Overheating iPod Nanos? Japan investigates

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is examining three reports of overheating iPod Nanos sparking fires, Reuters reported.

The first-generation iPod Nano.

(Credit: Apple)

The government agency said Apple had reported two other cases in which people had suffered minor burns.

The trade ministry said iPod Nanos with known overheating incidents were sold in Japan between September 2005 and September 2006.

Faulty batteries may be the cause of the incidents, the agency said.

Batteries have been traced to a host of issues with laptops and other mobile devices. Apple was one of several companies that had to recall notebooks in 2006 after problems led to overheating and fires.

Apple officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

[nouser]

How odd. I just searched the whole of Apple's iPod Nano User Discussion Forum for an overheating problem and there is not one overheating issue listed.

I wonder how many Nanos were sold and what the failure rate is to make this newsworthy.

[xraydude]

It only takes one on a slow day to make it a tabloid event.

[applesaregreat]

why is the picture of a 2nd generation nano. When the faulty ones are the 1st generation nanos which only came in black?

[applesaregreat]

oops i meant 3rd generation

[skillingssucks]

You were right the first time. The picture depicts 2nd generation Nanos. The 2nd Gen Nano was made of plastic and came in white as well as black.

[skillingssucks]

I meant to say the 1st gen Nanos were plastic and came in black and white.

[Vegaman_Dan]

This sounds like another instance where the tech was pushed beyond its capabilities. There will always be anomalies and only a few fires caused by a defective unit is acceptable when compared to the millions that do not have any issue.

[Trane Francks]

> This sounds like another instance where the tech was pushed beyond its capabilities.

You're going to do that exactly how? Turn the volume up to 11?

[elllroy]

as always cnet tries to do its best to produce FUD about apple. this is a report about a first generation nano-problem. 8 incidents so far out of millions of units sold. why do you show a 3rd generation ipod nano which had no incidents with this caption? this is tabloid level journalism.

[skillingssucks]

...and as always a typical moron does his/her best to post absolute nonsense. The problem was obviously serious enough (and thus newsworthy enough) for Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to investigate. Furthermore "Einstein", the picture depicts 2nd generation Nanos which first sold in September of 2006. Whether or not the problem includes the very first 2nd Gen Nanos is not clear in the article.

[applesaregreat]

another failure of cnet.....showing the wrong generation ipod nano =(

[Seaspray0]

Rumor has it, Big Foot was using them to start forest fires before he was killed.

[skillingssucks]

Pic has now been updated to reflect the correct Nano.