Thai man dies after alleged electrocution from charging iPhone 4S
Another iPhone electrocution has been reported in East Asia, this time from Thailand, where a 28-year-old man was reportedly killed while lying on an iPhone 4S connected to what is believed to be a knockoff third-party charger.
According to a report from Thai language publication Daily News Thailand (via MacRumors), police in Rayong province on Monday found the unnamed man lying prone on the floor of his home clutching a burnt iPhone 4S in his left hand.
A graphic, lightly censored photo of the body shows severe burn marks on the victim's chest and neck area, prompting officials to suspect electrocution as the cause of death. The body has been taken to an area hospital for further examination.
While the exact circumstances are unknown, the man's father said he saw his son lying on the cement floor the day before the incident, noting he wasn't wearing a shirt due to hot weather,. Later that night, the a cry was heard from the victim's room, but the father ignored the noise, attributing it to his son's history of sleepwalking. The body was found the next morning.
The father believes his son may have been talking or lying on the iPhone while it was charging, saying the handset was plugged into a wall outlet when he found the body. From the pictures taken at the scene, the adapter does not appear to be an authentic Apple product.
In July, a Chinese woman died after being electrocuted from a charging iPhone 5. Later that week, another man in China suffered a similar injury from a charging iPhone 4, leaving him comatose. In both cases, the victims were using an unofficial third-party adapter to charge their device.
Apple launched an investigation into the two Chinese incidents and ultimately posted a warning to its website regarding the use of unauthorized charging products. To educated the public on authorized adapters, the notice offered a detailed look at official designs for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad with Retina display, and iPad 2.
According to a report from Thai language publication Daily News Thailand (via MacRumors), police in Rayong province on Monday found the unnamed man lying prone on the floor of his home clutching a burnt iPhone 4S in his left hand.
A graphic, lightly censored photo of the body shows severe burn marks on the victim's chest and neck area, prompting officials to suspect electrocution as the cause of death. The body has been taken to an area hospital for further examination.
While the exact circumstances are unknown, the man's father said he saw his son lying on the cement floor the day before the incident, noting he wasn't wearing a shirt due to hot weather,. Later that night, the a cry was heard from the victim's room, but the father ignored the noise, attributing it to his son's history of sleepwalking. The body was found the next morning.
The father believes his son may have been talking or lying on the iPhone while it was charging, saying the handset was plugged into a wall outlet when he found the body. From the pictures taken at the scene, the adapter does not appear to be an authentic Apple product.
In July, a Chinese woman died after being electrocuted from a charging iPhone 5. Later that week, another man in China suffered a similar injury from a charging iPhone 4, leaving him comatose. In both cases, the victims were using an unofficial third-party adapter to charge their device.
Apple launched an investigation into the two Chinese incidents and ultimately posted a warning to its website regarding the use of unauthorized charging products. To educated the public on authorized adapters, the notice offered a detailed look at official designs for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad with Retina display, and iPad 2.
Comments
Have Thai authorities arrested Tim Cook yet? Because it's clearly Apple's fault for overpricing for their chargers. /s
What i find fascinating is that a USB cable that was designed to deliver 5V and maybe 1A was able to survive intact the voltage (up to 220V) and amperage that was enough to kill man. One would think there would be signs of overheating, even if the deadly voltage/amperage was brief.
Have Thai authorities arrested Tim Cook yet? Because it's clearly Apple's fault for overpricing for their chargers. /s
Is that an actual law in Thailand?
No, but the inability to understand sarcasm when there is a /s at the end of the statement should be a crime punishable by death¡
What i find fascinating is that a USB cable that was designed to deliver 5V and maybe 1A was able to survive intact the voltage (up to 220V) and amperage that was enough to kill man. One would think there would be signs of overheating, even if the deadly voltage/amperage was brief.
Great point, But likely he was holding it improperly. That said, however... I wonder if the 4S has the same PMIC chip as the 3G/3GS did. My 3GS had spilled coffee on it. Three weeks later, the Power Management Chip shorted out, and the battery fully discharged within 5 minutes. I replaced the battery with a full one, and quickly synced it to get my photos and data off the bad phone.
