Comments on: Apple faces suit over iPod-related hearing loss

A Louisiana man is suing the Mac maker, saying the iPod music player can cause irreparable hearing loss.

Incredible!

One of the most ridiculous things i have ever heard. This guy really
takes the cake! I guess we arent responsible for our own actions
anymore huh? I probably should sue the major television networks
for turning me into a couch potato. Someone should counter sue
him for being an idiot!

[ps1999]

Cup of HOT coffee anyone?

Better put ice in it first and make sure the printing on the cup
explains what is inside. The sad truth is that this type of case
could actually make it to court. In the meantime, cases with real
merit wait and wait.

[Bob Brinkman]

The coffee cup case

Wasn't about hott coffee, everyone knows coffee is hot. It was about that fact that they kept the coffee at near boiling temps, which is unsafe. The woman wasn't just burnt -she basicly had her genitals melted off. What price would you put on yours?

[Andrew J Glina]

Price of Success

You cannot claim to be successful until someone sues you for it! I hope he is laughed out of court.

[J_Satch]

I don't...

...I hope he is run out of court on a rail and hanged, right next to his lawyer.

[titanium667]

Can I sue you?

Can I sue the freakin' human race for being so stupid?
People really confuse their own stupidity with winning
the lottery. I wish I was a lawyer so I could cash in on these IDIOTS!

[Thomas, David]

Disbar the Lawyers, Jail the Plaintiff

Stupid stupid stupid

If a judge does not throw this out, with the threat of contempt, and disbarring the lawyers, then we may have passed into the age of complete, and total STUPIDITY!

iPod Hearing Loss?

Lets see, I have decided to sue all the lawnmower manufactures
for my hearing loss, and while I am at it I will sue the neighbors
barking dog, and the noisy airplanes that soar above my house,
and the makers of ear plugs because they don't work, and my
wife for screaming at me, and the playground noises from the
nearby school, and of course rock concerts, boom bass radios,
thunderstorms, and blarinng TV's. I will ban all of these sound
sources so I can save my hearing. I will move to a vacant island.

Yea...

I hope this crap doesnt make it to court & win because if it does it
will mark a very sad day in the history of the human race. ...I just
spilled my hot coffee while typing and it splashed on my lap. Hold
on while i go sue Starbucks. They should have warned me that hot
coffee can burn!!

[sareegooglieyes]

People can be really stupid...

Maybe it will cause hearing loss, but that's the person's fault, not Apple. Of course you could go deaf from having the volume up too loud... DUH!!! Everyone knows that, or do they? Maybe I think people are smarter than they really are. But when stuff like this happens, my views on how great people are are lowered.

[David Arbogast]

Exactly

This is an issue of personal responsibility, plain and simple. Headphones even ship with a warning about loud volume levels...

You can try to protect people from themselves all you want, but lets not forget that they have the RIGHT to put on headphones and crank up the volume if they want. Just like smokers have the right to pursue their habit.... Efforts to protect the ignorant should not tread on the rights of those who choose to pursue happiness in their own way.

Here's a good read on personal responsibility and the iPod:
http://www.inaniloquent.com/PermaLink.aspx?guid=4b7c473d-e554-42a4-852c-800634ecd8a9

[lggirl]

ch-ching for the new ATM machine - ipod

Well, what took this imbicile so long. He must have been bored at home one rainy day and saw the lawyers advertizment on the back of his phonebook at home and said "wait, I can do this." Is there a name for this guy's mental difficiency - assinine.... Hey, I'm no fan of your average over-priced name brand ipod, but holy greenbacks batman, does this moron drive a car, does he push the door handle when it clearly states 'pull?' Daaaaaaaaaang.

[godseyesore]

Suing for Hearing Loss

Idiot! Just turn the volume down. What a stupid society we live in.

Who is really behind this?

The lawyer Steve W. Berman is a trial lawyer who is on retainer for
Microsoft. I guess if Microsoft can't beat them then they are going
to try a sue them!

[Andrew J Glina]

Doubt it

Cases like this tend to only benefit the lawyer. Besides, if this is successful, what is to stop someone suing Microsoft for RSI over their keyboard or Xbox usage?

Furthemore, is the retainer still relevent?

"More recently, Microsoft recognized Mr. Berman's experience and expertise when the company retained him to be part of the core national team representing the company in antitrust class actions arising from Judge Jackson's Findings of Fact in the Department of Justice antitrust case against the company."

[Michael G.]

Turn the VOLUME Down, Please...

Now we can hear. Maybe more people should try
learning about where the volume control is located on their iPods. I thought that iPods came with instruction manuals---are there some people that simply can't read?

Every headphone device I've owned in the past ten years came with a caution warning about volume, and how playing at LOUD on a frequent basis can damage hearing. The iPod is no exception.

So to the people that didn't read then, and can't hear now---too bad, it's your own fault.

