact check whatsoever.
For the original article:
http://www.lameuse.be/actualite/faits_divers/2009-08-28/liege-iphone-explose-main-ado-723378.shtml
Junk batteries just to save a few bucks. When it happens in the USA they will fix it.
Hi, Robin,
I’ve made a Google Maps, with many pictures, of all these broken iPhone in France and Belgium :
http://bit.ly/3bFrJ1
BF
OMFG! One full page on TC without a single Twitter post! Has the world ended?
Thanks for this post. This is an extremely important issue.
Yawn…
This is REAL analysis…
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090819_085338.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech
An opinion piece that focuses strongly on the non-issue of product recalls, which I haven’t seen mentioned/requested here. Besides, it’s only overreacting until someone loses an eye.
Robin,
Don’t worry, we have found a guy in France who can take glass pieces from his eyes all by himself
More seriously, your comment worried me, it gave me the impression you really believe these superficial reports (apparently without trying to check them).
You are from Belgium, I’ll help you so that you can already write your next article. I can tell you the next exploding/imploding iPhone in Belgium will most probably be in Charleroi, it is obvious and very predictable.
Better idea: you should write a blog post about your view. I’ll read it. I swear.
If this keeps up, we’re going to have to ban iphones from commercial flights.
Rapex? Rape…x. Could they have come up with a better name?
So the phone seized to exist in this realm by *imploding* onto itself!! I’m surprised that he has a headache, instead of his hand and head getting sucked IN during the IMplosion! lol
@Alexandar
If you think that implosion is defined by objects ceasing to exist, you are mistaken. Implosion is just an inward explosion. For example, due to the vacuum within a CRT screen, if the glass is damaged, the monitor will implode, due to outside pressure.
I doubt this is what actually happened with the iPhone, but I just figured I’d correct your misunderstanding….because that’s what the internet is about, isn’t it?
It’s on the news here. I don’t think that kid will miss his iPhone that much, he’s probably even using a prepaid card in an iPhone. May’be he should have bought an iPod Touch instead to play around with, makes a difference of 300€ when it explodes.
How does an iPhone explode, exactly? That sounds like an interesting sci-fi movie. Those phones self destruct in 10 seconds LOL
… sorry, IMPLODE
I was one of the 1st adopters of the iPhone 1.0. I picked up a new 3Gs when they came out. 1st iPhone was dropped a few times and it came out fine. Never had any overheating issues with either iPhone unless you count the time I left it out in the car when the ambient air temperature was over 100F. (It gave the higher than operating temperature warning)
I doubt if it’s even close to a one-percent issue since we have several hundred people in the company and at least a fifty of them have iPhones without hearing any complaints about overheating. (7 people out of 10 in my immediate office area has an iPhone)
I’m not a Mac fanboy BTW. The iPhone is is about as close as I am willing to get to a Mac-based computer. They might be good for their niche, but I don’t live there. (I will take at least a look at their tablet PC if/when they show up though. If it has 3G built-in I might be convinced to buy one if the price is right.)
That is pretty crazy. You need a psychiatrist after this.
I was one of the 1st adopters of the iPhone 1.0. I picked up a new 3Gs when they came out. 1st iPhone was dropped a few times and it came out fine. Never had any overheating issues with either iPhone unless you count the time I left it out in the car when the ambient air temperature was over 100F. (It gave the higher than operating temperature warning)
I doubt if it’s even close to a one-percent issue since we have several hundred people in the company and at least a fifty of them have iPhones without hearing any complaints about overheating. (7 people out of 10 in my immediate office area has an iPhone)
I’m not a Mac fanboy BTW. The iPhone is is about as close as I am willing to get to a Mac-based computer so far. They might be good for their niche, but I don’t currently live there. (I will take at least a look at their tablet PC if/when they show up though. If it has 3G built-in I might be convinced to buy one if the price is right.)
The phone “imploded”? Does anyone know what the crush depth is at which the iPhone is speced for?
Hi, I’ve visited your blog and enjoy it. Success for you.
Must have been a microsoft user. That’s right… Apple can find you anywhere!
So mobile phones do cause brain damage then !
Lol
Hi, I’ve visited your blog and enjoy it. Success for you.
htttp://www.diretes.com
http://ww.diretes.com/blog
“rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products, known as RAPEX”
RAPEX…
hah.
That`s a really “big bug” for all the iPhone users out there… it`s not that cool to know that an object that people use right next to their faces might explode at any time … hope my iPhone does not explode any time soon
The brand new Nokia N900 is tantalizingly close to the real deal! AND IT DOESN’T EXPLODE.. HEHE.. http://tinyurl.com/7nokian900
(brush aside BL-5C memories)
Hi TC, you don’t mention whether the problem is a iphone 3GS isolated problem or if it’s a 3G and 3GS problem. I would assume it’s only 3GS since we started to hear about these explosions about 2 or 3 weeks after the 3GS was out.
COuld you specify please?
Google maps application to track cracked iphones? (this is insane) Headache for a few days? guy says the glass hit him straight in the eyeball?
Is this for real? Their fathers would be ashamed. Get a grip on yourselves. This is getting ridiculous.
Some of the comments are hilarious as well. People need to get out more…
These people are probably fronts paid off by Nokia -still fuming that their technology is weaker than Apple’s. Apple originate, everyone else follows. Would there even be a million touch screen phones on the market right now if Apple hadn’t seen the future and started all this? No way….we’d still be fumbling with our Razor’s keypad.
Having supported the iphone for the last couple years I can assure you this stuff doesn’t really happen by itself. It’s usually the ones that have had corrosion in the dock connector for a long time and then an issue finally crops up and they insist it was never near water, etc.
I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve rolled my eyes at people that say they pulled it out of their pocket and went to hit the home button and it shattered the screen all the way up even though you can clearly see the impact points.
The amount of lies and stories made about peoples own irresponsibility and denying to listen to me when I tell them why things are broken is most of the reason I quit. It wasn’t worth my sanity to listen to all those ridiculous statements since I was a real technician and knew how electronics worked. Sometimes it seemed like saying “a new phone wouldn’t fix the problem” was like saying, “I hate your face and I want you to be miserable”
I’ve seen maybe 15% of phones actually have hardware problems but 50% seemed to always get replaced because the customer was too ignorant to learn how to use it properly.
I’m much happier now supporting people that actually know how to set up their own email or know the difference between an iphone and a 2001 nextel brick phone