European iPhone Chargers Prone To Overheating

jones_supa sends word that Apple has launched an exchange program for European iPhone USB power adapters. The company says its A1300 adapters were bundled with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S models, and were also sold on their own from Oct. 2009 to Sept. 2012. The reason for the recall is that the adapters "may overheat and pose a safety risk." No further details are provided (a YouTube video shows a teardown of the device).

That sucks.

[B33rNinj4]

Looks like global warming is impacting everything now.

"May" is not a synonym for "prone".

[Kenja]

Anyone have a real world example of these overheating?

Re:"May" is not a synonym for "prone".

[i kan reed]

Usually they don't issue recalls over completely unsubstantiated hypotheticals.

Re:

[i kan reed]

I think you're mistaking prone for meaning "more likely than not" or some other highly specific threshold. That's not the definition.

  adj. Having a tendency; inclined: paper that is prone to yellowing; children who are prone to mischief.

That's a totally reasonable usage of the word, and not even remotely hyperbolic.

Re:

[i kan reed]

No, I'm "blinded" by basic respect for the conventional understanding of the English language, and not being literally insane.

What the hell is wrong with you?

Re:

[mirix]

I think 'Prone to' is fine here. Apparently the iPhone chargers are more prone to starting on fire than a standard charger would be expected to. It's a relative thing.

Ford Pintos were prone to starting on fire. Not even a small minority of them actually did, though.

Re:

[Desler]

Apple didn't even say "may". They said "in rare cases". Sure, that is CYA wording but twisting that into saying it is prone to overheating is simply baiting.

Re:

[gstoddart]

Apple obviously does.

This isn't a 3rd party saying it, this is Apple themselves.

Re:

[jones_supa]

Submitter here, thanks for the feedback.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

It's spanned 3 generations of the iPhone with no mention until now so it can't be that frequent that you'll find someone on here with a real world example.

Re:

[jedidiah]

On the one hand, I have used cheap generic chargers bought in the US with no problems in European outlets.

On the other hand, there are different electrical standards in play here.

Still. I've used the cheapest parts I could lay my hands on and never managed a fire or explosion.

Re: "May" is not a synonym for "prone".

[cerberusss]

I used to buy cheap chargers but after reading this article, I changed my mind: www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html

Re:

[zwarte piet]

They may have been tested insufficiently for use on 240V wallsockets or they try to save a buck by using 250V caps in Murica instead of the proper 400V ones.

Sigh

[ledow]

From the "geniuses of design" that brought you "drag the cd to the wastebin to eject it", "no physical cd eject button", "imacs with power buttons you can't feel on the back of them", "phones that you lose signal on if you hold while using them to call" and more...

Now we have "over-stuffed proprietary charger that overheats".

Re:

[jones_supa]

What I found surprising is that the iPhone home button has no LED to illuminate it.

Re:

[Desler]

Butthurt over what? Care to show that even 1% of 1% of iPhone users have even voiced such a complaint?

Re:

[gstoddart]

Neither does a clitoris or a nipple, but people have successfully used them for millennia. ;-)

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Neither does a clitoris or a nipple, but people have successfully used them for millennia. ;-)

theres no part of the clitoris or the female orgasm that is necessary for anything.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

It never moves so why would I need it?

Re:

[jones_supa]

I dunno, the position just screams for a LED. The button "looks dead" without it.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

Thinking about it, I can't think of any phone that's had an led in the button. I'm kind of glad too, I'm not sure if that would look tacky or not.

Re:

[jones_supa]

There is this Android thingy.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

Neither me or my friend's android phones had buttons that lit up. Unless it's an optional thing they disliked. But still I don't think it's that big of a thing.

Re:

[jones_supa]

It is a common thing in the Android platform.

Re:

[jrumney]

My guess is cheap universal chargers, that are designed to provide sufficient charging current at 100V (as used in Japan), and anything in excess above that results in excess power being dumped as heat. 240V is just a worst case.

