Is an iPhone 4 Recall Necessary?

The first talks of an iPhone 4 recall were related to the hardware issues affecting the antenna, but Apple managed to thwart a recall by issuing free bumpers for a short time period, and by proving that many other smartphones suffer a  similar problem. More alarming is the recent news of iPhone 4′s spontaneously combusting, emitting sparks and smoke.

If these two cases are shown to be true, an iPhone 4 recall on safety grounds will be necessary.

The first case reported (but which actually occurred second) was that of an Australian man on board an internal flight to Sydney. The flight had just landed when the iPhone 4 started to emit thick black smoke and apparently got so hot that it was glowing orange. The iPhone was ‘extinguished’ by the flight attendant and nobody was harmed. So far, there is no explanation of how this happened or if the cause was from within the iPhone or something nearby.

The next case, reported to have occurred 3 days prior to the Australian case, was that of a Brazilian man. According to the early reports, the iPhone 4 owner woke up just before dawn to witness his charging iPhone emit sparks and smoke before the glass screen shattered after the iPhone expanded due to the heat. Again, no cause has yet been established and nobody was hurt.

Apple is no stranger to fire hazards in it’s products and have recently recalled the iPod Nano (1st gen) after 27 reported cases of overheating and fires starting.

Back in 2009, Apple were involved in a lawsuit regarding unsafe Magsafe power adapters, and in 2001 had to recall 570,000 Powerbook G3 adapters.

With all of the great iPhone deals available at the moment, it may be in your best interest to ditch that old iPhone 4 now, get yourself an iPhone 4S free on a contract, and then if there is an iPhone 4 recall, you will be able to get a brand new replacement iPhone 4 or 4S and sell it on eBay.