Apple iPod Explodes & Company Tries To Silence Owner

It is being reported that a dropped Apple iPod exploded and that Apple has tried to silence the owner from making public what had happened. According to the family which resides in the U.K., the father of an 11 year old daughter, accidentally dropped the iPod which started hissing. The father threw the iPod in the back yeard and the device exploded going 10 feet in the air. When the father reported the incident and requested a refund, Apple wanted the family to sign a non disclosure agreement as to what had happened.

According to the TimesOnline it also states that:

Mr Stanborough contacted Apple and Argos, where he had bought the device for £162. After being passed around several departments, he spoke to an Apple executive on the telephone. As a result of the conversation, Apple sent a letter to Mr Stanborough denying liability but offering a refund.

The letter also stated that, in accepting the money, Mr Stanborough was to “agree that you will keep the terms and existence of this settlement agreement completely confidential”, and that any breach of confidentiality “may result in Apple seeking injunctive relief, damages and legal costs against the defaulting persons or parties”.

“I thought it was a very disturbing letter,” said Mr Stanborough, who is self-employed and works in electronic security. He refused to sign it.

Last week it emerged that Apple had tried to keep a number of cases where its iPod digital music players had started to smoke, burst into flames and even burned their owners, out of the public eye.

An American reporter obtained 800 pages of documentation on the cases from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) following a Freedom of Information Act request in that country. However, she was unable to get hold of the documents for months after “Apple’s lawyers filed exemption after exemption”.

In those cases, CPSC investigators suggested that the iPods’ lithium ion batteries could be the source of the problem.

There have been other incidents of exploding iPods and injuries like this:

A number of bloggers have reported cases where iPods have exploded — usually involving older versions of the digital music players. Last year the Japanese Government warned that iPod Nanos presented a potential fire risk, saying there had been 14 cases in the country where the players had caught alight, with two people suffering minor burns.

In March, a mother in Ohio began court proceedings against Apple, after her son’s iPod Touch allegedly exploded in his pocket, burning his leg.

With the number of iPods out there, these incidents seemed to not be a major problem. Apple should replace damaged iPods and also make restitution which only seems fair.

Comments welcome.

Source.