More reports of "exploding iPhones" emerge

BEIJING, August 27 (Xinhuanet) -- New reports have emerged

concerning "exploding iPhones". On Wednesday this week several cases were

reported in France, and Apple is now facing an official inquiry over possible

risks linked to its popular smartphone.

Ten French consumers have now come forward saying their

iPhone screens exploded or cracked without explanation and one is even reported

to have received an eye injury. On Tuesday, 26-year-old security guard Yassine

Bouhadi, claimed he was hit in the eye with a glass shard when the screen of his

iPhone cracked up. He said he would seek a full refund and file suit for

damages.

In the latest French incident, Rolland Caufman, an 80 year

old pensioner from the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Sec, said his iPhone screen

broke up on July 21, the week after he bought it."I went out shopping, with my

iPhone in my left pocket, when I suddenly felt it heat up and start vibrating,

even though I never use the vibrate setting," he told Agence France Presse, "I

took it out of my pocket and held it to my ear and saw the screen crack up like

a car windscreen"

France's consumer watchdog, the DGCCRF, has opened an

investigation after a French teenager suffered an eye injury in a similar iPhone

incident earlier this month. "An investigation is under way. We have been

alerted to the problem and we are looking into it closely," a spokesman said

Tuesday.

French consumer rights group, UFC-Que Choisir, also

called on Apple to come clean about possible faults with its iPod and iPhone

devices. "We want to know if this is an isolated incident as they claim, or a

real problem involving the iPhone -- in which case, what are they planning by

way of compensation and to prevent it happening again?" a spokesman said.

Apple is accused of trying to hush up 15 cases of iPod

music players heating up and bursting into flames in the United States and in

one similar British case, all apparently due to overheated lithium ion

batteries. Although none of the incidents have caused serious injury Apple has

been forced to defend the safety of its flagship smartphone before the European

Union this month, insisting the exploding screen cases were "isolated

incidents".

In Britain, Apple came under fire last month for allegedly

asking a young girl's family to sign a confidentiality agreement, criticized as

a "gagging order", before it would agree to refund her for her "exploding iPod"

music player. The US technology giant, which has sold 26 million iPhones and 200

million iPods to date, said it been informed of the French cases, but would not

comment until it had examined the damaged phones.

"We are aware of these reports and we are waiting to

receive the iPhones from the customers. Until we have the full details, we don't

have anything further to add," Alan Hely, head of communications at Apple Europe

said. Of more than 1.2 million iPhones sold in France, French mobile operator

Orange said it had been contacted by only two customers with shattered iPhone

screens.

The European Commission has asked all 27 EU nations to

keep it informed of any problems, under the community's rapid alert system for

dangerous consumer products, known as RAPEX.

Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns said "Apple has been

very cooperative", stressing that RAPEX alerts were issued every week, sometimes

leading to mass product recalls, but at other times with no consequence. "We'll

be vigilant and if necessary we'll take further actions. But we need to examine

the situation better," she said.

(Agencies)