iPhone Hits Just Keep On Coming For Apple: Sued Over Liquid Damage Sensors
from the we're-not-paying-for-that dept
A consistent source of angst from mobile phone users are the costs they often must incur to replace devices that get broken or damaged. Thanks to the subsidies mobile operators pay on handsets, they typically don't like to replace phones for free, asking users to pay up or renew their contracts. One key part of operators' arsenal in determining if damage has been caused by the user are liquid sensors. These little round stickers often reside under a phone's battery, and typically turn from white to some shade of red when they've been exposed to liquid. So if you've dropped your phone in a puddle and it stops working, the liquid sensor probably won't back up your story that your phone just all of a sudden stopped working. The iPhone is no different in this regard, but a San Francisco woman has sued Apple, alleging that the iPhone's sensors generate false positives, letting Apple skip out on warranty obligations. The woman alleges she's had to replace her iPhone at her own expense twice, after the sensors showed her device had been exposed to water, even though it had not. For what it's worth, Apple says the sensors work just fine. This case may seem pretty pointless, but should the woman prevail, it could set a powerful precedent for all types of phones sold by carriers here in the US, and impact how they carry out their warranty replacement and service plans.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
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Well yes and no
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Phones
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Happen all the time
You payed $100 for touch-screen beauty - be careful or pay for replacement.
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Re: Happen all the time
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Re: Happen all the time
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Re: Happen all the time
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Re: Happen all the time
I paid $0 for it use it 24/7 never turning it off and it still works like the day I got it, it just does not look as good as it did.
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well known false positives
Whoops, it was consumerist. http://consumerist.com/2009/09/is-the-iphone-3g-liquid-sensor-a-filthy-liar.html
It should also be noted that the phone can function after being in water too - it just needs to dry.
So the whole thing is crap.
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Re: well known false positives
I haven't checked lately but i assume they still don't work all that well.
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Re: well known false positives
They ought to just check for a high-water mark when they service these things (jk) .
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My experience
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Re:
Water is water, no matter wherever it came from. No wonder it tripped sensors - your device was effectively "immersed in water". You probably should not be doing this kind of test on equipment specifically built for this purpose.
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It states in it: Avoiding Water and Wet Locations Do not use iPhone in rain, or near
washbasins or other wet locations. Take care not to spill any food or liquid
on iPhone. In case iPhone gets wet, unplug all cables, turn off iPhone (press
and hold the Sleep/Wake button, and then slide the onscreen slider) before
cleaning, and allow it to dry thoroughly before turning it on again. Do not
attempt to dry iPhone with an external heat source, such as a microwave
oven or hair dryer. An iPhone that has been damaged as a result of exposure
to liquids is not serviceable.
How is that not clear enough?
Besides the lady filling suit lives in Cali where outside humidity is almost none existent lol
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Re: mobile phones
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AT&T Too
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condensation
Also quick temperature changes can cause condensation - much like when your glasses fog up when you are outside in the cold and come into a warm house.
My old cell phone often generated visible condensation in display window. It only stopped working three months after I had included it in a load of cloths to be washed and dried.
But nice to see Apple believes their sensors are 100% accurate - maybe they should be in the condom business too.
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Sensors are crap
I hope she wins big.
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I had a huge argument with the sales rep and his manager, b/c I hadn't dropped it in water. Ya, apparently humidity can sometimes trip them....
I got my phone fixed for free under warranty.
So, I hope this woman wins her case b/c those stickers are fairly unreliable.
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Ex-Apple Friend
Now he will gladly tell you how he will never buy Apple again.
I love it when my friends vote with their wallets (which is why they most of the time follow my advice about some companies to stay away from).
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these indicators are a fair assessment
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Re: these indicators are a fair assessment
Unless you count going outside on a freezing day and then getting into a warm car a usage violation.
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Re: these indicators are a fair assessment
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Re: Re: these indicators are a fair assessment
Dude or dudette, don't you listen to Al gore, the globals have been warming. I do not think we have seen - 40 F in these parts since the last ice age.
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Re: these indicators are a fair assessment
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Blackberry
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She is suing the wrong entity
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She is suing the wrong entity
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Sensor Placement
http://consumerist.com/2009/09/is-the-iphone-3g-liquid-sensor-a-filthy-liar.html
So humidity will more than likely trigger a false positive.
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Aww Crap
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If available in your area, don't get metropcs. And stay farr away from Samsung.
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iPhone
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Samsung too
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