Re:

[jellomizer]

Wow for a multi-billion dollar company.
6 Problems over the course of 20 years. Not too bad.
And a lot of these Problems you stated are just your personal gripes not actually real problems.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

If only it were those six... Overheating CPUs due to excessive thermal paste, moisture sensors that invalidated your warranty due to high humidity, using cheap 6 bit panels but claiming "millions of colours", batteries that die quickly due to having to support an inadequate charger during heavy loads, being able to crash any app by typing "file:///"... Of course many other companies are no better, the point being that Apple screw up as much as anyone.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

It does have a physical cd eject button. It's on the keyboard. I've never had an issue with power buttons either but then again I use the things rather than just repeat things I've heard online.

Re:

[ArcadeMan]

Disconnect data cable from CD/DVD drive. Power up PC. Press eject button. It works.

Re:

[ArcadeMan]

Aren't we supposed to call embedded software "firmware"? You're grasping at straws here, anyway. It's a physical button that's part of the drive, talking to a controller that's also part of the drive.

Re:

[thetoadwarrior]

You fucking idiot. Your CD drive button relies on software too. It's no different except it's on the drive and both the cd drive button and the keyboard eject button rarely fail when operated by a human and no some basement dwelling rage turd angry at life.

Protip: Cheetos dust isn't good for electronics.

Re:

[MikeMo]

Here's a bit of history for you. Way back in the computing dark ages (you know, the early 80's), all desktop computers had a common problem: people would remove the floppy disks (sometimes the boot volume) in a rather rude way. They would simply push the eject button. Sometimes, this resulted in computer crashes. Sometimes, it resulted in corrupt files, as the system had not yet flushed all of the data to the floppy and closed the file.

Along came Macintosh, and Apple was determined to do things "right"

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

It's the worst possible solution to that problem. The route everyone else took of putting a physical eject button on the CD drive that made the drive's firmware spit the disc out is the correct way to go. The computer gets notified and burners won't eject during a write, and most importantly even if the computer locks up or won't boot you can always get the disc out. Apple even forgot to make the emergency eject hole accessible.

Re:

[MikeMo]

The computer does get notified (sometimes) but the disk is already gone - the open and incomplete file is not fixable, the OS the system booted on is no longer available. Maybe you weren't there, as I can tell you this was one of the big issues being debated in the industry - how to solve this very problem - and Apple was the first and only company to fix it.

You CAN get the disc out on a Mac, two ways: 1) Power up while holding down the mouse button. This causes the boot firmware to eject the disc; and

Re:

[MikeMo]

No one could. I don't know how many Windows crashes I've seen caused by this. Heck, Windows didn't even used to notice when you changed the disk without a refresh. You, sir, are a dolt. Exactly what do you expect the OS to do when the OS itself has been physically ejected? How can a program write to and close a file that is no longer in the drive?

Re:

[thegarbz]

The point is, the lack of an eject button was not some stupid aesthetic thing, something to make the computer look better - it grew out of a very real problem that needed solving.

False and you have proven that when you mentioned that CD's also have that "problem". The presence of a button means nothing at all. Try ejecting a CD while burning it, or while ripping an ISO, or while doing any action with any software that has the sense to lock the eject button.

Post floppy disk, all eject buttons ARE software actions in control of the OS, hence the physical hole next to the CD which allows you to override the locking mechanism with a paperclip.

Re:

[king neckbeard]

That appears to not be an eject button, but a manual override. It would typically require something like a paperclip to operate, which is different from an eject button.

Re:

[jedidiah]

THAT is not an eject button.

Tell your average granny or joe sixpack off the street to go take a paperclip to that stupid little hole an they will look at you like you've got a second head.

Re:

[mythosaz]

Home plate is base after third in baseball.

Players run from third to home when they score.

As such, those are all home runs.

Also, you're an idiot.

Re:

[sjames]

Push the eject HOLE with your finger and see what (doesn't) happen.

Re:

[ArcadeMan]

Tell your average granny or joe sixpack off the street to go take a paperclip to that stupid little hole an they will look at you like you've got a second head.

I know how that feels.

signed,
Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Re:

[sjames]

That is not a button, it's a HOLE. It says so right in the picture.

Re:

[newcastlejon]

perhaps you can show us where the "eject" button is?

Top-right hand corner of the keyboard.

