France Probes Exploding iPhones
Unflattering tales about lithium-ion batteries are once again making headlines, this time in Apple’s (AAPL) iPhones. In France, users have reported 10 cases of exploding or cracking iPhones, while similar claims have been reported elsewhere.
The last time such batteries broke into the news was three years ago, when Sony (SNE) voluntarily recalled millions of laptop batteries after they were found to cause laptops to possibly overheat and catch fire. Though Sony admitted issues with quality control, experts at the time blamed part of the problem on the increased demand that sophisticated portable devices are placing on lithium-ion batteries.