And with a *POP*, the iPhone is no more

Man, this just isn’t the week for consumer electronics. First the digital camera went through the washer, and now my son’s iPhone is no more.

It all started out innocently enough: I had connected the iPhone to my MacBook to sync and charge, and was sitting there working away. A slightly over-zealous mouse movement bumped the phone, which moved all of half of an inch to tap the base of the nearby antique (read: dangerous! loose wires!) desk lamp.

Then, through the magic of electricity, there was a quick *POP* sound, and a tiny wisp of smoke. The aluminum case of the iPhone (original 8GB, purchased Day 1) tapped the metal of the lamp, and a nice circuit was made: wall outlet > lamp > iPhone > USB cable > MacBook > power adapter > wall outlet. Real nifty.

End result?

• Nice arc weld marks on both products
• Lamp is headed for the trash bin
• iPhone is DOA
• Left USB port on MacBook is dead
• Son is minus one phone

What’s next this week?