Apple has denied an Australian woman compensation after her Beats headphones exploded…. while she was wearing them… while she was asleep… while she was on a flight.
The woman, who wishes to remain unnamed, was taking 40 winks on the flight from Beijing to Melbourne when the three-year-old headphones combusted, leaving her with burns to the face and neck (via news.AU).
However, Apple’s legal team has blamed the incident on the third-party AAA batteries that were used in the headphones purchased back in 2014.
“Our investigation indicated the issue was caused by a third-party battery,” the firm said in a statement on Friday.
Of course, this is all before Apple purchased Beats for over $3 billion back in May 2014.
Regardless, the woman involved said she was disappointed with Apple’s verdict.
In a statement she said: “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.”
Related: Apple AirPods review
Seeing as Apple (and Beats before it) don’t manufacture their own AAA batteries, it’s difficult to see the circumstances under which Apple would have accepted responsibility for this incident.
The incident occurred back in February and Apple has been investigating since.
Regardless of the verdict, no-one wants to wake up to the sound of an explosion and the sensation of their face burning at any time, never mind while on a plane.
Have you endured any tech nightmares while in the air? Share your horror stories in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
