iPhone battery overheated; people flee and man injured

Electronics and gadgets have to be manufactured with care and quality; a miscalculation may lead to a short life of the product and injuries.

An overheated and smoking iPhone battery forced the evacuation of about 50 people from an Apple Store in Zurich on Tuesday and left an employee slightly injured, police said.

Staff at the store near Zurich’s central train station called police after noticing the smoke and sprinkled the battery with quartz powder, a statement from police in the Swiss city said.

“The staff responded well and correctly,” police said.

“A shop assistant sustained minor burns while removing the battery that overheated,” the statement continued, adding that seven others received medical attention but did not need to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Specialists from the Zurich Forensic Institute were studying the battery to determine the cause of the incident, police said.

In October, several customers from different parts of the world reported their iPhone 8 Plus batteries “swelling”, sparking safety fears about the phone.

READ ALSO: Samsung’s new approach; talk to your appliances and electronics

Apple said at that time they were “looking into it”.

Unexpected shutdowns

Meanwhile, in Paris, Apple Inc. is facing criminal probe into allegations from consumer groups that it’s deliberately shortening the life of iPhones.

The investigation, confirmed by Paris prosecutors on Tuesday, comes just weeks after the US technology giant apologized to customers for software changes it says unintentionally reduced the performance of older smartphones to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

The authorities opened a preliminary investigation on Jan. 5 against Apple for “programmed obsolescence” and “deceit” after receiving a complaint, according to an official who asked not to be named in line with policy. Agence France-Presse reported the probe on Monday.

Emile Meunier, a lawyer for HOP, the consumer and environmental protection association that lodged the complaint, said in an email he will share with investigators statements from clients that were “wronged.”

He called upon Apple to compensate its customers for the damage and stop such practices.

Apple representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Seiko Epson Corp. also faces a probe in France into suspected planned obsolescence.

Apple has been confronted by a slew of lawsuits over the software tweak, which had led to a noticeably slower performance in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models.

Some accused Apple of intentionally slowing older iPhones to encourage consumers to replace them with newer, more expensive models.

The retail price of the iPhone X, which went on sale in November, starts at $999 (Dh2,669).

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