If Apple fans had been laughing at the misfortune of Galaxy Note 7 owners due to some of the handsets exploding, they’ve now stopped. We’ve just heard the first report of an iPhone 7 exploding.
iPhone 7 exploding?
To start with, let’s rule out the battery, as I don’t think this is a repeat of what happened with the Note 7. If the current reports about the iPhone 7 exploding are accurate, it has only happened to one user before he had even used it. So the difference here is no one knows why an iPhone 7 would blow up, but there have been multiple instances of the Note 7 exploding.
It’s clear that a defect caused the problem in this particular case. When and where the issue occurred during the manufacturing process is something Apple will have to find out.
What if there’s more than one?
If there continue to be reports of the iPhone 7 exploding, the situation could soon get out of hand for Apple. The problem of the exploding Note 7 has caused it to be banned from flying by many government agencies around the world. Samsung has recalled many devices with the defective battery that was found to be the cause of the problem. However, so far the South Korean company is said to have only collected 60% of the affected devices.
So if there are further reports of the iPhone 7 exploding, you can bet that there would be a mass recall. Right now there are not a lot of details emerging about the incident. However, can see from the image above that the iPhone has been destroyed. Its owner certainly won’t be testing out the camera and A10 Fusion chip’s capabilities anytime soon.
What I can say, however, is that the owner was not harmed in any way by the faulty device. In fact, neither was its box. Apparently it was relatively unscathed, which is quite strange considering that the iPhone 7 is believed to have been inside it when the explosion occurred. That’s what the owner of the handset is saying anyway.
Posted on Reddit
The fact that the iPhone 7 exploded while in transit leaves a lot of questions unanswered. However, the owner (Reddit user kroopthesnoop) posted images of the device and didn’t seem overly concerned about it. If you take a look at the image above, it’s clearly a Matte Black iPhone 7, and it does look like it exploded. But without the handset in my hand and some diagnostic tools, it’s near impossible to diagnose the cause.
The not so funny side
There are some out there who can make a joke out of pretty much anything, and one related to the iPhone 7 exploding is that Apple is now copying Samsung. That would be a role reversal, considering that Apple has sued Samsung on more than one occasion for copying its work.
Others are suggesting that Apple was fed up with Samsung for hogging the limelight, so it created the incredible exploding phone to gain back some airtime. However, Samsung could have one up on Apple due to reports about more of its products exploding. Apparently it’s not just the Note 7 cheating Apple of the limelight. U.S. consumer watchdogs are putting together a lawsuit because of exploding washing machines as well.
So far Samsung has not named the model affected by this issue, but it has said, “In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items.”
If you own a Samsung washing machine, you can check to see if your device is affected here. All you have to do is enter the serial number of your device.
Final thoughts
Joking aside, there’s very little real information right now, but unless the device was placed in the box in that condition, it could have only happened in transit. So far Apple has remained tight-lipped about the incident, and so has the courier, UPS. However, it is highly likely that both companies are investigating the matter.
As soon as more is revealed or a cause for the iPhone 7 exploding is announced, we’ll let you know.
[Source: Reddit]
