3rd party Apple Chargers unsafe to use — UK safety organization.
Ping!
The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me
Posted on 12/02/2016 12:43:44 PM PST by Swordmaker
“Consumers are being warned off buying bargain iPhone chargers online, after 99% failed a basic safety test,” Megan White reports for The Mirror. “Out of 400 counterfeit Apple chargers purchased from online suppliers around the world, 397 failed a basic safety test, according to safety campaigners.”
“Knock-off cables can be bought for as little as one pence on auction sites such as eBay, but Apple’s official leads retail at £19,” White reports. “Common problems with fakes included counterfeit plugs, non-sleeved plugs where the metal pins are exposed, live parts, two pin plugs attached and only basic insulation. They could also cause users electric shocks.”
“A second operation targeted local charity shops, antique dealers and second-hand shops and found 15% of 3,019 used electrical goods were non-compliant, rising to 27% in London,” White reports. “‘Only buy second-hand electrical goods that have been tested and only buy online electrical goods from trusted suppliers,’ said Leon Livermore, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.”
Read more in the full article here.
99% of Fake News statistics are completely made up.
BS!
So the cheap stuff fails the Brit “drop it in the bath” test.
Wonder if they are designed to spontaneously burst into flames, or is that only OEM Android products ?
The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me
Thanks for the reminder.
I always buy directly from Apple because of stuff like this.
And you know this is "BS!" exactly how? Did you test all 400 of the ones that the British Consumer Safety Organization tested? Here's another report:
UL safety testing shows 95 percent of counterfeit iPhone chargers lack safeguards, are unsafe
By Mike Wuerthele
Friday, December 02, 2016, 07:50 am PT (10:50 am ET)
AppleInsider, December 2, 2016A commissioned report of 400 fake Apple chargers bought from all over the world found that 99 percent of them were unsafe, and didn't have sufficient safeguards to protect users and plugged-in devices.
According to BBC News, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) applied high voltage to the chargers to test for sufficient insulation and other safeguards. As a result of the testing, the agency concluded that unknown chargers purchased online were an "unknown entity" and hazardous.
The chargers were purchased from vendors in Australia, China, and the U.S.
In October, Apple started stemming the tide of counterfeit chargers, and sued vendor Mobile Star, accusing it of violating copyrights and trademarks by selling counterfeit accessories on Amazon and Groupon. The suit specifically targets 5-watt USB power adapters and Lightning-to-USB cables sold by Mobile Star, the same as those cited in the BBC News report.
Apple said that it discovered the issue with Mobile Star's gear as part of its regular efforts to combat fake accessories.The company notes that in nine months, it bought "well over 100 iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables sold as genuine" through Amazon's "Fulfillment by Amazon" program, and found that almost 90 percent of them were inauthentic.
In 2012, engineer Ken Shirriff examined Apple's chargers, and found them to include better and safer components than knock-offs. A year later, Apple implemented a fake charger buy-back program, which appears to still be operating.
That's the Underwriters Labs (UL) weighing in on the same issue in the US. Now, are you STILL going to cry "BS!"?
Dangerous to Apple’s 1000% markup.
I’ve had a crappy experience using the knockoffs. Usually it’s the wiring getting frayed at the connector end and eventually not working. It’s much more expensive getting the genuine Apple charger but they never have a problem (except getting lost).
Safety test one: Does it have that worthless label on it?
No.
Fail!
Why don't you try reading the article before you do a knee jerk response. when 397 out of 400 online 3rd Party devices FAIL basic safety tests, it's not that it dangerous to a properly designed device sold by Apple or one that meets Apple's certifications, it's a cheaply made knock-off made with minimal care for safety and to do it as cheaply as possible, especially when Apple's meet those standards.
82.87320745% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
I have one of the 1% chargers so I’m OK.
Lol, even the apple ones probably have a 99% chance of causing shock.
You mistyped. You mean Samsung toasters, er... Galaxy products.
Did they do the same to Apple's chargers? I don't see it mentioned.
Also, where would one accidentally plug into "high voltage"?
I’ve had crappy experiences using the chargers and wires that come with the phone. I’ve had much better experiences with the so called “knock offs” since they were cheaper and lasted just as long.
Reading comprehension isn’t your strong point, is it? As a fellow Engineer with close to 30 years of R&D under my (shrinking) belt, I actually take the time to READ the article.
The article does NOT say that 95% of nom-Apple branded chargers are garbage. If you would bother to read this, you would realize this. Companies like Belkin make great chargers. What the article DOES SAY is that ~95+% of the Apple COUNTERFEIT products ARE garbage. Companies that pose as Apple or say they make an equivalent Apple identical product.
See the difference? Reading is good. If you buy a knock-off iPod charger that looks identical to the Apple charger, but isn’t definitely made by Apple; odds are high that it is garbage.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.