Class action law suite against Apple's iPod: Volume and Hearing Loss

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
According to the article, consumers are suing Apple for failing to mention that listening to the iPod at full volume can cause hearing loss. Some people are just morons. Techniquly an iPod in your ears at half level could still cause hearing loss in some, as this is the case with any sound very close to your earbud.



Full article at:

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...N-UK-APPLE.XML

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Actually Apple does have a warning in the manual. The complaint is they haven't done what is required by legislation in France, which is a top volume of 100 dB. It's an idiotic lawsuit and will get tossed out awfully fast and hopefully the people filing will get hit with some nasty lawyer bills in return because it truly is a frivolous and pointless lawsuit, especially since there are dozens of other music players that have been available for years that have the same issue but aren't covered in the lawsuit. This same argument has been made since the original Walkmans.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    dogcowdogcow Posts: 713member
    Kinda like buying Hot coffee from McDonalds and getting burnt when you spill it on yourself. If you keep the ipod volume turned all the way up for too long then obviously it can't be good for your hearing.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    These clowns are what, 25 years late with their lawsuit? Surely people could destroy their hearing with a Walkman cassette player as easily as with an iPod.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    i could lose my hearing by slamming a refrigerator door on my head. is this possibility displayed anywhere as a warning??? hell no it isn't. and shit, you know what? i'm kind of worried about that...
  • Reply 5 of 13
    It's just stupid, everybody seems to be sueing people these days. Is it a new fad or something, maybe I should sue some company so I can be cool! Why would you want to sue a company that has never had a problem in the past. We all have something called a brain. I think certain people should start using them. OK i'm done.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Warning: Apple iPods are not meant to be inserted rectally. If you should swallow your iPod, seek help immediately. The surgeon general warns that hitting yourself repeatedly in the head with you iPod, while enjoyable, can lead to loss of brain function for those of you with brains.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    I yelled at my iPod and it sued me for not having a warning...



    That was disappointing, i didn't even know iPods could file lawsuits.



    Oh well, i guess thats life
  • Reply 8 of 13
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by appleman76

    It's just stupid, everybody seems to be sueing people these days. Is it a new fad or something, maybe I should sue some company so I can be cool! Why would you want to sue a company that has never had a problem in the past. We all have something called a brain. I think certain people should start using them. OK i'm done.



    We live in an age where people refuse to take responsibility for themselves. It always somebody else's fault they are idiots. Have issues raising a kid, get them diagnosed ADHD and have them medicated. Accidentally fall over something, sue someone and refuse to admit you're a clumsy oaf. Send yourself deaf because you listen to music too loud, sue Apple. It's always somebody else's fault
  • Reply 9 of 13
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    This makes me so mad, I hate these law suites, friggen hate them. I'm going to start suing people for wasting other peoples time. Better yet I'm gong to find this yo-yo and his lawyer, the ones that started this suite. Strap them to a post and have twelve walrus gang f**k them, giving these pricks something to sue about. Why a walrus, well that do have the second largest thingy in the wild.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    mac voyermac voyer Posts: 1,294member
    Well, here I go getting all "conspiracy theory" but is it possible that these silly iPod lawsuits are coming from the MS/Real/Creative/WMA alliance? No individual could possibly get anything of value from such a lawsuit even if they won. Who stands to gain from limiting or sanctioning Apple's products? These guys don't even have to win in order to win. They get to spread good FUD about the iPod and potentially scare off customers. If you can't win in the marketplace, maybe you can win in court. That mentality has also slipped into our presidential elections. Shame on us.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dogcow

    Kinda like buying Hot coffee from McDonalds and getting burnt when you spill it on yourself. If you keep the ipod volume turned all the way up for too long then obviously it can't be good for your hearing.



    just to reply to this. if you look up the famous mcdonalds lawsuit that you're referring to, the reality is in fact a little more complicated than the conventional wisdom about the case usually tends to let on. the truth is that the mcdonalds would set the coffee temperature more than twice as hot as it was supposed to be on the theory that it would still be piping hot 15-20 minutes later when you got to work from the drivethru. the result is that the coffee that the woman spilled on herself scalded her whole crotch to the extent that she had to have reconstructive plastic surgury and was bedridden and unable to walk for many many months, much less work.



    re the ipod case -- i also recognize that ipods sent to france are software controlled so that they only reach a certain decible level. that seems at least a little more responsible on the part of apple... but such changes usually only come after the demand. not all lawsuits are really about getting a monetary reward.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dogcow

    Kinda like buying Hot coffee from McDonalds and getting burnt when you spill it on yourself. If you keep the ipod volume turned all the way up for too long then obviously it can't be good for your hearing.



    You're oversimplifying the case. McDonald's was clearly in the wrong here:



    http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm



    Here are some exerpts:



    Quote:

    After receiving the order, the grandson pulled his car forward and stopped momentarily so that Liebeck could add cream and sugar to her coffee. (Critics of civil justice, who have pounced on this case, often charge that Liebeck was driving the car or that the vehicle was in motion when she spilled the coffee; neither is true.) Liebeck placed

    the cup between her knees and attempted to remove the plastic lid from the cup. As she removed the lid, the entire contents of the cup spilled into her lap.



    Quote:

    A vascular surgeon determined that Liebeck suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas. She was hospitalized for eight days, during which time she underwent skin grafting. Liebeck, who also underwent debridement treatments, sought to settle her claim for $20,000, but McDonalds refused.



    Quote:

    McDonalds also said during discovery that, based on a consultants advice, it held its coffee at between 180 and 190 degrees fahrenheit to maintain optimum taste. He admitted that he had not evaluated the safety ramifications at this temperature. Other establishments sell coffee at substantially lower temperatures, and coffee served at home is generally 135 to 140 degrees.



    This is a case of corporate negligence and complete disregard for the safety of customers.



    Next time, please check your facts before drawing such hasty conclusions.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    Well all these stupid lawsuites are because your stupid laws, Why the hell should anyone become millionaire if they win a lawsuite? I do understand the fact that other party's expences get covered, meaning medical care and juridic costs. Here in Finland for example, if you get convicted you pay the fees to sosiety, not to the other party, this removes all the golddigging law suites.
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