Apple blames third-party battery for exploding Beats headphones
Apple has refused to take the blame after a pair of Beats headphones exploded in a woman's face.
Australian site Adelaide Now reports that a woman — who wishes to stay anonymous — was napping on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne earlier this year when she was awoken by an exploding sound and a burning feeling on her face. It turned out her Beats headphones exploded while she was using it.
"Our investigation indicated the issue was caused by a third-party battery," an Apple representative shared in a recent press statement.
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Even though the company claims the third-party batteries were at fault, the woman who was burned stressed that the headphones did not have any instructions on what brand of battery can be used. Because of that, she believes Apple should still have some responsibility for what happened.
"The headphones don't work without batteries, yet nowhere on the headphones – or their packaging – did it specify which brand of batteries should be used," she said in a statement.
The woman's hair and face were burned, and she had sought to be reimbursed to replace her headphones and damaged clothing. She further clarified that she purchased the headphones in 2014 and the AAA batteries were bought in Australia. The woman said she was very disappointed with the tech giant's decision.
Engadget notes this is not the first time Beats has encountered battery issues. Apple recalled the Beats Pill XL speaker in 2015 since the unit had a tendency to overheat. In some rare cases, the device can also risk starting a fire.
So far, no other set of headphones from Beats has been reported to explode, which means it's just an isolated issue. Apple is also no longer making Beats headphones powered by AAA batteries. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau advises passengers to keep batteries in approved stowage while in an airplane unless in use.
