Apple Updates iPod Battery Warning after Consumer Org Launches Probe

11:21 am, October 20th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli

A fiery nano. @engadget

Two days after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it would launch an investigation into iPod battery issues, Apple updated its support document on battery overheating.
Here’s the main update:

iPod nano (1st generation): Rare cases of battery overheating
Apple has determined that in very rare cases, batteries in the iPod nano (1st generation) sold between September 2005 and December 2006, may overheat and prevent the iPod nano from working and deform it.

Apple has received very few reports of such incidents, and the issue has been traced to a single battery supplier. Additionally, there have been no reports of such incidents with any other iPod nano model. If your battery shows signs of overheating, such as discoloration or deformity, stop using the iPod nano immediately and contact AppleCare as soon as possible for further assistance.

It’s an acknowledgment, but just, that comes two months after the EU announced it was going to investigate exploding iPods — and iPhones.

And what about the advice? Easy enough to spot an overheating device (as it melts and changes color) in hand, but if you’re jogging or have it in your back back, good luck.

Discussion over iPod Nano batteries overheating and burning users has been, well, becoming a hot topic of discussion for the last few months.

First there were isolated incidents, like a torched Saab or sporadic hot flashes in Korea, but after a reporter requested the national Consumer Product Safety Commission reports on too-hot-to-trot iPods, something shifted.

In July, Amy Clancy at KIRO TV, the CBS affiliate in Seattle, got her hands on 800 pages documenting 15 incidents that were said to be the first comprehensive report into how many iPod batteries go up in smoke, some of them burning their owners.

The CPSC is now investigating another 18 incidents, including:
– A 14-year-old Michigan boy’s iPod set off the smoke alarm in the middle of the night

– An iPod started smoking while connected to an iPod stereo in Illinois. The iPod got so hot that it burned the stereo.

– While charging, an iPod shot out flames while charging in Washington, D.C.

Sure, out of millions of iPods sold, a total of 33 claims doesn’t seem like much.
Or is it just the tip of the iceberg for iPod battery woes?

Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, iPod | Comment on this article

About the author

Nicole Martinelli was born in San Francisco and has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. Cultish tendencies and love for DIY increased while living on the Old Continent, where tech came late and cost more in Big Mac index terms. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek, and since 1999 on her site, Zoomata. If you're so inclined, friend her on Facebook or connect on Linked in.

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