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iPhone 4 allegedly combusts while charging overnight - Page 2

post #41 of 68
3/21/12 at 10:03pm
What was described here is not at all inconsistent with Lithium battery failure. There are plenty of sites on the net that show what happens when a lithium battery ends up in thermal run away. Apple is fortunate in that they have the battery technology and control circuitry that minimizes this happening but minimizing does not mean zeroing out the possibility.

Now all of this noise she is making is another issue altogether. One has to wonder what her motivation is. From my perspective this is no different than gasoline, you fill up your car weekly with what is a very danderous fluid. Every once in a while that fluid catches on fire maybe due to a leak, road damage or bad handling. You don't however see people demanding that car manufactures start adding even more warning labels to their products. Well OK if lawyers get involved there is no limit to the demands that might be asked for. However the layman understands that gasoline burns and batteries are dangerous.

It makes you wonder if people actually read the warning labels on batteries in general. Even the lowly AA battery can start a fire. Lithium batteries are just packed with energy so when something does go wrong it can be exciting.

In any event many of you guys aren't doing yourselves any favors by attacking this woman. Especially if you tend to bury your head in the sand over the technical issues surrounding lithium batteries.
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post #42 of 68
3/21/12 at 10:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacVicta View Post

I can't see her face and body so I don't know how to feel about this. I'd sympathize with her plight if she was young and hot, or milf-like. But if she's unattractive and/or overweight then this means nothing to me.

LOL

Well done, sir.
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post #43 of 68
3/21/12 at 10:24pm
She should be thankful that Apple was kind enough to provide her with a replacement. My APC UPS for my computer blew up about a year ago because of power surge. Just last month, the TV in my parents house blew up in the middle of the night but the manufacturer did not offer them a replacement. As an engineer, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the iPhone but everything to do with the electrical line, a small surge in power could have caused this problem.
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post #44 of 68
3/21/12 at 10:29pm
given the amount of attention Apple gets (good or bad) for EVERYTHING THEY DO.. antennagate, heatgate, wifigate..

there's no way this is a widespread problem.. it's statistically anomalous.
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post #45 of 68
3/21/12 at 10:59pm
I'm impressed we hear about so few of these devices catching fire when you consider the numbers involved and the abuse we geese our CE.

"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"

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"Blank! BLANK! You're not looking at the big picture!"

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post #46 of 68
3/22/12 at 2:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post

What was described here is not at all inconsistent with Lithium battery failure. There are plenty of sites on the net that show what happens when a lithium battery ends up in thermal run away. Apple is fortunate in that they have the battery technology and control circuitry that minimizes this happening but minimizing does not mean zeroing out the possibility.

Now all of this noise she is making is another issue altogether. One has to wonder what her motivation is. From my perspective this is no different than gasoline, you fill up your car weekly with what is a very danderous fluid. Every once in a while that fluid catches on fire maybe due to a leak, road damage or bad handling. You don't however see people demanding that car manufactures start adding even more warning labels to their products. Well OK if lawyers get involved there is no limit to the demands that might be asked for. However the layman understands that gasoline burns and batteries are dangerous.

It makes you wonder if people actually read the warning labels on batteries in general. Even the lowly AA battery can start a fire. Lithium batteries are just packed with energy so when something does go wrong it can be exciting.

In any event many of you guys aren't doing yourselves any favors by attacking this woman. Especially if you tend to bury your head in the sand over the technical issues surrounding lithium batteries.

I'm tempted to delete all the posts in this thread leaving just this one
it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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post #47 of 68
3/22/12 at 2:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveagator View Post

She should be thankful that Apple was kind enough to provide her with a replacement. My APC UPS for my computer blew up about a year ago because of power surge. Just last month, the TV in my parents house blew up in the middle of the night but the manufacturer did not offer them a replacement. As an engineer, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the iPhone but everything to do with the electrical line, a small surge in power could have caused this problem.

One day about 2 years ago, my laptop was left plugged into the wall (not the UPS,) the security system started making unhealthy beeping noises before finally failing. The battery for the security system had literately cracked, but this was a lead-acid one. Once I disconnected it, the security system came back up. Meanwhile I went to the laptop which had been left charging, and had several USB things plugged into it, all the USB devices were dead except the hub. I connected two and two together and determined that the utility power must have done a number on both devices. So I have a bunch of USB stuff for the laptop that no longer works, and the USB ports are dead on the laptop as well. The TV stuff was plugged into APC surge protector, and the desktop computers were plugged into a APC UPS, and all that gear was fine (but later discovered that the battery in the APC was not holding a charge at all when the power went out.) One of the USB devices also had a wall-wart, so what I believe happened is that device got fried by a surge, and blew out all the devices plugged into the USB hub, including the laptop.

