August 26, 2009, 10:24 AM — The news outlets have been running rampant over reports of iPhones and iPods evidently overheating and, get this, exploding. Kaboom. According to various studies, lithium ion batteries can overheat and cause the phone or mobile audio device to rupture. Is this indeed the case? Are iPhones the next Ford Pinto?
[ See also: Airline pilots want ban on lithium battery shipments and 21 apps Apple doesn't want on your iPhone ]
Bomb-astic Apple products are apparently a raging epidemic in Europe. One report has the iPhone hissing at a Parisian teenager before exploding, sending shards of broken phone into the youngster's eye. Other reports offer iPods growing too hot to handle. Apple is currently investigating these reports, sending out a statement that the company considers these "isolated incidents" and is "looking into it".
Out of the millions of i-devices being used daily throughout the world, is it plausible that a defect could cause some sort of catastrophic failure? Naturally. Does this mean there's a threat? Should you immediately dump your iPhone? BlackBerry maker RIM would hope you do. But no. That is a bit reactionary.
Even if these half-dozen or so reports are accurate and these devices pose a danger, I find it interesting that no real details are being provided as to what the individuals were doing at the time of the alleged explosion. I have read reports of iPhones exploding when attempting to hack them. The lesson? If you use your product the way it was meant to, you should enjoy the lack of explosions.
If you do a quick search online, you'll find very little news regarding exploding BlackBerrys or Nokias. Another report of an exploding iPhone was just reported in France. Perhaps this has something to do with European power running at 220 volts? Maybe it's just...France.
My first car, incidentally, was a 1976 Ford Pinto. That's me, living on the edge.
