Apple touts tips to sidestep iPod earphone electric shocks

Sales of Apple earbuds to joggers, Australians, desert dwellers and... er... anyone with dry skin look set to slide. Why? Because Apple’s warned that its headphones can give off shocks of static electricity. The firm has posted a warning on its website admitting that “it’s possible to receive a small and quick electrical ( …

[Anonymous Coward]

or apple could...

... replace the ear phones with decent quality earphones, as these ones are obviously not fit for puropse?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not sure about it affecting Aussies

Where I am in SE Queensland we've just had over 30cm of rain in the last 24 hours so dry won't be a problem here.

[Rob]

Idea for Apple

This is for Apple to mull over and I'm not after any royalties for this idea (groundbreaaking and revolutionary that it is).

They should consider making or advise people to go down the Bluetooth headphone route, if your quick Apple you might be able fill a gap. By all means start of with a crap quality build and make them decent by about version 3 or you could just skip forward a years development and just release a decent version right from the off.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a lot of pairs of headphones

(for various reasons and duties) -ranging from cheapo in ear ones to high end open backed jobs, and everything in between. I use them with all sorts of devices from mains powered to portable media players.*

I have NEVER received a static shock from headphones, or heard of anyone else receiving one, or heard that it may possibly be a problem.

So either it's the forced inclusion of such legalese for arse-covering reasons because one person, somewhere, received a static shock (probably due to user error or exceptional circumstances), or it's shoddy design.

Don't know which seems more likely, they're both plausible explanations.

*Note: none of these products are Apple.

[Eddy Ito]

Hardly surprising

Apple has been giving its users wet willies for years now. The only difference is that now it's official and they expect you to do it yourself.

[Jerome]

To remove or not to remove?

In the unlikely event that anyone is taking any of this BS seriously, I ought to point out that the El Reg article advises removing your iPod from your pocket frequently, whereas the Apple page states that you should avoid doing so. As if it's going to make a blind bit of difference either way.

[James Sherwood]

@ Jerome

So sorry, very occasionally words get lopped off in the editing process. We'll make sure our sub-editors receive a suitable punishment...

[john bertelsen]

Headset shocks

I have experienced shocks from headphones while riding a bicycle on rollers. It happens when the audio device is NOT in your pocket and static builds up from the rollers and discharges through the headphones. It is actually quite a blast right in the ear. I'm amazed it didn't fry the audio (CD) player.

Naturally I use a different music setup during our cold northern winters when I need the miles and our heating system dries the air.

[Player_16]

So now when I go fill up...

I'll see a new sign with the red slash No Smoking, No Live Flames, No Cell Phones, and now...

... No iPods.

[Stevie]

Bah!

Don't waste hard-earned money on expensive "fixes". Simply screw seven feet of ordinary zinc-plated 5/16 chain to your head before attempting to use your overpriced music gimmick. The static will flow to ground as you trail the chain behind you.

If you don't want to spring for screws, simply add another foot of chain and knot it round your neck.

Although I don't know what all the fuss is. Anyone who sprang for an iPhone must be brain dead anyway.

[Snafu]

Hmmm...

I've experienced shocks (hadn't thought they were static, but that would make a certain kind of sense - & it felt 'right' for static shock) from the earpieces of a Nokia 5140, many times. Never paid much attention to it - I was too busy driving, usually

@Rob re: Bluetooth - IIRC the iPod has no user-changeable battery, like most of the new Apple stuff, am I right? If so, imagine the $milions more they could make..