The moral of the story is that you're responsible directly for what you have control over. Had the laptop been plugged into APC as well, maybe it would have avoided being damaged. So don't plug your expensive toys into the wall outlet.
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post #48 of 68
3/22/12 at 3:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunks View Post

Sounds like someone didn't read the article.

Ah thank you! I read the article but I just don't believe that part. You can blame my Brooklyn upbringing for having no faith in people
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post #49 of 68
3/22/12 at 3:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Granmastak View Post

Ah thank you! I read the article but I just don't believe that part.

Yes, because as we all know it's literally, against-the-laws-of-the-universe impossible, for Apple products to malfunction
it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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post #50 of 68
3/22/12 at 5:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeromeus View Post

It's VERY unlikely that charging the phone would cause it to heat up and sizzle like she claimed. I've had my phone under my sweater while it charges once and for only about 10 minutes because I wasn't in the car. I came back into the car with the phone displaying that it stopped charging due to the heat level. I then unplugged it, wait for 2 minutes and plugged it in. It charge to full by the time I arrive home. No overheat, no combustion or sizzle. Just an awesome phone that knows how to shut itself off when it's too hot to charge.

Yes, it's unlikely - but not impossible. With 100 M units sold (or whatever the number is), one can expect a few with manufacturing defects and it's entirely possible that there was a battery defect or another manufacturing defect.

Even at 1 part per million failure rate, 100 phones would fail.

Quote:
Originally Posted by loveagator View Post

She should be thankful that Apple was kind enough to provide her with a replacement. My APC UPS for my computer blew up about a year ago because of power surge. Just last month, the TV in my parents house blew up in the middle of the night but the manufacturer did not offer them a replacement. As an engineer, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the iPhone but everything to do with the electrical line, a small surge in power could have caused this problem.

I had to laugh about the line where the outlet was tested "and found to be working properly". So what? If the voltage is OK today, how do you guarantee that you didn't have a power surge yesterday?
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post #51 of 68
3/22/12 at 5:46am
This news just in... Apple releases a statement to the press to tell idiots around the world that every single electronic device ever made in the world by any company or person has the potential to catch fire!
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post #52 of 68
3/22/12 at 6:09am
I dropped my 2008 macbook off the roof of my house, into a drum of gas, and then when I charged it over night it blew up, I contacted apple, the would not give me a brandnew 2011 Macbook pro, insted they were nice and replaced my model with the same thing I had.. So insted of being happy I got a replacement of what I had, I will go to the media to try and get something better...


That woman is nuts
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post #53 of 68
3/22/12 at 6:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeromeus View Post

She deserves prison time for fraud.


Wow. I have been amused at all the "user error" pronouncements, but this one should win some sort of a prize.

Prison time? Fraud?

Off with her head!
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post #54 of 68
3/22/12 at 6:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. H View Post

Yes, because as we all know it's literally, against-the-laws-of-the-universe impossible, for Apple products to malfunction

Exactly
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post #55 of 68
3/22/12 at 6:40am
Apple announced that it is going to build the "iPlane". Since it is being designed by Apple, it will not be affected by gravity.

Have a nice day.

en LOL
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post #56 of 68
3/22/12 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. H View Post

Yes, because as we all know it's literally, against-the-laws-of-the-universe impossible, for Apple products to malfunction

Look up 'straw man argument' - since that's what you're doing.

No one said it was impossible for an Apple product to fail. The person you were responding to simply said that they didn't believe this particular person.

If you read through this thread, most Apple fans believe it's a possibility - any device can fail. But with so many millions sold, it's obviously a very rare occurrence.
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post #57 of 68
3/22/12 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveagator View Post

She should be thankful that Apple was kind enough to provide her with a replacement. My APC UPS for my computer blew up about a year ago because of power surge. Just last month, the TV in my parents house blew up in the middle of the night but the manufacturer did not offer them a replacement. As an engineer, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the iPhone but everything to do with the electrical line, a small surge in power could have caused this problem.

Actually as an electrical engineer I can say you don't know what you're talking about. It is virtually impossible for an electrical surge to make it through the charging circuit without damaging the charger. Since the charger wasn't damaged the fault was in the phone. The results shown are exactly what you get when a lithium battery fails. The small number of cases reported are evidence of the reliability of the manufacturing process but given the millions of phones sold there will always be some manufacturing defects.

