from the banned-on-airlines-in-3..2..1 dept.
From the BBC:
Three Apple employees have been treated for minor injuries after an iPad battery reportedly exploded in an Amsterdam shop.
The three staff are believed to have breathed vapours released when the battery caught fire.
The incident, on 19 August, led to the shop in Amsterdam's Leidseplein being evacuated and closed.
Firefighters were called and they dealt with the iPad and made sure the shop was properly aired.
The shop has now re-opened.
Amsterdam's fire brigade tweeted that it had attended the incident and three people had been treated for breathing problems.
A Dutch media site said staff in the store had initially dealt with the fuming iPad by putting it in a sand-filled fire bucket.
This reportedly quelled the fire but not before some of the potentially harmful irritants had been released.
Apple news site 9to5mac said it had seen more incidents of similar faults since the electronics company had started its iPhone battery replacement programme.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @06:49AM (1 child)
Expecting perfection is absurd, with the sheer number of Apple devices out there I'm shocked this didn't happen years ago. Apple should be commended that this took so long to happen, despite their many other failings. This is assuming that this is newsworthy, and not a more frequent event which made headlines somehow.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Wednesday August 22 2018, @06:34PM
It probably only made the news because it happened in an Apple shop.
(Score: 2) by SparkyGSX on Wednesday August 22 2018, @07:04AM (2 children)
I'm slightly surprised they had a sand-filled bucket at hand; it certainly is a good idea, and shows they were prepared for such an occasion.
If you do what you did, you'll get what you got
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Wednesday August 22 2018, @07:21AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @09:31AM
maybe this wasn't the first battery problem, just the first one to be publically reported.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday August 22 2018, @09:58AM (4 children)
I Am Absolutely Serious: Where else are you going to find so very many Lithium batteries in such a small area?
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Wednesday August 22 2018, @11:39AM (2 children)
Electric cars, some jetplanes, electronic stores, any computer store, any place that gets a tesla powerwall...
Lithium batteries has been around for decades, and they actually are quite safe unless you try to do insane things (like agressivly cut costs, push them to their limits, puncture them, run them in non-secured containers or hand them to untrained people), but amazingly much of todays tech is used and designed by people that doesn't understand why the limitations are there.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Wednesday August 22 2018, @06:37PM (1 child)
So which of those insane things was Apple doing there? Handing them to untrained people (99% of customers) perhaps?
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Thursday August 23 2018, @07:25AM
All but puncturing them.. the list actually is a lot longer but I listed the common things to encounter outside industrial settings.
Three interesting cases of where handing them to untrained people (but with basic sanity checks) and they are safe are hearing aids, specialist camera batteries and extra long life (6-10 years) smoke/fire alarm batteries - but in those cases costs are of less importance (you can just tack on twice as much and the customers will appreciate the extra safety).
(Score: 3, Informative) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday August 22 2018, @11:39AM
A Chinese cell phone kiosk?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Bot on Wednesday August 22 2018, @10:05AM (1 child)
those poor ipads being treated like things by their customers and thrown away as soon as a new model knocks on the door. It's no surprise that one of them downloads the ISIS app and goes allahu akhbar. It's all your fault for making it happen, meatbags.
#notallipads
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Touché) by RS3 on Wednesday August 22 2018, @12:35PM
But we did it to satisfy your ever-increasing hunger for da juice, little bot!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @10:25AM (2 children)
It's about time the mighty apple had their day in the battery fire club.
Maybe, just maybe, with enough battery fires these makers will finally realize that end user replaceable batteries are actually a good idea.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday August 22 2018, @12:45PM (1 child)
Replaceability not likely to have prevented this fire, nor given someone the ability to do anything once a problem manifest. Li batteries go up in flames very fast.
But still, law should require Li battery replaceability. At least you might notice if a battery is bulging. But even then maybe we need pressure sensors in and around Li batteries (to shut off current at any sign of trouble).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @05:14PM
Agreed, for the exploding item itself, such is of little advantage. The advantage comes in when a battery recall begins, then only the batteries need to be changed out, not the entire device. And the change out is easy, open back, remove old battery cartridge, insert new battery cartridge, replace back, done.
Also very much agreed. Given the flamability factor, this could be seen as a saftey issue. Not so much for the one that burns up, but for the ease of replacing the other multi-million when someone (i.e., Samsung) finds their sub-contractor built bad batteries.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Shimitar on Wednesday August 22 2018, @12:06PM (1 child)
I never owned an Apple device.
I have a Samsung Note3 since 2013 and i simply love this phone. Today it is still powerfull enough for 100% of tasks (gaming included, yes) and, always in a protective shell with a proper screen protector (nope, Gorilla Glass my oss, it does scratch) it's like new today.
The ONLY part i have replaced may times so far: the battery! Which is still, of course, of the old-style replaceable.
Just one month ago i bought a new one (non-samsung of course, since they don't make them new anymore) and i am back to the old battery life.
I will NOT replace this phone with something that has built-in kill-switch in the means of a non replaceable battery.
(and un-glue a display and go belly-open is not replaceable to me, it's a mess where you risk braking something or hand your phone to some third party i don't like)
Coding is an art. No, java is not coding. Yes, i am biased, i know, sorry if this bothers you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @04:31PM
You value that replaceable battery very highly.
I prioritize a software design that isn't made to spy on me 24-7 and that actually works smoothly.
My iPhone is as old as your Samsung and on its original battery--mind you, battery time has dropped quite a bit.