Woman electrocuted by iphone

Woman Electrocuted By iPhone 5

August 26, 2013

Apple is investigating reports that a woman in China died after being electrocuted while trying to make a call with her iPhone 5 while it was charging.

Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her handset to answer a call last Thursday when she received an electric shock, police said Sunday, in reports carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency .

The incident is under investigation by Chinese police.

In a statement Apple said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter.”

“(I) hope that Apple Inc. can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging,” a person identified as Ma’s sister posted on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service. The tweet has been re-tweeted over 3,000 times.

But Monday’s Xinhua report also pointed out that mobile phones have a low output of only 3 to 5 volts, which isn’t enough to harm the human body.

In 2010, a man in northeast China was killed by an electric shock when making a phone call with a handset that was being recharged with an unauthorized charger, according to the China Consumers Association.

Chinese Woman Electrocuted by iPhone 4 Likely Used Unauthorized Charger

Thursday July 18, 2013 9:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Ma Ailun, the 23-year-old Chinese woman who was killed via electric shock when answering a call on her iPhone last week, was most likely using an unauthorized third party charger, reports the South China Morning Post .

Knockoff chargers often use low cost supplies and fail to meet standards for the adequate isolation of electrical input and output, making them more dangerous than brand name chargers that are subject to safety regulations.

The alleged phone and charger that were in use during the incident. According to Xiang Ligang, a telecommunications expert interviewed by CCTV, the charger Ma had been using may have been a "knockoff" - a fake.

"Knockoff chargers sometimes cut corners," Xiang said. "The quality of the capacitor and circuit protector may not be good, and this may lead to the capacitor breaking down and sending 220 volts of electricity directly into the cell phone battery." The woman was also reportedly using an iPhone 4 at the time of the incident, rather than an iPhone 5 as was originally stated. The iPhone 4 contains stainless steel, while the iPhone 5 is primarily aluminum. It is still unclear what caused the malfunction, as the iPhone 4 apparently remained functional after the incident. Xiang said that normally, the electric current from an overloaded charger would overheat the phone’s casing, damaging the circuits inside and rendering the device unusable. In the case of Ma’s iPhone 4, however, authorities said the phone could still be started normally despite severe traces of burning on its exterior. The phone’s data cable, charger, and plug were all intact. A police investigation into the incident is underway, and Apple has pledged to look into the accident. "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident," said an Apple spokeswoman. "We will fully investigate and co-operate with the authorities in this matter."

A second iPhone related electrocution has also been reported (via ZDNet ), involving a man who was injured while connecting his iPhone 4 to a third party charger 10 days ago. The man, who is currently in a hospital in Beijing, remains in a coma.

Apple 'Investigating' Death Of Woman Allegedly Electrocuted By An iPhone

Apple is investigating reports that a woman in China was electrocuted while using her iPhone.

It was reported last week that Ma Ailun from China's Xinjiang region died after she answered her iPhone 5 while it was charging.

It is not yet known if the reports are accurate, and if they are exactly what the cause of the accident was.

Ma Ailun reportedly died after she answered her iPhone 5

China's Xinhua news agency had reported the accident, and said police confirmed the woman was electrocuted. A post by the woman's sister on the Sina Weibo micro-blogging website drew further attention to the story.

According to Reuters Apple has now launched an investigation into the 23-year-old woman's death, and said it would fully cooperate with authorities there.

In a statement Apple said:

"We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter."

Reuters said that Apple did not comment on whether the case was the first of its kind.

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