ipads can kill you

[eek]

14-Year-Old Discovers iPad Smart Cover Magnets Can Shut Off Implanted Defibrillators - Mac Rumors

what is most surprising is that this discovery didn't win first prize at the science fair.

[mudskipper]

Top rated Comments:

"this is very disheartening news"

[SimonMac]

Who do we know with a history of heart trouble and an Apple obsession?!

Pulled muscle is gonna be the least of someones problems

[stek]

ipads can kill you

Well to be fair when I had my defibrillator implanted I was told not to put mobiles, magnets etc near it.

Also not to have MRI scan, walk through the scanners at airport, lean over a running car engine or do any welding. I argued in favour of gas welding but it fell on deaf ears. Doesn't matter I can't weld anyway.

This is bit like 14 year old discovers dogs can bite after being bitten by a dog after being told dogs can bite....

[NickFitz]

14-Year-Old Discovers iPad Smart Cover Magnets Can Shut Off Implanted Defibrillators - Mac Rumors

what is most surprising is that this discovery didn't win first prize at the science fair.

She didn't actually discover it: the iPad User Guide (PDF) states that "iPad has magnets along the left edge of the device and on the right side of the front glass, which may interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators, or other medical devices. The iPad Smart Cover and iPad Smart Case also contain magnets. Maintain at least 6 inches (approximately 15 cm) of separation between your pacemaker or defibrillator and iPad, the iPad Smart Cover, or the iPad Smart Case."

Nor did she even claim to discover it. Her project was simply to measure the effect. She was helped in this by her father, a cardiac electrophysiologist, and twenty-six of his patients who volunteered to be experimented on so she could perform the measurements.

So kudos to her (and her dad) for making the point that people should read the safety warnings on stuff.

And no kudos at all to "journalists" at Bloomberg who totally misrepresented both her intention in doing the project and her conclusions by claiming that she had revealed "a flaw in the iPad" when, in fact, the important point is that everything is behaving as designed, and susceptible patients need to be aware that there are many things out there that could affect their implants in normal use.

But of course dressing it up as an iPad scare story generates a lot more advertising revenue for Bloomberg, and making that money for shareholders is a damn sight more important than providing accurate information to people about health issues.