The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is investigating many reports of the Apple iPod overheating, and in some cases, catching on fire. In its own investigation, a news organization in Phoenix, Arizona, found three cases of the iPod catching fire. One victim had the iPod burn her as she was using it on a jog. Another woman, who received her iPod for Christmas, burned her hand as well after a few uses. The news organization discovered dozens of other reports of iPods, iPod Touches, and iPhones catching fire, and in some cases exploding. The culprit appears to be the iPod’s lithium ion battery, the same battery recalled by Sony after it was linked to several laptop computer fires.
The CPSC is investigating eighteen incidents, including an iPod setting off a fire alarm in a fourteen-year-old boy’s room in Michigan and an iPod catching fire in a man’s shirt pocket. Despite the incidents, the three victims in Arizona claim Apple did not seem too concerned when they contacted the company about the problem; Apple representatives said to send them $34 for shipping and handling and they would replace the iPod.
Apple’s spokesman released this statement, "iPods are incredibly well designed and safety is the highest priority for Apple. The number of confirmed incidents of batteries overheating is less that 0.0001 percent of all iPods sold, which is an incredibly small percentage and none of those incidents caused serious injury or serious property damage. If a customer has any concerns about their battery they should contact AppleCare."
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