Apple is warning Australians to be wary of fake power adapters after iPhone owners reported getting a shock when they handled their power charger others have died and one guy was in a coma after handling a non-approved device.
An Australian woman is the latest person to allegedly receive a stock when using an Apple iPhone.
While Apple is known for “shocking” prices when it comes to accessories their latest instructions on how to spot a fake has been issued after it was revealed that several retailers are selling non Apple approved accessories in Australia.
The Apple instruction page which can be found on the Apple web site shows images of chargers for each Apple device, including the iPhone 5 and the iPad 2, with the safety notices underneath.
The site reads: ‘This overview will help you identify genuine Apple USB power adapter.
‘When you need to charge the iPhone or iPad, we recommend that you use the standard USB power adapter and USB cable.’
All iPhone and iPads are sold with official Apple chargers, although fake replacements can be bought online.
The recent electrocutions took place in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Xinjian, putting one man into a coma and killing another woman.
Earlier this week a Chinese man reportedly fell into a coma after suffering an electric shock as he plugged in his iPhone 4 in to charge.
‘He shouted ‘electric shock’ and then fell to the floor,’ Wu’s sister told Xinhua news agency, adding that she felt a slight shock herself when she tried to unplug the faulty charger, which she said was not official Apple hardware.
Dangerous? Reports claim a man in Beijing was put into a coma after a faulty phone charger gave him an electric shock when he plugged in his iPhone 4. Another woman in Xinjian died when she answered her iPhone 5 while it was charging. Both have been linked with faulty, counterfeit chargers
An Apple spokesman said: ‘It was with great sadness we learned through press reports that a Beijing customer was injured while using a “knock off” or counterfeit charger and we are looking into this further.
‘Our customers’ safety is very important to us and we have carefully designed all Apple products to meet government safety standards. We recommend our customers only purchase Apple products from Apple or authorized Apple resellers.’
The incident in Beijing occurred a week after a Chinese air stewardess was killed by an electric shock when she answered a call on her iPhone 5 while it was recharging.
News of the death of Ma Ailun, 23, was posted on the internet by her sister, prompting criticism of Apple among the country’s millions of iPhone users.
