- Sparks and smoke flew from device released on November 1
- Vodaphone store had to be evacuated following incident
- Fire fighters put out the blaze started by demonstration model
The explosion and fire were so severe that the fire brigade had to be called in to fight the smoke and sparks that were continuing to burst out from the device.
The incident occurred in a Vodafone store in Canberra and the shop had to be evacuated.
The burned iPad Air, which caused an Australian store to be evacuated when it burst into flames
There have been several reports of iPhones exploding and injuring people, but this is the first known incident involving an iPad.
The iPad Air launched in May this year and is lighter than previous Apple tablet models
As the store filled with smoke, firemen rushed to the store and put out the fire.
Although no staff members or customers were injured during the incident, the new model iPad Air, released by Apple globally on November 1, was completely destroyed, the appearance of its frame suggesting it had suffered from extreme heat.
It is understood a representative from Apple visited the store to collect the iPad for testing and try to establish what caused the explosion.
No comment has been available from Apple, which released the dramatically thin new model with the claim that it created an entirely new mobile computing experience.
With its thinner appearance, lighter weight and faster processor than the earlier model, it has been received favourably by technology writers.
US, Japanese, Chinese and Korean companies are believed to be involved in the manufacture of iPads and iPhones.
The phone shop, which was evacuated after a demonstration model iPad Air burst into flames this week
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