iPod explodes, owner gagged

Apple iPod headphones with apple fruit

The father of an Apple iPod that went up in smoke was allegedly refused a refund on the faulty device unless he signed a legal gagging' order.

Liverpool-based Ken Stanborough, who had purchased an iPod Touch for his 11-year-old daughter Ellie, was shocked when it exploded unexpectedly last month after dropping it.

"It made a hissing noise. I could feel it getting hotter in my hand, and I thought I could see vapour," he told the Times newspaper, before adding that, half a minute later, there was a "pop" followed by smoke and the device being catapulted "10ft in the air."

The shocked father was offered his money back, but only in exchange for a signed settlement document, forbidding him to speak about the incident without legal comeback.

Apple has previously warned consumers to be particularly vigilant about their iPhones overheating during the hot weather.

And, just last month, the company re-called some of its iPod Nano devices on the recommendation of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, following reports that some were becoming too hot while charging.

An Apple spokesperson told IT PRO that the company had nothing further to add to the story. Other reports have suggested Apple also declined to comment because it had not had a chance to inspect the iPod in question as yet.

Maggie Holland

Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.

Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.