iPhone 5 owner 'dies after suffering electric shock while using handset'
A young bride-to-be died from an electric shock while chatting on an iPhone made by Apple, her family claim.
Former air stewardess Ma Ailun collapsed after answering her mobile as it charged.
The 23-year-old – due to wed next month – was dead on arrival at hospital in northwest China.
Her family in Xinjiang have handed her iPhone 5 and accessories to police.
Her sister said she had bought the phone and charger from an official Apple store.
She said: “I want to warn everyone not to make calls when a phone is charging.”
Announcing a probe, an Apple spokesman said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences. We will fully investigate and co-operate with authorities.”
Mobile phones have a low electrical output of three to five volts, substantially less than the 36 volts required for a shock.
But if the charger or circuit has a problem, such as a broken wire, it can lead to a 220-volt shock.
Hong Kong University professor Johnny Sin Kin-on said: “There is a risk using an electrical device while it is being charged, be it a shaver or a phone.”
The iPhone 5 costs from £529, and is built for the American computer giant in China.
But a huge industry of fakes has built up. In Kunming city alone, 22 fake Apple stores have been raided.
The shops can be so realistic that staff actually believe they are working for Apple.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/iphone-5-owner-ma-ailun-2055199
Apple to probe smartphone charging death mystery
Hong Kong (CNN) -- U.S. electronics giant Apple is investigating reports in China that a woman died after being electrocuted while trying to make a call with her iPhone 5 while it was charging.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her handset to answer a call last Thursday when she received an electric shock, police said Sunday, in reports carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Police, who are continuing their investigation, have not yet identified a cause -- whether the phone or anything else.
In a statement received by CNN, Apple said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter."
Many have taken to to social media to question how the 23-year old from China's far-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region died.
"(I) hope that Apple Inc. can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging," a person identified as Ma's sister posted on Weibo, China's Twitter-like service.
Meanwhile, Ma's father, Ma Guanghui, said that his daughter was electrocuted, adding that her body showed signs of electrocution, Xinhua said.
But Monday's Xinhua report also pointed out that mobile phones have a low output of only 3 to 5 volts, which isn't enough to harm the human body.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/15/w...trocution/index.html?sr=fb071513iphoneshock1p
