The ongoing issue of Apple deflecting blame of overheating iPhone 3G phones and iPod Touch MP3 players has taken its latest twist, as the company issued a statement saying there are less than 10 legitimate reports of overheating phones.
"To date, there are no confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports we are investigating is in the single digits," Apple told AFP.
Aside from cases of overheating, some phone owners are now complaining the battery drains too quickly. At least ten French iPhone owners now claim their screens exploded or cracked for absolutely no reason. There are a number of U.S.-based cases of exploding and cracking screens -- but Apple has been very hesitant to investigate the claims -- though pressure from the European Commission (EC) has made Apple investigate the issues.
This comes at the same time Apple said cases of cracking iPhone 3GS screens is directly related to "external force," which effectively means the problems are due to user error.
Apple recommends customers with complaints and issues to go to the local Apple store to have any problems examined by the "Genius Bar."
Apple deflecting blame is an interesting tactic, with the company afraid to deal with possible hardware issues that would lead to a pricey recall. Reports of issues with the iPhone 3GS began almost immediately after the phone's release, though Apple remained quiet about all issues.
It's likely Apple will investigate the issues in Europe -- as the company is under legal pressure from legislators -- but it's unknown what will happen to U.S. iPhone 3GS owners.
