Shock Talk: Electrocution Sparks Speculation Over Dangerous iPhone Chargers

It's been a bad year for Apple and its iPhone in China. After reports began circulating late last year about how the once seemingly unstoppable juggernaut was losing ground to arch-rival Samsung in China, CEO Tim Cook was then obliged to apologize to Chinese consumers in April for purportedly bad customer service. Now things have gone from bad to worse: this week, the international press has picked up on a story that a woman in Xinjiang was electrocuted by her iPhone when she took a call while it was still charging.

Xinhua first reported the allegations made by the 23-year-old woman's family, who claimed she was electrocuted by her iPhone and demanded an explanation from Apple. Police have confirmed the woman was indeed electrocuted but have stopped short of directly attributing the phone as a cause of death and have released no details about the model of the iPhone, the charger or any other factors that may have caused her death, according to the Wall Street Journal Real Time Report.

Much of the online speculation focuses on the charger, which may not have been an official Apple iPhone model. Business Insider points out that "the China Consumers’ Association had recently warned consumers about uncertified power chargers on the market. The association's press releases said that if someone answered the phone and an uncertified charger was faulty, it could result in electrocution."

Apple for its part has stated its condolences to the woman's family and says it will fully cooperate in the investigation, which has sparked an online discussion about the victim and what, exactly, caused the accident. But whether or not the investigation ultimately reveals that a shanzhai charger was to blame, this is bound to be another huge thumb in Apple's eye.

In the meantime, Apple is not doing itself any PR favors by continually producing chargers and cords that so easily fray.