Europe investigates iPhone explosions, asks Apple to comment

Jonny Evans
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August 17, 2009
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Yet more trouble for Apple as European Commission consumer watchdogs have asked the company to provide information on its iPhone following several widely-publicised instances in which the screen has cracked.

What sparked this investigation off was the case of a young French customer who was slightly injured when the iPhone screen spontaneously cracked and a shard hit them in the eye.

Ton Van Lierop, EC spokesman for industry and enterprise, said Europe’s taking up the problem in the interests of consumer protection, health and industry. He revealed Apple had been invited to comment on the above incident, but hasn’t done so at this time.

The EC is also seeking information from France and the UK, where an iPod reportedly exploded, as well as from the US government entity in charge of product security.

Regional daily La Provence, which first reported on the case in Aix, has since made two additional claims that iPhone screens have spontaneously fissured. Though with several million sold it’s not unlikely some units will have faults.

Comments (12)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 4:47am

Let me put something in to perspective. Their have been 200,000,000 ipods and iphones sold. Their have been 30 cases of them exploding. The likelyhood of you getting an exploding iphone/ipod is close to the likelihood of getting hit by lightning, in a building at sea level, in a large city. If you are outside the building your 10x more likely to get hit by lightning. If you live higher than 6000 ft elevation, and are outside during a thunderstorm your the statistics show you have 576000 to 1 chance of getting struck. This shows you have more chance of getting hit by lightning then getting an exploding ipod/iphone.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 5:23am

The fact still remains that it's happening, and its just as possible for you to be the person who buys one that explodes than the next person.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 6:10am

Yea so ? I can get hit by a car tomorrow or my house can catch fire or some gay guy can propose me for gay marriage. It doesn't happen to everyone everyday, does it ? Or does it mean that its only iPhone that's "explosive" in nature and no other phone in the world ?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 5:53am

The same can be said about getting struck by lighting, or being murdered, or having all your money stolen. All of which happen more frequently than ipods/iphones exploding and gets less media coverage.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 6:21am

The French customer with this iPhone with "screen spontaneously cracked", it was an iPhone jailbroken and it was fall down (a while before (anyone know when... a day ago ? a week ago ?)) so when it exposed at sun it heated up and it fissured... Apple is for NOTHING in this case :p

(The man didn't really injured by the iPhone, it was just because he want money of Apple with the lawsuit ^^)

Now, a lot of french people who have a iPhone with screen cracked ask media and Apple for be payed, it's a shame.... (I'm french but I don't let fall down my iPhone and if I do this I never try to rob Apple, me :p)

ps : link of picture : http://medias.lepost.fr/ill/2009/08/12/h-20-1655377-1250091265.jpg

it fell down on left side

Nokia E90 + Late 2008 MacBook (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 6:41am

iPhone has been on the market for like 2 or 3 years. During that time tens of phones has exploded etc. I don't know any situations where a Nokia phone or a SonyEricsson phone would have exploded. Apple just isn't a fruit... I mean a phone company.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 6:52am

That's only because the media doesn't consider it newsworthy when a Nokia explodes and thus don't report on it. Apple's devices are no different than anyone else's in this regard.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 2:49pm

This is nothing. A iPhone from a Dutch guy started to burn spontaniously in his car two weeks ago. He didn't left it there in the burning sun it was just laying there for several minutes. Wait til the EU watchdog guys discover this....

http://www.mobielnieuwsnet.nl/?p=6139

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 6:30pm

Thats clearly a belkin extended battery case that caught on fire...

pipasforjaz (not verified) | August 17, 2009 - 9:07pm

Hi, just for you all to know, but that photo used is of my iphone, and it exploded when a dumb friend of mine while attempting to open it to perform the 1'st unlock (remember the time it was necessary to open the iphone and touch certain parts to achieve the unlock?) well, he inserted a screwdriver and actually punctured the battery making the iphone explode....I even posted in on Hackinstosh.
The iphone is a GREAT phone.

Chris R (not verified) | August 19, 2009 - 11:44am

They just discovered that a competitor has hired a programmer to create a free app that is designed to make the phone explode.

They are trying to discover exactly who is behind this. They are offering no clues as to who they think is behind this.

Just kidding

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 26, 2009 - 7:12pm

When will use guys learn that Apple is crap and defective, It always has been since the day it existed..... and they blame you for there crappy defective products.

The iphone is backdated in specs compare to any other windows mobile touch phone.. and you pay a $1000 plus to play apps???? while you can get a nintendo ds much cheaper with real games.

While apple makes apps Microsoft is taking the business market with windows mobile.. once they have that then the apps will roll in and microsoft owns game companies while apple owns nothing.

I know use are saying 30 in a million are defective or so bah bah imagine this idiots... your warrentie expires then it explodes and so on .... you know what apple will say to you... 'sorry SIR! your out of warrentie we can not help you.....'

So it's your fault.. lol..

Apple people are silly people...