Apple

Apple's iPhone may be the darling of the mobile-phone industry right now, but some users in France aren't singing its praises, claiming that the device explodes or cracks without warning.

(Credit: Apple)

However, after conducting an internal investigation into the cause of the broken touch-screen glass, Apple denies that there is an underlying iPhone flaw. In fact, Apple said that in all cases it investigated, some kind of force was applied to the iPhone, causing the glass to break, according to a BBC report Friday.

"The iPhones with broken glass that we have analyzed to date show that in all cases, the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone," Apple said in a statement cited by the BBC.

Last Tuesday, in response to a European Commission investigation into accusations of overheating and exploding iPhones, Apple referred to its internal investigation, saying, "We are waiting to receive the iPhones from the customers."

As part of its investigation, Apple also looked into complaints of the iPhone battery overheating but again said it found no problems. "To date, there are no confirmed battery-overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS, and the number of reports we are investigating is in the single digits," according to the statement.

The investigation's findings don't mean much to France's Frank Benoiton, a consumer who said his wife's iPhone cracked, and it "was not dropped and experienced no unusual shock," he told the Associated Press.

France's trade minister declined to comment on a meeting with Apple about an investigation that the country's consumer protection agency is conducting into the reports, according to Bloomberg.

The European Commission also issued a warning using its rapid-alert system, Rapex, which warns of dangerous consumer products.

MacBook Pro owners are apparently having trouble supplying power to their computers both from the battery and from the wall.

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is getting ready to introduce new 85-watt MagSafe adapters for MacBook Pros following a litany of complaints about fraying cables on the adapters. When they were first introduced, most customers liked the idea of flexible cables that would detach from the computer if subjected to excessive stress, preventing your nice laptop from flying across the floor of the coffee shop when somebody trips over the cord.

Reports that Apple's MagSafe power adapter has been prone to fray might be prompting the introduction of new models.

(Credit: Apple)

However, the flexibility of the power cable has caused some cables to fray at the connection point after repeated use. Reports have surfaced over the past few months of MagSafe adapters that have started to smoke or even spark in certain cases. Some of those affected have reported receiving adapters with heftier cords, which might be what Apple is getting ready to ship to all MacBook Pro customers.

A CNET News.com reader reported having trouble finding 85-watt MagSafe adapters at Apple retail stores late last week, and the online Apple Store is currently quoting a two- to three-week delay in shipments of the 85-watt adapters, designed just for use with the MacBook Pro. Apple representatives did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

In other MacBook Pro news, last week's battery update--coming six months after a similar one in April--doesn't appear to have satisfied owners posting on Apple's support discussions forum. Numerous threads have been started complaining about automatic shutdowns and batteries that have less capacity after the update was installed.

For the record, my MacBook Pro's MagSafe adapter cord is working fine, but I have been experiencing the random shutdowns when on battery power both before and after installing the latest update. I had figured the shutdowns were somehow my fault since I hadn't been practicing very good battery hygiene by draining the battery every so often and recharging. I've had my notebook for a year and a half, and I tend to leave it plugged in all the time. (I know, I know.)

However, several posters on Apple's site recommended checking the battery stats under the Utilities folder (Utilities to System Profiler to Power) to see if the Full Charge Capacity is holding up the way it should. I'll do that later tonight and see what I get.

You'd think that lawyers would be trained in the art of correctly interpreting the fine print.

Larry Drury, an Illinois lawyer, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of iPhone owner Jose Trujillo that claims Apple defrauded his client by failing to reveal that the iPhone battery was not user-replaceable, and that it would die after 300 charges. (Thanks, Gizmodo.)

"This case arises out of Defendants' purposeful and fraudulent concealment to purchasers of its iPhone cellular telephone that they will be required to incur an annual fee of $85.95 as part of Defendants' battery replacement program," Drury or someone at his firm wrote in the introduction to the complaint.

Sounds sinister, but it's simply not true. Yes, like the iPod, the iPhone battery is not user-replaceable, and yes, you'll have to send it back to Apple at the cost of $85.95 to get a new one. But the principal claim in the suit, "that the iPhone battery has a durability and/or lifetime of approximately 300 charges, necessitating frequent and more than annual maintenance, repair, and/or replacement if charged regularly on a daily basis," just doesn't fly.

When the iPhone arrived, Apple said the lithium-ion battery that ships with the iPhone would start to lose capacity after 300 to 400 charges. (UPDATED 4:10pm - It's after 300 to 400 full charge cycles. A complete drain of the battery, followed by a full charge, equals one charge cycle.) That's "start to lose capacity," not "roll over and die." Apple's Web site currently says, "A properly maintained iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 400 full charge and discharge cycles." On that page, Apple describes proper maintenance as "at least one charge cycle per month."

And the one-year warranty that comes with the iPhone entitles you to a free replacement battery if it drops below 50 percent capacity during the duration of the warranty. You can extend that warranty to two years for $69.

This, unfortunately, is what all lithium-ion batteries do: gradually lose their charging capacity over time. Having to send the iPhone to Apple for battery replacement is certainly inconvenient, but Trujillo could have returned his iPhone had he failed to realize that the iPhone's battery was just like the iPod's. Still, the plaintiffs probably had the successful iPod battery lawsuit in mind when they filed their complaint, hoping to force Apple into a settlement.

I called Drury to see if he knew his complaint contained incorrect information, and I haven't received a response as of yet. Good luck with the suit, gentlemen.