Apple To Pay $7,400 To Japanese Couple After iPod Nano Fire Explosion

According to a recent report by Nikkei.com, a Japanese couple based in Tokyo has received 600,000 yen, which is about $7,400 in compensation after suing Apple over a burning iPod Nano accident.

The device was known to be prone to spontaneous combustion.

The report noted that the tech giant was ordered by the Tokyo District Court to pay the couple $7,400 reportedly to cover the medical treatment for the burns and pain suffered by the user as well as the cost of bringing the issue to trial. Further, the judge found the company guilty of a technical flaw in a first-generation iPod Nano.

The account of issues with first-generation Nanos has been well-documented, leading to a recall first in Korea in 2009, then later in Japan and 19 other countries including the US.

The prosecutor told Nikkei that the court rarely found Apple at fault for these kinds of incidents in Japan. At the same time, despite Apple issuing a recall program, the couple had not exchanged their media player.

Hence judge Hideo Sakae considered Apple's recall program as an admission that the battery was prone to combustion, and that the couple were eligible for the full amount they had asked for, mentioned the report.

According to the judgment, the couple purchased the device shortly after its release in September of 2005, but an attempt to charge it in July of 2010 caused the battery to overheat, catching the device on fire and causing burns to the wife's hands that took a month to fully heal.

A representative from Apple Japan Public Relations told Nikkei that we cannot comment without confirming with our American head office.