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07-08-2013, 03:00 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Apple replacing fake iPhone chargers after electrocution death
Chinese woman died after answering iPhone during charging with knockoff charger
CBC News Posted: Aug 6, 2013 11:25 AM ET
Following the electrocution death of a woman in China that has been blamed on a knockoff iPhone charger, Apple is offering to take back and recycle counterfeit chargers and replace them with an Apple version for $10 — about half price.
"Recent reports have suggested that some counterfeit and third party adapters may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues," Apple said on a page on its customer support site Tuesday.
"While not all third party adapters have an issue, we are announcing a USB Power Adapter Takeback Program to enable customers to acquire properly designed adapters."
Starting Aug. 16, Apple stores and authorized retailers will accept USB adapters and ensure they are "disposed of in an environmentally friendly way." Until Oct. 18, anyone who returns at least one USB power adapter can buy a new Apple adapter for $10 for each iPhone, iPad and iPod they own. Customers must bring the mobile devices with them so the serial number can be validated. The regular retail prices for Apple USB adapters are $19 for the 12W version and $21 for the 5W version.
Apple announced in July that it was investigating an accident in which a Chinese woman was killed by an electric shock after answering a call on her iPhone while it was charging. Ma Ailun, 23, was from China's western Xinjiang region and worked as a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines.
Several days later, the Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV interviewed a telecommunications expert named Xiang Ligang who said the charger Ailun had been using might have been a knockoff or fake, the South China Morning post reported.
Ligang said in low-quality devices, the capacitor could break down and send 220 volts of electricity straight into the cellphone battery.
'Fake' iPhone charger cited in electrocution death probe
A woman killed by an electric shock while using her iPhone may have been using a non-Apple-made battery charger at the time of her death, Chinese state media reported.
The victim, 23-year-old Ma Ailun, had been using what appeared to be an unauthorised iPhone 4 charger, CCTV reported on Tuesday. According to Xiang Ligang, a telecommunications expert interviewed by CCTV, the charger Ma had been using may have been a "knockoff"' - a fake.
“Knockoff chargers sometimes cut corners,” Xiang said. “The quality of the capacitor and circuit protector may not be good, and this may lead to the capacitor breaking down and sending 220 volts of electricity directly into the cell phone battery.”
Ma, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, had been charging her iPhone 4 on July 11 in her home in Xinjiang. She had been electrocuted after picking it up to answer a call. Earlier reports had said she had been using an iPhone 5 at the time, but CCTV investigations confirmed that the exterior of the device was a stainless steel iPhone 4 - not the aluminum iPhone 5.
Another possibility was the charger had been intended for use in Hong Kong, Taiwan or Japan, Xiang said.
“Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan all use an electrical voltage of 110 volts,” Xiang said. “Mainland China uses 220 volts. If the charger was made to accommodate only 110 volts, then it’s possible it may have broken down and [overloaded.]”
Xiang's comments are not entirely accurate - Hong Kong has a standard electrical voltage of 220, although 120 voltage outlets are found in some hotels. Japan has a standard voltage of 100 volts.
Xiang said that normally, the electric current from an overloaded charger would overheat the phone’s casing, damaging the circuits inside and rendering the device unusable. In the case of Ma’s iPhone 4, however, authorities said the phone could still be started normally despite severe traces of burning on its exterior. The phone’s data cable, charger, and plug were all intact.
A police investigation is underway. A spokeswoman for Apple said the company was “deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and…will fully investigate and co-operate with authorities in this matter”.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?159117-Don-t-buy-your-electronics-in-China&goto=newpost).
Apple replacing fake iPhone chargers after electrocution death
Chinese woman died after answering iPhone during charging with knockoff charger
CBC News Posted: Aug 6, 2013 11:25 AM ET
Following the electrocution death of a woman in China that has been blamed on a knockoff iPhone charger, Apple is offering to take back and recycle counterfeit chargers and replace them with an Apple version for $10 — about half price.
"Recent reports have suggested that some counterfeit and third party adapters may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues," Apple said on a page on its customer support site Tuesday.
"While not all third party adapters have an issue, we are announcing a USB Power Adapter Takeback Program to enable customers to acquire properly designed adapters."
Starting Aug. 16, Apple stores and authorized retailers will accept USB adapters and ensure they are "disposed of in an environmentally friendly way." Until Oct. 18, anyone who returns at least one USB power adapter can buy a new Apple adapter for $10 for each iPhone, iPad and iPod they own. Customers must bring the mobile devices with them so the serial number can be validated. The regular retail prices for Apple USB adapters are $19 for the 12W version and $21 for the 5W version.
Apple announced in July that it was investigating an accident in which a Chinese woman was killed by an electric shock after answering a call on her iPhone while it was charging. Ma Ailun, 23, was from China's western Xinjiang region and worked as a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines.
Several days later, the Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV interviewed a telecommunications expert named Xiang Ligang who said the charger Ailun had been using might have been a knockoff or fake, the South China Morning post reported.
Ligang said in low-quality devices, the capacitor could break down and send 220 volts of electricity straight into the cellphone battery.
'Fake' iPhone charger cited in electrocution death probe
A woman killed by an electric shock while using her iPhone may have been using a non-Apple-made battery charger at the time of her death, Chinese state media reported.
The victim, 23-year-old Ma Ailun, had been using what appeared to be an unauthorised iPhone 4 charger, CCTV reported on Tuesday. According to Xiang Ligang, a telecommunications expert interviewed by CCTV, the charger Ma had been using may have been a "knockoff"' - a fake.
“Knockoff chargers sometimes cut corners,” Xiang said. “The quality of the capacitor and circuit protector may not be good, and this may lead to the capacitor breaking down and sending 220 volts of electricity directly into the cell phone battery.”
Ma, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, had been charging her iPhone 4 on July 11 in her home in Xinjiang. She had been electrocuted after picking it up to answer a call. Earlier reports had said she had been using an iPhone 5 at the time, but CCTV investigations confirmed that the exterior of the device was a stainless steel iPhone 4 - not the aluminum iPhone 5.
Another possibility was the charger had been intended for use in Hong Kong, Taiwan or Japan, Xiang said.
“Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan all use an electrical voltage of 110 volts,” Xiang said. “Mainland China uses 220 volts. If the charger was made to accommodate only 110 volts, then it’s possible it may have broken down and [overloaded.]”
Xiang's comments are not entirely accurate - Hong Kong has a standard electrical voltage of 220, although 120 voltage outlets are found in some hotels. Japan has a standard voltage of 100 volts.
Xiang said that normally, the electric current from an overloaded charger would overheat the phone’s casing, damaging the circuits inside and rendering the device unusable. In the case of Ma’s iPhone 4, however, authorities said the phone could still be started normally despite severe traces of burning on its exterior. The phone’s data cable, charger, and plug were all intact.
A police investigation is underway. A spokeswoman for Apple said the company was “deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and…will fully investigate and co-operate with authorities in this matter”.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?159117-Don-t-buy-your-electronics-in-China&goto=newpost).