Warning! This iPhone will self-destruct if opened…
This story is best filed under “rumours” as it’s not exactly clear what happened, or whether it’s intended behaviour.
PMP Today reports on Engadget’s story that someone trying to physically hack open an iPhone in order to modify the hardware to unlock it from AT&T caused the phone to “explode”.
The unfortunate victim explained:
The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke… It literally went up in black smoke. I[t] was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burnt my fingers. So, this is for shure [sic] the most difficult part of the whole process. I don’t know what he did, as I had just stepped out of the room to fetch something when I heard a scream…they got such a fright. I will post a photo of the iphone… To everybody out there, be carefull….
We don’t know what other tools or paraphernalia this guy was using in order to slice open his iPhone, given that most reports claim how snug a fit the iPhone and all of its components are.
We’re not in sci-fi territory, here, so the likelihood of Apple loading up a spare square centimetre or two with mini explosives is remote. Anyway, plenty of other people have cracked open the case — some more elegantly than others — and not suffered the same fate.
Maybe he got a bit trigger happy with the soldering gun. Who knows?
It’s a very expensive mistake, whatever happened.
(Via PMP Today including picture)
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