14 DAY TRIAL // At least one of Apple’s exploding iPhone nightmares is closer to coming to an end, as the company has won the right to inspect a device that allegedly burst into flames and burned the owner’s arm.
The Ontario Court of Appeal has decided not to change the ruling of a lower court that gave Apple the permission to analyze an iPhone 5 which owner Matthew Riddell claimed exploded and caused severe burns to his right hand.
Riddell, who was seeking $25,000 in damages, refused to allow Apple to examine the phone, but in November 2015, a small claims court ruled otherwise and offered the company the right for a thorough inspection.
The iPhone owner then moved to a higher court to block Apple from touching the iPhone, but the Divisional Court was again ruled in favor of Apple. The Court of Appeal was the man’s last chance to prevent Apple from inspecting the phone, but once again, he was ordered to turn over the phone to Apple for examination.
External factors causing the overheating
While little is known on his refusal to hand over the iPhone to Apple for inspection, the judge previously ruled that it would be unfair for Apple, who is ordered to pay damages for injuries caused by alleged negligent manufacturing of an iPhone, to be involved in a lawsuit without having a look at the device first.
Phones in general, not only iPhones, can overheat from a series of external factors that aren’t directly related to negligent manufacturing, including a third-party charger, direct sunlight, or faulty cables, and this is the reason Apple is every time asking for a thorough examination of each device catching fire.
Until now, no widespread defect was discovered in the case of iPhone models, though several units have previously exploded. Apple rival Samsung, on the other hand, was forced to pull the entire Note 7 series off the market last year after it discovered faulty batteries leading to overheating and eventually suffering an explosion.