Apple has recalled the Beats Pill XL speaker over concerns that a wiring issue could cause the speaker to catch fire.
The recall was voluntary by Apple, and was fueled by eight complaints by users saying that the speaker was overheating.
"Apple today announced a voluntary recall of Beats Pill XL speakers, including a refund for customers. Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. The recall does not affect any other Beats or Apple products," said the company in a statement. "Because customer safety is the company's top priority, Apple is asking customers to stop using their Beats Pill XL speakers."
The recall will involve 220,000 products in the U.S. and around 11,000 from Canada. Customers will be able to return their Beats Pill XL speaker to Apple and receive a refund of $325. The speaker itself actually costs $300, so it seems as though Apple is offering users a little extra to try and smooth things over with unhappy customers.
To get the refund, users have to head to the Beats Pill XL refund web site, and submit a web form. Apple will then send users a prepaid shipping box, which can be used to send back the defective Bluetooth speakers.
The Pill XL was sold starting in January 2014, which is before Apple actually officially purchased Beats music for a massive $3 billion, the largest purchase that Apple has ever made.
"The Beats Pill XL can be identified by the Beats "b" logo on the speaker grille and the words "beats pill XL" on the handle. The product is sold in five colors: black, metallic sky, pink, titanium and white," continued the company.
While Apple is not known for recalls, it has made a number of them in the past. For example, last year the company issued an iPhone 5 battery recall program, and has done the same for various Mac computer models. The company has also issued a few productwide recalls, with all 5-watt European power adapters with the model number A1300 being recalled. In 2011, the company also recalled all first-generation iPod Nano's, exchanging them for new ones.
Of course, the recall isn't great for Apple's "it just works" philosophy, even though it was released before Apple took charge of Beats and can hardly be considered an "Apple product." Despite this, it is nice to see that the recall was voluntary and that Apple is trying to go the extra mile for customers.
