Counterfeit iPhone Charger cause of Chinese Woman's Death

 

Third-party chargers are commonplace for electronics and often come at a steep discount compared to the ones technology companies sell. However, when it comes to the knockoffs i.e. the ones designed to cosmetically look like the real thing -- consumers can't be certain of their safety.

The death of a 23-year-old Chinese woman last week, who was electrocuted while answering a call on her iPhone, is now believed to be linked to a third-party USB charger.

Ma Ailun was apparently using a third-party charger with her iPhone 4, instead of one made by Apple. That's according to Xiang Ligang, a phone expert interviewed by CCTV earlier this week (Google translation), who suggested that the charger may have had fewer safety measures built into its hardware, and experienced a failure.

The incident, which is still being investigated by both Apple and local authorities, was originally believed to involve an iPhone 5 -- Apple's latest model. However the device in question was Apple's iPhone 4, which was released in mid-2010, CCTV said.

Last October, Googler Ken Shirriff tested a dozen USB chargers from the real to the counterfeit  and found wide gaps in both the quality and safety of those devices.

 Safety science company UL also issued a warning to consumers and retailers about counterfeit Apple USB power adapters making the rounds back in March.
 

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Write by: RC - Saturday, July 20, 2013