An Apple store in Leidseplein, Amsterdam was evacuated at the weekend after an iPad’s battery exploded. The local fire service was called to assist, while employees extinguished the fire by placing the device into a sand-filled fire bucket.
Three members of staff were treated for breathing problems following the incident, where it is believed that potentially harmful vapours may have been released from the battery into the air. The store reopened a short while later, once the fire service had deemed that the incident was resolved and the store had been adequately aired.
Apple is said to be conducting an investigation into what caused the explosion.
Analyst Comment
As I’ve said before, the definition of a battery is a ‘chemical store of energy’, which could also be used as a definition of a bomb! That will, eventually, I think, limit the power density of batteries. Very fast and ubiquitous charging means that you can limit the density, but still make the use of battery devices convenient. (BR)