Likely every single cell phone made today uses lithium batteries so it is not just an iphone issue, but I dont' think it makes any sense to post warnings when the likelihood of failure is < 1 in a hundred million.
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post #58 of 68
3/22/12 at 7:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjwal View Post

Actually as an electrical engineer I can say you don't know what you're talking about. It is virtually impossible for an electrical surge to make it through the charging circuit without damaging the charger. Since the charger wasn't damaged the fault was in the phone. The results shown are exactly what you get when a lithium battery fails. The small number of cases reported are evidence of the reliability of the manufacturing process but given the millions of phones sold there will always be some manufacturing defects.

Likely every single cell phone made today uses lithium batteries so it is not just an iphone issue, but I dont' think it makes any sense to post warnings when the likelihood of failure is < 1 in a hundred million.

Uh huh. No one has ever had a TV or other electrical device damaged by a lightning strike or power surge...... (and how do you know that the charger wasn't damaged?)
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post #59 of 68
3/22/12 at 7:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Uh huh. No one has ever had a TV or other electrical device damaged by a lightning strike or power surge...... (and how do you know that the charger wasn't damaged?)

Sure and the power supply is the first thing to go. I read the articl,e the charger was tested and found to be working.
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post #60 of 68
3/22/12 at 8:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjwal View Post

Sure and the power supply is the first thing to go. I read the articl,e the charger was tested and found to be working.

Yes, and you know that the one they tested is the one that was in use when the failure occurred because?

Granted, I think it's entirely possible that the phone failed. But that doesn't mean that the lady is being entirely truthful - especially since she was so eager to upgrade to the iPhone 4S.
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post #61 of 68
3/22/12 at 8:47am
Her product failed...Apple replaced the product...she got mad it was a like for like and not a brand new 4s...time to complain to the world.

Failed-Upgrade-To-Newest-Model-Now-I-Will-Be-A-Troll-Gate
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post #62 of 68
3/22/12 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Yes, and you know that the one they tested is the one that was in use when the failure occurred because?

Granted, I think it's entirely possible that the phone failed. But that doesn't mean that the lady is being entirely truthful - especially since she was so eager to upgrade to the iPhone 4S.

I think everyone is reading to much into her going public about the failure. A lithium battery failure is pretty impressive. She thought users should be aware of it. There is nothing wrong with that. I do believe that given the low probablity of failures battery warnings are likely a waste of time and effort though.

As for her request for a 4s. I probably would have asked for one too. If you don't ask you don't get. IIRC someone posted about taking in a broken 4 and just having to pay an upgrade cost to get a 4s.
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post #63 of 68
3/22/12 at 10:49am
User replaceable batteries would allow a person to remove the battery if it seemed to be causing a problem thus saving the phone.
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post #64 of 68
3/22/12 at 10:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

...the device creating "an awful, putrid smell, almost like you were ingesting plastic of some kind.”...

What the hell was she doing eating the thing anyway?
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post #65 of 68
3/22/12 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTac View Post

User replaceable batteries would allow a person to remove the battery if it seemed to be causing a problem thus saving the phone.

But since Apple gave her a new phone, that's better than replacing the battery. Once again, user replaceable batteries involve a lot of compromises that Apple wasn't willing to make.

Besides, how would user replaceable batteries have prevented this problem? She didn't know she had a problem until it caught fire.
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post #66 of 68
3/22/12 at 11:47am
[QUOTE=AppleInsider;2078418]In what appears to be the first reported case of its kind on U.S. shores, a Colorado woman alleges that her iPhone 4 caught fire while charging overnight and wants Apple to warn customers of the device's possible combustion issues.

The woman, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said she took her story to tech website Mashable in order to spread public awareness over the reported issue, claiming that Apple has been reticent to acknowledge the alleged incident.

The unnamed source claims that she awoke in the early morning during a recent trip to the east coast to find her year-old white iPhone 4 making "sizzling" and "popping" noises. After an unspecified amount of time there was not quite an explosion, but an immense crackling, and smoke plumed from the device creating "an awful, putrid smell, almost like you were ingesting plastic of some kind.


CALL ME A CYNIC, BUT I SMELL SOMETHING FISHY HERE!
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My job is NOT to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even BETTER.

--Steve Jobs on being a CEO
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post #67 of 68
3/22/12 at 12:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post

I'm calling bullsh*t. She's the only one ever to have this problem and then she wanted to be upgraded to a 4S.

Ya that seems kinda weird to me, and she ONLY got the phone replaced. Come on anyone else would have been ecstatic to have a new phone and a cool story to tell.

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"I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory." - proverb
RepairZoom.com Best Apple fix around!
Best Buy - Special Agent 5 Years
Apple - Specialist 1 1/2 Years
Best Years of my LIFE!

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post #68 of 68
1/2/13 at 3:52pm

my iphone did the same thing.  well, kind of.  it was charging and it made some popping noise and then one corner got pushed put partially seperating the device

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