Censor, deny, obfuscate, deal with trouble-makers quietly...sound like anyone else we know? It could be just an isolated incident, but it's a pretty serious one. Didn't Apple have similar problems with other laptops in the past overheating/batteries catching fire? You'd think they'd have figured things out by now, though I suppose there's no labratory like the real world...

Shame on Apple. Shame on Flickr!

Once is a defective/damaged part or usage anomaly. Many times is a defective design or defective batch. We should see which this is before we start comdemning Apple.

This is actually a new security feature. It is designed like a rip cord so that if someone tries to run by and steal your laptop it will detonate when the magnetic security is breached.

Boy somebody sure has it in for Apple eh submitter? Anyway it is a shame but stuff happends especially when it comes to electricity, and apple replaced it right away which is also good. Of course the guy did leave it unattended with a house full of cats....

This was on Digg yesterday. Turns out Rogier had some pet cats who may or may not be at fault regarding liquid spillage. The connector was found unplugged when discovered in burnt condition. Apple has already replaced the laptop and asked Rogier (not Flickr) to remove the photos. Obviously Apple would want to study the laptop to discover the cause (which may or may not have been cat related). Does not seem like a cover-up at all. Maybe the cats were testing the firewire connection.

What, no firewire joke? And, I'm disappointed with flickr for caving. Wimps. Like anyone from Apple's gonna kick your ass?

My mac friends were excited about this Apple "innovation"... Then I reminded them that while Apple has some great ideas, what they know best is how to use existing ideas and make them thiers - referencing my kitchen appliances which had magnetic power connectors.

wow. do you have any idea what you're talking about? the user himself who posted the original pics was the one who took them down. Sure, Apple asked him to, but so what? and Flickr had nothing to do with it. as he says on his flickr page, had you taken even a minute to check it out. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rheauchyr/sets/72057594082940...

And people were saying they weren't going to have Firewire anymore...

Ha Ha Apple try and censor your users huh, what a bunch of morons.

Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts! Canyoneroooooo...

Zack is right. Flickr had nothing to do with the removal of the photos. Apple evidently ask "kindly" if the guy would remove them until they figured out what happened and he obliged. That's not censorship. This article should be edit/corrected.

Maybe Mulder should call Scully and get to the bottom of this.

All in all, this was a very slanted post, guys. You got the part about Flickr wrong, you wondered how Apple would "spin this one," even before you knew if it was any more than an isolated incident. I know you don't have a _requirement_ to be impartial like legitimate journalists (oh, snap), but I'd argue you still have that responsibility, especially with consumer confidence stories like this one.

Obviously this story is a non-event. But one thing I have wondered about ever since this new power cord design was announced: Have you ever noticed how magnets tend to pick up random dust size particles of metal? I wonder what would happen over time when those particles started building up? Could it get bad enough to short out the pins?

Flickr = Censr

No one ever reads the links here, so I'll come right out and say it. Fuck Flicker. I kid. Fuck Apple. no, really I kid some more. Fuck Mulder for removing the images in the name of a new laptop.

this is where blogs and news don't mix.

Mine works great here. I of course hope that this was a one-time thing, and I'm sure they did some extensive testing before releasing this new feature.

How about calling it a MatchBook?

The point everyone is missing is this: when you get bored of your laptop, just burn the tip of your power cord, upload some 'unflattering' photos on some site and get a new one! i wont be surprised if class action suits start getting filed soon. somehow i get the feeling that this isnt a one-off thing. but, lets not jump the gun just yet.

i would have sued, could have won that!

Gah. The same thing happened to me, only worse. I had left a butane torch burning on one side of my new MacBook and a drinking glass full of kerosene (don't ask) on the other side. When I came home my MacBook was in flames! And my several cats were on fire, too! Faulty hardware, clearly! Gander

Ta hell with Apple - I would have told them to bite my ass. It's the principle of it. Next, Apple is going to try and copyright those pictures of their proprietary Internal Magnetic Combustion security device. Maybe the UL will get on their case for not having flamable labels on it.

See, the thing that makes this extra suspicious is that the first thing he did was take pictures and upload them to Flickr, even before calling the Apple support line. I don't know about you, but the first thing I'd do if I had an issue like this would be to call the freaking support line, not reach for my camera.

yea and get $$$$$$ with apple secretly n not tell anyone.

What thoughtful and insightful posts. One defect from one person and people want to grab the torches and storm Castle Apple. So quick to get upset.

I had the same type of trouble involving cats. One of my wife's male cats 'marked' the paper in my printer. It ran down the paper and dripped onto the main board, where it shorted (I assume) 110 AC to the DC circuits. I lost not only the printer, but my computer and /everything/ that was attached to it. (Three printers, a scanner, my camera, a PSX2PC adapter, my 21" monitor.....) If that is what happened to him, while I feel for him, it is clearly /not/ Apple's fault.

Just about 5 minutes ago, this happened on my macbook ! the wire connecting to the magnetic "magsafe" magnetic burnt started smoking and caught fire ! didn't hurt my macbook but the apple shop tomorrow will get an ear full !

come on people you all know apple makes junk, apple i phone? crap apple laptops? junk i pods? even more overpriced junk. why do the cheep electronics last a life time and a 3000 well engineered laptop craps out way before the manufactures warranty?

i will tell you what apple, let me give you a hand. use high quality electronics stop buying crap from china i bet you a million dollars those connectors where made in some sweat shop

same for DEll and sony great baterys guys!

not to mention our great china electronics products.

in addition a 3000 device should be rugged and be panasonic and ibm quality. i will buy a mac then

I thought the Mag"Safe" was a great idea. Until today ! One of the 2 Macbook Pro's we have fried ! Did not order it with fries though.
Here are some pictures: [www.musiclicensing.net]

What does one do now when you are out of warranty ?