Ever toss someone your iPod only for them to not catch it and hit the floor and cease to work? Well, that “abuse” may be grounds for voiding the devices warranty and leave you standing with a dead iPod in the future.
On August 6, 2009, Apple filed a patent application titled “Consumer Abuse Detection System and Method” outlining a system aimed at detecting whether device failure was caused by device abuse rather than failure. Some newer iPod and iPhone devices currently contain sensors to tell if the device was subjected to moisture, however this new abuse detection system will contain sensors for heat, shock, moisture, and tampering.
When one of these sensors see something abnormal the event would be logged in memory by date and time and can then be retrieved via a diagnostic tool to determine if the device failure was indeed caused by abuse. There are also plans that the new system may disable the device if something trips a sensor such as killing the battery connection to internal components in the event of water submersion. The bad part is that it may require taking the device to a service center to get it back up and running.
Obviously, the idea behind this new system is aimed at saving Apple money on returned devices where the failure was caused by the consumer. So, be extra careful when using that iPod or iPhone, because if not, you may find yourself having to buy a new one.
Loading ...
I work in the K-12 Education field as a Technical Support Specialist / Web Specialist at the St. Joseph County ISD in Southwest Michigan. I also do a lot of freelance web development in my free time which I absolutely love doing. I am also an avid gamer when it comes to the PC or the XBOX 360 and have been known to enjoy a good LAN party. 
Loading ...