The idea of putting a lithium-ion battery into our pockets via our smartphones sounds dangerous enough, but strapping one to our wrist also seems rather risky, but that’s the choice we make whenever we put on our smartwatches. Thankfully, to date, we haven’t really heard about smartwatches exploding, but some have come close.
Recently, a New Jersey resident by the name of Gina Priano-Keyer has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple over alleged fraudulent practices and breach of warranty. Priano-Keyer alleges that the Apple Watches, up to the Series 4, are prone to a defect that can cause the lithium-ion battery inside of the watch to swell, causing the screen to “crack, shatter, or detach from the body”.
She claims that Apple is aware of the problem but continued selling the watch anyway. She had first discovered the issue with her watch while it was charging, but upon taking it to the Apple Store for repairs, she was denied a free repair despite it being under warranty, and instead was told to pay $229 for an out-of-warranty repair service.
Priano-Keyer is not the only one facing this issue as the complaint cites dozens of other similar experiences from other users. We have heard of some issues of the Apple Watch in the past, such as the device causing rashes when worn. There was also one incident of a man who alleged that the Apple Watch had burnt his wrist, although that seems to be the only incident that we can recall to date.
Whether or not Priano-Keyer will be successful in her request for a class-action lawsuit remains to be seen.
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