French To Probe Case Of Exploding iPhones

France's official consumer affairs watchdog, the DGCCRF, has launched an official investigation over the curious case of exploding iPhones in what seems to be a worldwide epidemic.

Similar incidents have been reported in Britain, Holland, Sweden and the US already. The case is said to be so serious that someone from Apple France will be meeting the French consumer affairs minister Herve Novelli to discuss the matter.

Head of communications at Apple Europe told Agence France Presse that they were aware of these reports and were waiting to receive the defective iPhones from the customers for closer examination. Until then, he added, the company won't have anything further to add.

An 80-year old Parisian pensioner said that his iPhone screen broke up days after he purchase it. "I took it out of my pocket and held it to my ear and saw the screen crack up like a car windscreen," he added.

There are fears that Apple have had issues with its lithium batteries. Back in June, a French website published pictures of a white iPhone 3GS with some suspicious brownish marks; these were apparently caused by excess heat generated by the device's circuitry and its battery.

Earlier, we heard about an Apple Powerbook laptop that literally exploded in a London firm, leaving those who witnessed the incident understandably traumatised.

Perhaps more tellingly, the Cupertino-based company agreed last year to replace the defective batteries of its iPod Nano in Japan.