Apple is recalling its Beats Pill XL wireless speaker due to overheating batteries that pose a “fire safety risk.”
The Cupertino company was made aware of about eight malfunctioning speakers, including instances in which a customer’s finger was burned, and a desk was damaged, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Apple issued a voluntary recall of the Pill XL on Wednesday; more than 200,000 speakers will be recalled in total.
According to Apple’s recall page, anyone who purchased the Pill XL can send it back to the company for a $325 dollar refund, or go to an Apple Store and receive in-store credit; that’s about the price of the speaker, plus tax.
An Apple representative told Mashable that sales are currently on hold. The Pill XL is listed as unavailable on the company’s online store, although several stores in the New York metropolitan area are indicating that they still carry it. It’s unclear whether Apple will fix the overheating issue, and continue to sell the Pill XL in stores.
The recall is a rare blemish on Apple’s record. The company typically offers replacement or repair programs for faulty devices, not full-on recalls. Last year, it admitted that some iPhone 5 batteries lost their charge too soon, and offered to install new ones free of charge, even for customers outside its normal one-year warranty.
Beats launched the Pill XL in November 2013, six months before Apple bought the company for $3 billion in May 2014. Apple said no other Beats products are affected by the overheating problem.
