Japanese Ministry: iPod Nanos Causing Fires in Japan
Written by admin on August 19th, 2008 in devices and gadgets.
IPods aren’t just a hot item in the United States; they’re hot enough in Japan to cause fires, according to Japan’s trade ministry.
The Japanese government cited overheating ipod nanos as the cause behind three fires. The trade ministry believes the overheating is due to a battery defect in the nanos. Apple has not provided an official statement regarding the incidents, but the Japanese government said Apple reported two cases where people suffered minor burns, according to a Reuters story.
"We are not in the position to speculate on the outcome of the investigation. But after several incidents like these, it would be appropriate for Apple to take some measures to raise the public’s awareness," a trade ministry official told Reuters.
Incidents of potentially hazardous iPod nanos aren’t isolated to Japan, either. Just recently an iPod nano owner recounted his experience to Consumerist about his media player exploding. A Gizmodo reader reported having the same experience in March
Roger Kay, an analyst and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, pointed out that Apple has had battery-defect issues in the past with notebooks. In 2006, Apple issued a recall for iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebooks, because their batteries contained cells manufactured by Sony, which were causing batteries to explode.
Sony’s battery fiasco heavily damaged the company’s reputation, but Apple’s image escaped unscathed, Kay said.
"I do think the reality distortion zone is a real phenomenon," Kay said. "The same things that damage companies don’t damage Apple as much: There’s a combination of downplaying, obfuscation and ‘No comment’ along with the occasional gallant move in which they say we’ll take them all back or give a coupon. Typically they try not to respond."
Kay added that it makes sense to see potentially hazardous defects in the iPod nano in particular, given its miniature size.
"If there’s anything that’s out of control in there there’s very little room for error, and I’m not surprised it’s happening to the nano," he said. "You’re asking it to do a lot in a very, very small package and that’s pushing the envelope."
Apple did not return phone calls for comments.
(Photo credit: Stephan Dinges/Flickr)
Tags: gaming, game, ipod, DVD
