The battery of an iPad exploded inside Apple’s Amsterdam retail store on Sunday afternoon, and the fire department had everyone evacuated so that the hazardous substances that may have been released into the air would dissipate.
Nobody was harmed during the incident, aside from three Apple employees who may have inhaled some of these substances.
The retail store was closed for proper ventilation, Dutch blog iCulture reports. The tablet was placed inside a sand-filled bin and did not catch fire. There was no smoke either, the report notes.
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It’s not unheard of for electronics powered by batteries to catch on fire, and Apple’s devices aren’t spared. We’ve seen instances of random iPhone batteries explode or swell up, and that’s something you can’t prevent no matter how careful you are with your devices.
The Amsterdam explosion is also an isolated incident so you shouldn’t worry about iPad battery safety. It’s unclear what caused it, and whether this was an iPad on display in the store, or a device brought in for repairs.
The only time we’d experienced a severe battery issue with a mobile device was two years ago when Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 kept bursting into flames left and right. This prompted the Korean company to recall the phone and ultimately discontinue it. Since then, Samsung has significantly improved battery quality assurance, and no incidents involving Samsung devices were reported. But the whole Note 7 fiasco likely put Samsung competitors on alert, Apple included, on making sure battery design and size would not come with similar side effects.
