The local media in France has reported a bizarre incident of a young man destroying Apple products inside an Apple Store in Dijon, France. The YouTube video uploaded by a patron present inside the store at the time, starts with the man calmly putting the iPhones on display flat on the table, before hitting them hard with what appears to be a metal ball, potentially shattering their screens and damaging their components.
9to5Mac suggests that the steel ball is used for the French game of Boules. The video continues for a little over a minute as the disgruntled person smashes tens of iPhones, before finally destroying a MacBook Air. In between this, he speaks in French to onlookers and the person recording the video. As per the news outlet, the reasoning behind the man’s impropriety is because “he claims Apple refused to honour the EU requirement to provide warranty cover for two years after purchase”.
The video ends with the man escorted by the mall’s security personnel outside the store. There are more follow-up videos that show him arguing with them, him trying to re-enter the store, and him trying to run away before being restrained by security.
An law applicable to countries of the European Union (EU) requires all goods to carry a two year warranty. Electronics products like phones, laptops etc typically come with a one year warranty, and Apple also offers a one year warranty on all its products outside of the EU. The company is known to have gotten into trouble about these warranty policies before, with Italy slapping a $1.2 million fine in 2011. Ever since then, Apple had agreed to comply with the EU laws and started offering a 2 year warranty coverage by default, only in the regions applicable.
There have been instances of Apple products being damaged in Apple Stores before. During the famous Bendgate controversy of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, two 15-year old kids were seen bending an iPhone inside an Apple Store in England. Although both these incidents involve damage to Apple property, the video above is more sinister in nature.
[“source-gadgets.ndtv”]