I think there's something funky with the PMIC chips Apple manufactures. Again, this happened three weeks after coffee was spilled on it.
No, but the inability to understand sarcasm when there is a /s at the end of the statement should be a crime punishable by death¡
I see. That sounds like a good crime. Who do we linch first?
How about your proofreader?
What i find fascinating is that a USB cable that was designed to deliver 5V and maybe 1A was able to survive intact the voltage (up to 220V) and amperage that was enough to kill man. One would think there would be signs of overheating, even if the deadly voltage/amperage was brief.
Not really. It's the current that kills, and it only needs a few tens of mA, and not for very long. Even if the full 220 V were involved, most of the voltage drop would be across the higher-impedance load (body), and the cable could still comfortably deliver 1 A - way more than a fatal current.
Oh, man... I laughed out loud on that one (maybe a little too loud).
What i find fascinating is that a USB cable that was designed to deliver 5V and maybe 1A was able to survive intact the voltage (up to 220V) and amperage that was enough to kill man. One would think there would be signs of overheating, even if the deadly voltage/amperage was brief.
Great point, But likely he was holding it improperly. That said, however... I wonder if the 4S has the same PMIC chip as the 3G/3GS did. My 3GS had spilled coffee on it. Three weeks later, the Power Management Chip shorted out, and the battery fully discharged within 5 minutes. I replaced the battery with a full one, and quickly synced it to get my photos and data off the bad phone.
I think there's something funky with the PMIC chips Apple manufactures. Again, this happened three weeks after coffee was spilled on it.
I'm impressed. In the space of your 19 posts, Apple has progressed from a simple retailer through designing chips and now manufacturing them.
His estate should be punished if they attempt to bring charges against Apple.
I'm impressed. In the space of your 19 posts, Apple has progressed from a simple retailer through designing chips and now manufacturing them.
Well, the PMIC is a different chip. I'm not sure who the OEM is. I think it was Cirrus Logic, but I'm not sure. But with the magic of Google, I could probably find out quickly.
Or, If your an Apple Spy, I could probably send you into work and find someone who knows for sure.
I'm impressed. In the space of your 19 posts, Apple has progressed from a simple retailer through designing chips and now manufacturing them.
Well, the PMIC is a different chip. I'm not sure who the OEM is. I think it was Cirrus Logic, but I'm not sure. But with the magic of Google, I could probably find out quickly.
Or, If your an Apple Spy, I could probably send you into work and find someone who knows for sure.
An Apple Spy on an Apple enthusiast website. What a splendidly cunning idea.
In today's news, a third party bluetooth keyboard that could possibly connect to an iPad was used to beat a baby seal to a bloody pulp. Seal's parents sue Apple. In later news, it appears that the Seal's parents were actually Samsung managers dressed up in seal costumes. After several hours of questioning by the authorities, it appears this deceptive ploy was concocted from a company "Crisis Awareness" team meeting at Samsung headquarters.
An Apple Spy on an Apple enthusiast website. What a splendidly cunning idea.
I have a secret I'd like to share.
Is the blue thing in the picture the part that plugs in to the wall? Looks a little junky. Never scrimp on electrical stuff - the power supply in my PC is top of the line (even though the rest isn't) and there's a proper surge protector at the wall. It's just not worth the few bucks savings to play games with electricity.
So was he lying on his left hand? Or was he first lying on his iPhone and while dying from it rolled off and held on to his iPhone in his left hand?
Electrocution is so common in Thailand it could easily be call a national Passed time.
First thing I did with my house in Thailand is have the electrics re-done. I have the before and after pictures, the before would Shock you (bad pun but true).
Thailand just doesn't get the idea of an earth line. Most places don't have one, which is why I had mine rewired. Despite buying the copper rods, earth cables and three pin power sockets, and checking that asking for confirmation every day that the earth wires were being used, when the work was done, the only thing actually earthed was my shower (which was certainly the most important). For the rest, even though all the three pin sockets had been installed, a quick test revealed none were earthed. Sigh.
This story is here because it's an iPhone charger (and the vast majority of iPhones here are knock-offs anyway).
There is a real story here, but it has nothing to do with iPhones, and everything to do with Thais and Electrocutions.
Babies
Tourists
Thais
Way too many deaths.