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Faulty iPad possible cause of a house fire, lawsuit filed

By Anam Hamid

Published: Mar 28, 2021, 11:44 AM

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Faulty iPad possible cause of a house fire, lawsuit filed

A faulty iPad was the cause of a house fire this time last year, per a lawsuit filed against Apple.

The Register reports that the incident occurred at Michael Macaluso's resident in Milford. His insurance company, Allstate Insurance, paid over $142,000 to repair the fire damage. Law firm de Luca Levine has been hired to sue the Cupertino giant to reimburse the insurer for the payout.

The lawsuit alleges that the fire started because of the malfunctioning electrical/battery system of the iPad. The complaint says that Macaluso had not 'misused, or altered it [his iPad] beyond anticipated handling and operation intended by Apple.' It accuses the company of selling a defective tablet.

The case was filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania this month and was moved to a federal district court in the east of that US state this week.

The news comes on the heel of an Apple investigation into a burn injury allegedly caused by an iPhone charger.

According to an ongoing lawsuit, a man died in 2017 because of a fire sparked by an iPad's faulty battery.

Although other similar incidents have also happened in the past, they are a rarity. As a precaution, you should avoid unapproved accessories and modifications.

Lithium-ion batteries used by these devices are inherently volatile. Future smartphones may instead feature graphene cells. Graphene is stronger and flexible and is also better at conducting heat, which means it would be able to keep smartphones and their batteries cool.

Per a 2019 rumor, Samsung may release a phone with a graphene-based battery this year.

Before that, we may see other solutions. Xiaomi, for instance, is expected to equip the upcoming Mi 11 Ultra with a silicon-oxygen anode battery.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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