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FOIA Documents Detail iPods Overheating, Catching Fire

Posted by kdawson on from the is-it-hot-in-here dept.

suraj.sun passes along a report from a Seattle TV station that has been investigating reports of Apple iPods overheating and bursting into flames. "An exclusive KIRO 7 Investigation reveals an alarming number of Apple brand iPod MP3 players have suddenly burst into flames and smoke, injuring people and damaging property. It's an investigation that Apple has apparently been trying to keep out of the public eye. It took more than 7 months for KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy to get her hands on documents concerning Apple's iPods from the Consumer Product Safety Commission because Apple's lawyers filed exemption after exemption. In the end, the CPSC released more than 800 pages which reveal, for the very first time, a comprehensive look that shows, on a number of occasions, iPods have suddenly burst into flames, started to smoke, and even burned their owners. ... Apple refused to comment, and refused to answer all of the other questions [the reporter] has been asking of the company since November."

6 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. So whats new ? by phoxix · · Score: -1, Troll

    Do any devices burst into flames ? You bet

    Will crApple cover up anything and everything even if that means tampering with the law and/or (American) constitution ? You bet

    Will crApple's fanboyz rush to its defense needlessly, dangerously, and even willing to give up personal freedoms for Steve Jobs ? You bet

    The real issue is why a tax-payer funded gov't entitity can be meddled around with a company like crApple in the first place. Anyone who has ever read the Consumerist knows that the CPSC has no teeth nor balls, but this is unacceptable and ridiculous.

    1. Re:So whats new ? by UnknowingFool · · Score: -1, Troll

      Did you read the article or are you just anti-Apple? The CPSC documented 15 cases. 15. Not 1 in 15 but 15 total cases. Could there possibly more? Sure but a 1 in 11 million failure rate means problem does not appear to be widespread. To put it in perspective, a simple lottery like Louisiana consisting of 6 straight draws and no power ball has a 1 in 3.8 million chance. So you are more likely to win the Louisiana lottery than be burned by an iPod.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  2. Re:Another non-story by drinkypoo · · Score: -1, Troll

    Nothing to see here, move along. kdawson, queue the apple haters. Oh, and start posting real stories or find another job.

    NOW HEAR THIS: You are an Apple fanboy or a kdawson troll. This story isn't about the fact that they burn, but that Apple has covered up the problem and it took a FOIA request to get the details. Consequently, there IS a story here, it's even a REAL story for a change, and you're only complaining because you have a dog in this fight.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Re:Don't expect to see this in mainstream news by cabjf · · Score: 1, Troll

    I just assume any company over a certain size is an unethical company. As soon as you have full time lawyers on the books, it's pretty much a guarantee. That's not to say small companies can't be unethical either, just that the smaller ones who are ethical tend to lose that as they grow.

  4. Re:Don't expect to see this in mainstream news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    You are full of shit. Thanks.

  5. Re:Mentioning "Fire" gets the attention of Appleca by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    So you basically broke the cable by pulling from the cable, causing the flaky connection to the cable. It meant bigger resistance, thus larger power output. The power adaptor was getting hot trying to convert all the power, and eventually, when all the extra power was going to the plug instead of the computer, it caused the plug to melt.