Re:

[Hamsterdan]

Tell that to g5 iMacs, intel iMacs, all powerbooks, all macbooks, the mac mini, and ibooks

Re:

[ledow]

It's not a question of it being soft or not. It was a question of getting it out when the machine crashed. The models in question would not let you eject the discs even on boot-up (unlike every other CD drive I've ever seen - supply power, push button, out comes CD - worst that happens is you have be quick before the OS sucks the drive tray back in, or press Pause/Break on the BIOS to give yourself time).

That's not even counting the fact that ALL non-Mac CD drives have a MANUAL emergency eject hole. Pape

Obviously...

[Fire_Wraith]

They're holding it wrong.

Re:

[mu51c10rd]

They're holding it wrong.

Quite incorrect. I believe the late Steve Jobs would tell them they are charging it wrong.

Re:

[Tablizer]

Careful there, this is a family website.

In Europe

[rossdee]

Didn't the EU mandate that phones had to charge with microUSB connectors?
That has to be the stupidest thing since GWB invaded Iraq

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Somewhat, it's not mandatory at this point, it is something you can opt into (which Apple did however). It will become mandatory later. Apple meets the microUSB obligation by offering for sale an adapter (and marketting models with the adapter included) between microUSB and lightning. The adapter is 35€ IIRC.
Strangely, that adapter is one of Apples worst selling accessories.

Re:

[Blaskowicz]

Strangeely that costs more than a whole phone plus USB charger and cable.

I thought I was going crazy

[Bitbyte]

I really did think I was going crazy that after a 6 hour charge my I phone charger long pin was burning hot

Re:

[ArcadeMan]

After six hours of use, my long pin would be burning hot too.

Prices

[MrL0G1C]

Lol, Ebay charger £1, Apples charger £15:

Apple 5w usb plug charger [apple.com]

eBay 5w usb plug charger [ebay.co.uk]

Re:

[mirix]

The $1 iphone charger I took apart was such a poor design and construction. Very little isolation, so unsafe. two transistor resonant style switching setup, cheapest there is. Too small output capacitors making the output very noisy. Though it claimed 1A, it was dropping out by 300mA. Not even close. No input filtering at all. no fuse. I'm surprised the things work at all, really.

That's not to say that it isn't possible to make a good charger for less than a .. whatever ripoff pricing apple charges, $30? Th

Re:

[MrL0G1C]

Of course an Apple charger-plug would never over-heat or anything.

Note that £1 ($1.69) includes postage+packing+ebay+paypal fees which means the plug cost...almost nothing, I'm amazed that they can sell it at that price, the charger must only cost a few pennies to make.

Re:

[Hamsterdan]

Sure, because all power supplies are created equal, right?

Like a 29$ walmart DVD player is built the same as 150$ one.

Re:

[Hamsterdan]

Not talking about features, but the way it's built, output quality, and durability.

Too late to matter

[johnjaydk]

That shit is almost ancient. Who gives a damn?

If something that old haven't burned your house down yet then it's likely to be safe.

They should have used genuine Apple chargers.

[Moskit]

Apple themselves warn that non-genuine chargers can lead to overheating and other problems:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT... [apple.com]

Apple even still recommends Apple chargers.
http://www.apple.com/support/u... [apple.com]
"we recommend getting an Apple USB power adapter."

Talk about throwing rocks, glass houses, shooting yourself in a foot...

Re:

[jones_supa]

There's also an interesting Fake Apple USB Charger Teardown [youtube.com] by Dave Jones.

Not surprising

[Emperor Tiberius]

I had a PowerBook charger nearly catch fire back in the day. Had I not caught the burning smell, I might have lost my whole house.

I'm always a little cagey about leaving laptops plugged in unattended nowadays.

Only if you have the original iPhone

[dZap]

The page says "We will need to verify your iPhone serial number as part of the exchange process so please bring your iPhone with you." so if you don't have the iPhone the charger came with they will not replace it. They are still dangerous and still made by Apple so why not replace them?

Re: Only if you have the original iPhone

[KevReedUK]

It's even worse than that, when you consider that (as stated in TFA) Apple sold them separately, too! How do you show the store clerk the S/N of the iPhone the charger came with, when it was purchased as a standalone, after-market accessory?

Re:

[zwarte piet]

... not cool enough. Everyone has them....!