iPod nano catches fire in Man’s Pocket (?)

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

We’ve all seen plenty of Li-ion battery problems and recalls, such as the massive recent Nokia cell phone battery recall, and all the Sony laptop battery recalls. Most of these involve things like overheating of the battery, which can lead to fire. I’ve never, to this point, heard of an MP3 player catching fire, though.

Danny Williams says his 1 1/2 year old iPod nano caught fire in his pocket. A local TV station caught the news, and posted a rather sensationalistic story.

Hilariously, the anchor calls the device a “nanna” at first (listen) and the comments Williams made make we wonder … although I will admit, these are Li-ion batteries, so it’s not out of the question.

“So I look down and I see flames coming up to my chest.”

Why isn’t he seriously burned in that case? He thinks a “glossy paper” in his pocket protected him. Hmmm ….

And since he works at an airport kiosk:

“If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist.”

We Say: Apple is willing to replace the nano, but I see a potential lawsuit coming with this statement from his mother:

“It could have happened anywhere. It could have happened when we were sleeping, it could have happened when he was driving and the outcome would have been much worse.”