Apple’s USB Adapter Takeback Program to Begin Next Week

Apple announced on Tuesday they would host a USB adapter trade in program after reports emerged last month that a 23-year-old woman from Xinjiang was electrocuted when she answered her iPhone that was being charged with a third party charger and a Beijing man was put in a coma when he plugged in his iPhone with another third party charger. The focus of speculation was whether or not the charger the victim used was a genuine Apple product.

Apple released a statement that said:

"Recent reports have suggested that some counterfeit and third party adapters may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues. While not all third party adapters have an issue, we are announcing a USB Power Adapter Takeback Program to enable customers to acquire properly designed adapters."

The adapter program will take place from Aug. 16 to Oct. 18. The exchange will only be for power adapters used for iPhones, iPads and iPods, but you can bring in anything from third party adapters to old adapters bought in an Apple store and authorized Apple reseller stores.

The Apple store in Sanlitun confirmed that they would be participating in this program with some clarifications:

• You can purchase one Apple USB power adapter at a special price of RMB 68 if you bought a third party one
• A free adapter exchange if you bought at the Apple store, have a receipt and the serial number checks out
• Special pricing on the USB power adapters is limited to one adapter for each iPhone, iPad, and iPod you own.

The other stores around Beijing as well as China will also be part of this worldwide program. The full list of stores can be found on Apple's website.

Photos courtesy of Charles Wiriawan on Flickr