This title is so misleading. France hasn’t banned the device, and the radiation levels could likely be fixed with a software update. French officials have stated that they may prohibit sale and issue a recall IF Apple doesn’t respond to their request. The article says as much:
France’s junior minister for the digital economy, Jean-Noël Barrot, told newspaper Le Parisien that a software update would be able to address the radiation issues linked to the iPhone 12. Apple has two weeks to respond to France’s request, if it fails to do so, Barrot stated that he is prepared to issue a recall of the device, which went on sale in 2020.
Also, why the hell did it take French agencies 4 years to test this device? Even if Apple says they won’t update the phones and is forced to stop selling them, taking a 4 year old phone off the market won’t really hurt them in any way.
Apple hasn’t sold them in a few years anyway. It would only affect third party sellers.
I think they still sell refurbed 12s.
Probably not after today.
Made my day, literally lol’d. Thanks.
they do, my sister just bought one
Maybe something changed more recently to warrant a test?
The story feels like pop-science websites running with a story that’s otherwise pretty boring regulatory proceedings.
The FCC has a decent article on what the SAR (specific absorption rate) actually means.
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/specific-absorption-rate-sar-cell-phones-what-it-means-you
Tldr: France is wrong here, and no one should confuse SAR with "“radiation.”
Honestly not to defend apple here… but does the timing of this announcement seem a bit too convenient.
Would be weird if they waited after testing to find a good opportunity to make the announcement.
It’s also not necessarily a win/loss since Apple could spin it like “we fixed it in the new one, get it”
as someone who’s had the 12 mini for a couple of years now, what does this mean for me?
have i been irreparably harmed? is there a pressing need for me to get rid of that device?
it means you have the 5G waves coming out of your ears
I thought that was from the Covid-19 vaccine!?
Your head might have gotten a little bit warmer compared to someone using a different phone while calling, especially if you live in an area with poor coverage.
i am known for my short temper. maybe that’s where i got the hot head?
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Probably not, but you could look into any recalls / software updates.
I haven’t read the specifics, but I think if you store it in a bag or something and don’t leave it in contact with your body too long, you should be fine. If it was more serious, there would be more of an announcement
Wait, they measure the wattage per kilogram of the device? Why does the weight of the device matter? Could they just increase the weight of the phone to pass the test?
I believe it is per kg of body mass not the weight of the phone.
It’s not per kilogram of the device. It’s a measure of absorption per kilogram of body mass of the person using the device.
A good way to think about it is: throw a small piece of meat into the microwave and let it absorb some microwaves. It gets warm. Now imagine a much larger piece of meat. It can absorb a lot more microwaves before it starts getting warm. The smaller the ‘body mass’, the less radiation it can absorb and dissipate before becoming damaged. So when it comes to mobile device radiation levels, they focus on the watts of radiation absorbed per kilogram of body mass.
Not great but not terrible.
