APPLE ASSURES EU THAT EXPLODING IPODS ‘ISOLATED AND UNINTENTIONAL’

August 22 2009

Brussels, Belgium – The iPod has only been on the market for eight years but in that short time it has made itself one of the most used and most ubiquitous pieces of technology ever created. Though fundamentally little more than an improvement on
existing technology, Apple’s ability to create desirable product and brand their product better than anyone else has long set their creations well above competitors. Likewise the iPhone has dominated the mindshare and revolutionized the cell phone industry, making it nearly as important as its sibling product.

All of that success of course has not come without some criticism, most of which the company has been able to effectively deflect. While most of that criticism has revolved around elements that users would like to see included a few of the issues have been more significant. Concerns about worker exploitation and the safety of the devices have been amongst the most prominent of concerns and it is the latter that has grabbed the attention of the European Union. Testifying in front of EU officials, Apple has stated clearly that exploding iPhones and iPods are both ‘isolated and unintentional incidents’ and that they did not believe it was a severe enough problem over which to be concerned.     

“Apple have come back to us ... and what they've said to us is that they consider these are isolated incidents. They don't consider that there's a general problem,” said EU spokesperson Kelen Kearns. “They're trying to get more information on the specific details of those incidents (reported in the media) and they will do tests as necessary to investigate the possible cause.”

Apple did not comment directly on the EU statement but did admit that they were aware of reports of such incidents and were waiting for feedback from customers. It’s not immediately clear how many devices have burst into flames or outright exploded.

“For a company with such a great reputation for the quality of their product having things blow up in people’s products really is a black eye. For another company, say
Microsoft, those kinds of things would almost be expected to happen but when it comes to Apple they have a much higher standard and so incidents like this can have a much more detrimental effect,” said Scrape TV Technology analyst Ken Kevins. “Because of that dedication to quality it is very likely that such incidents are accidental and likely affect very few users. That may not reassure people with third degree burns
but at least they can have a little more confidence should they decide to purchase a new device, which I’m sure Apple will be willing to give them a break on. At the very least they should get some credit at the iTunes store or get a free app or two.”

Explosions in consumer electronics are relatively rare and tend to occur in devices built with sub-standard parts and to limited safety standards. No major company has ever been found guilty of creating exploding products in an effort to increase sales.

“Because Apple has such a great reputation explosions, fires, and maiming would really only hurt their sales. I mean they could be sending a few faulty ones out into the field in a kind of ‘exception that proves the rule’ kind of thing but burnt flesh tends to give off a bad vibe and could hurt long term sales,” continued Kevins. “Of course iPod sales have been dwindling in recent years. The company has gone away from their model of releasing a new version of the device every six months and that has started to reduce revenue flow. If they can add some excitement into the line with an explosion or two perhaps they can help lift their bottom line again.”

A recent survey indicates that most iPod users do like explosions but most prefer them outside of their pants. 

Martin Philton, Technology Correspondent

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