[Michael G.]

Addition...

I wanted to add, that in my comment I meant no offence to the blind or the visually impaired. When I mentioned "read", I meant people that can easily read but don't take the time to do so.

[K.P.C.]

Look how it started

A week or so ago A.P., Reuters, CNN, etc. all ran a big story -
"New study shows 'iPod Earbuds' can cause permanent hearing
damage . . ." - and that's the reason Apple is getting sued. I
recall the 1st time I bought a set of 'Earbuds' was 20 some odd
years ago for my "Sony Walkman"

1) The news media sensationalizes a "No Brainer" story by name
dropping a popular product.
2) Joe (John) Idiot from Louisiana contacts a law firm in the 9th
district cuz even though "Joe" (John) is an idiot he does seem to
be smart enough to know that he'd get laughed out of any other
Federal Court district in the U.S. - especially in his home state of
Louisiana.
3) The afore mentioned popular product winds up costing
everyone more.

Thanks CNN

[cagerattler]

It started on Jan. 04, 2006, by none other than the Who's Pete Townshend

Google "Pete Townshend Warns iPod Users" and see all the articles.

He was the one who raised the issue first. Then some 'unknown with a cause' in congress, then the stories you point to.

Pete has hearing problems that were previously associated with the proximity of amplifiers during the Who's live concerts. But now, he warns iPod users.

I respect the guy for raising awareness of the negative effects of high decibels, but his focus on iPod users is so fricken irresponsible. If he really cared, he would be going after the entire industry and devoting his time to it (a la Bono and Africa).

So, blame Pete Townshend for this latest morass.

[City_Of_LA]

Idiots

I'm so sick and tired of having to live in a world with such talking and walking idiotic fecal matters. Lets bring in a law where prospective parents IQ's need to be above a certain level before unleashing another abortion escapee on people with intelligence.

Offence post? Whatever.

[weehee]

Lawsuits

Whoever allows this suit to reach a court should be sued for wasting tax payers' money...

We will see more and more of those funny warning labels in future, for example:
Reebok/Nike: "Do not step your right shoe over your left shoe and vice versa, or you may fall."

[Macsaresafer]

Am I wrong?

Or wasn't Sony sued (unsucessfully) back in the 70s for Walkman
related hearing loss?

Nothing is more terrible than to see ignorance in action.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said that (such a wise man). Why are we even discussing this? I know why. We all find this topic offensive, to say the least. By the way, while we're on it, we'd probably need to sue Microsoft for their XBOX 360. You might go blind if you play 7 hours a day right in front of your TV set. lol

[simpho]

shysters indeed.

Since driving fast is dangerous as well, why don't we just sue car manufacturers for letting us...

[stoicnluv]

Wrong argument..

Sure, the law suit is stupid...
But with regards to cars, you need it fast during
emergencies. Also, you need it fast enough to overtake or avoid certain situations.. As for ear phone volume, I think they should regulate it since it has no good use anyway. But, still the lawyers are stupid, and I hope they'll lose much many on their stupidity...

Unbelievably Biased

I can't believe how biased all of you are. You are all Apple supporters, obviously. Nobody has considered the other side. It was still Apple's reponsability to provide a reasonable warning.

[Fritzw]

If you need someone to tell you....

Fire should come with a warning saying "fire can cause burns, and
damage to material". The sun should have a warning on it, "staring
at the sun can cause retina damage". Water warning "extended
submersion under water can cause asphyxiation." And Yes, the iPod
should also come with warning. Don't reward people for being
dumb.

[pedouet]

I LOST 70% HEARING IN ONE WEEKEND!

I used my iPod traveling from Sacramento,Ca to Santa Rosa,Ca. one weekend. From that day on my hearing wasn't the same. To me what i hear now constantly is like i still have on the iPod headphones.

I went to ucDavis and they were surprised how much hearing was lost and how fast it took place.

At first I thought I had wax in my ear after the trip. But after 2 weeks with no change I purchase an ear cleaning kit from the drugs store and after using it NO wax came out. So a few weeks later I contacted ucDaves.

I NOW NEED A HEARING AiD FOR BOTH EARSSSSSSSSS!

[gansxcore]

It is not anyone else's job to watch out for you.

It seems to be a common perception today, or at least among the people that do **** like this that anything you make has to be 100% safe and unable to be manipulated in a why that is unsafe, for example planes that can't crash, or ipods that can't hurt your hearing. The extra signal strengh that the ipod is capable of putting out is useful sometimes and shouldn't go away because some people are retarded, if you try and make everything completely safe you will ruin any extra abilities. Imagine if car companies started putting speed limiters on their cars for 55mph because people sued because their cars could go too fast and they got in a wreck, you would have a whole world of really ****** cars, that cost a lot more to pay for defense of stupid lawsuits. It is not anyone else's job to keep you from hurting yourself.