Fire in the iPod
Japan has ordered an investigation of the first generation iPod nano for possible defects after one started emitting sparks while being charged. According to wire service reports, the problem surfaced in January in Kanagawa Prefecture southwest of Tokyo, and Apple (AAPL) reported it to the government in March.
An official at Japan’s ministry of trade and economy said a defect is suspected in the lithium-ion battery in the iPod Nano, model number MA099J/A, according to the AP.
Battery fires are rare in iPods, but not unheard of. A search of Apple’s discussion boards turned up a similar report filed on Feb. 20, 2008 by a user named Phil under the heading “My iPOD nano Exploded” (link). It reads in full:
Is there something wrong with the battery they put on the first gen ipod nano. mine just got blown to pieces. I was just charging it on my Laptop then it suddenly sparks and it caught fire. even the clicking wheel got melted. and the back of the ipod split open.
am i the first to experience this flaw! im so disappointed with that.
What should i do?
if you wanna see the pic go to – http://www.flickr.com/photos/23960698@N02/
The photographs show a badly charred black iPod nano, model No. A1137.
Lithium ion batteries have caught fire in Apple notebook computers, as well as laptops made by Sony (SNE), Dell (DELL), Lenovo and other manufacturers.
In the iPod line, only the nano seems to be having similar problems. In October an Atlanta airport worker claimed his iPod “nana” caught fire in his pocket, although TV reports of “chest-high flames” don’t seem credible. (link) Last April, an Australian reported in an Engadget forum that his nano exploded with a force that sent it flying to the floor, where it sparked and smoked until he unplugged it. (link)
There are no reports of other iPod models catching fire in Apple’s discussion boards.
Apple introduced the first generation iPod nano in Sept. 2005 and sold its first million in 17 days. It was discontinued in Sept. 2006.
It’s not clear why the problems are surfacing now, or why Apple waited nearly two months to report the Japanese incident to the government, as required by law. Japan’s ministry of trade and economy has “strongly warned” Apple and instructed it to investigate the cause.
This just happened to my daughter and it is an IPOD classic purchased in 2006. She plugged it in to charge overnight and when she awoke the battery burned through the case and the IPOD was extremely hot. Fortunately it was caught before it actually caught on fire. Apple is deciding what to do since they claim they are not responsible as it is under warranty.
HA, i wouldnt be dissapointed…
it went out with a bang so to speak.
“Funny how the only report of this comes from Japan–from where most of the competition hails…
Posted By What’s the frequency, Kenneth?”
Yea, too bad that Japan produces 60 percent of the lithium ion batteries sold worldwide- http://tinyurl.com/32upm4
This wasn’t the only report of an Ipod nano catching fire either, read the article. This is a potential problem for any device that uses lithium battery technology.
It isn’t even clear who made the lithium-ion battery in the device. Did you try and find out who were possible battery manufacturers? Nooo! But it wasn’t Apple which we know.
This was a first-generation iPod nano originally made in 2005. Maybe it was accidentally damaged (banged or dropped at one time and had damage to the battery)
Who is the source… What Japanese official. Maybe the laptop, was probably a cheaply designed WinPC from Japan & was sending out too much power. Maybe it was a cheap third-party charger.
Do you suppose the Japanese or Americans would be asking for an investigation if a Toyota, Honda, Ford , or GM battery sparked because someone moron attached some third-party trickle charger.
Had to laugh…
“The photographs show a badly charged black iPod nano, model No. A1137.”
I think “badly charged” was supposed to be “badly charred”, but still it seems appropriate.
ex ped: Thanks for the catch. A typo almost too good to correct.
Funny how the only report of this comes from Japan–from where most of the competition hails…
lmao @ you noob apple fanboys…
any statement printed on money.cnn.com that does not put apple in the golden spotlight of heavenly bliss and you girlz cry like little b#$%hes that forune or elmerD are wrong, paid by who-knows, drumming up trash, etc. etc.
are any of you iTards savvy enough to know the difference between an iTard and an imbecile?? no??
that’s because there is none…..iTards/imbeciles!!!
give us all a break and keep your noobie, technology incapable, mommy crying off these articles!
your pathetic whining continues to make you look like the exact people that need apple hardware….you know the ones….those that can’t spell technology let alone know how to configure it..!!!
(but the shiny colors have you so hypnotized that you don’t even realize your incompetent iTard fools)
So just who is Fortune getting paid by for suppling FUD on Apple? This is VERY VERY irresponsible journalism as this is a single event which was reported in JANUARY. Kinda old to be considered news? Or do your buddies need some bad news so they can continue shorting apple? And fortune USE to be a good business read…. no more… no more….
A report of one ipod worldwide reportedly catching fire is headline news? Wow, next thing you know PED is going to report that some Mac in England crashed.
One iPod. What a miserable excuse for journalism. You’ve got to think somebody paid somebody to put this trivia in a major ? publication
Razors in Halloween candy, snakes in the vegetables, almost all of these stories are urban myths and attempts at corporate extortion. Sadly, the media doesn’t check these stories closely and actually lends Poor RIchard’s credence, “Well, I read it in the paper,” to these tales of consumer woe. If this is true restitution should be made. How about another missive on unlocked IPhones?
Beltway Greg
Typical reportage from this site.
1). Lets get everyones attention. The bait with the moronic headline, but expected from this idiot.
2). Lets add some unsubstantiated. Right, so they go to a blog, ferret out an all-caps blog ‘MY IPOD EXPLODED’, and then assume its fact, reprint it as evidence of their assumption, and, of course, of course, highlight words such as ‘FIRE’ and ‘I’M SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THAT”.
This Philip clown continues his sophomoric writing on this worthless Fortune blog.
ed ped: The emphasis (those “highlighted words” you object to so vehemently) was in the original.
WAs he playing ‘Come on Baby Light My Fire’?
- Snapshot of the iPhone App Store: One year later
- Dr. LSD to Steve Jobs: How was your trip?
- Mac vs. PC: Microsoft lowers the bar to $700
- Apple, Palm seen cutting into BlackBerry sales
- Steve Jobs’ health: Where’s that SEC probe?
- iPhone wait reduced to 30 minutes in New York City
- Demand for new MacBooks outstrips supplies
- Where have all the white iPhones gone?
- Antitrust: Apple and AT&T in DOJ’s sights
- Analyst: China Mobile still an iPhone contender
- The App Store hits one billion downlo... More
- According to Apple, the one billionth... More
- I want to add that I have 4 laptops, ... More
- I have some ideas for great apps for ... More
- Blackberry has an appstore and has ha... More
- Ever since iPhone OS 3.0 came out a f... More
- I love my iPhone. Apps like Portfoli... More
- I consider myself one who walks betwe... More
- First off, I had a brand new PC for 8... More
- Anyone who is computer literate would... More
Silicon Valley veterans like to joke that Steve Jobs must be surrounded by a reality distortion field; if you get too close to him, you start to believe what he's saying. Thanks to the success of the iPod, the launch of the iPhone and the renewed interest in the Mac, Apple has made believers out of millions of customers - and made a lot of investors rich. But Philip Elmer-DeWitt believes that an ounce of skepticism never hurts when writing about the company. He should know. He's been covering Apple - and watching Steve Jobs operate - since 1982, first for Time Magazine, then for Business 2.0, and now for Fortune.
That’s what happens when the batteries they sell are super cheap pieces of crud. I had the same problem happen to me and had to buy a new battery. Luckily I discovered http://www.needbattery.com because they have really low prices.