Android Ping!
Have to say I'm a little surprised by this. I wonder if this decision comes out of engineering or marketing?
Seriously. Let's take a step back. The Samsung Note 7 issue is done. The discontinuation of the line will hopefully put this sad episode to rest for Samsung. They have two challenges in front of them. One is engineering. If/when the Galaxy Note 8 comes out it had better have a remarkable battery life and charging cycle and the highest quality build for a Samsung mobile device yet. The second is marketing: bringing people back to the fold to trust their engineering and production. Interesting thought: picture tens of thousands of recalled note 7s, still in boxes...being destroyed? Recycled? Batteries removed and repurposed? Wonder what's to become of them...
Full disclosure, yes I'm solidly in the Android camp. Yes I like Samsung devices. In fact, this past weekend I finally traded in my Galaxy S5 for the 7 (just the 7, not the "edge" or "active" variants). First impressions are it is a great phone and mobile device for non-phone stuff.
Now, the engineer in me wonders if the problems with the battery in the note 7 pertain to the size of the battery and the current available through usb-c. This whole episode is a cautionary tale for design engineers literally across the globe as consumers look for higher capacities, faster charging, etc. (hmm, wonder how Tesla deals with this on a much larger scale?)
Now, as for the "exploding Samsung washing machine" issue that is starting to gain traction in the news. This is a potentially misleading line of posts. There are some posts with pictures of burned washing machines - this is not the same thing, not the same issue. If you actually go read the consumer reports site and a few others the "exploding" issue is purely mechanical, has nothing to do with fires. The "explosion" comes from the built-up kinetic energy in the washer drum during fast spin cycles with heavy loads. This is a genuine problem. The sensors and software in the machine should halt the cycle if there is an out of balance problem. Remember I said I'm an engineer? Well...a bit of a handyman too. Yes, I have fixed/repaired my own washers (several brands over the years). If you know what you're doing (ie. can do so safely) it is entertaining and educational to run a washer with not just the lid but the whole top of the machine raised. Yes you have to bypass a safety system or two. Yes it is more dangerous than it sounds. It is eye opening to see just how fast those things operate. That is some serious weight and rotational inertia built up in that system.
So Samsung will need to address the issue with their sensors/software not shutting down an out of balance system fast enough. This is not the same as catching fire. Apparently there have been some fires associated with the machines, but these are not part of the CPS issue right now. Appliance fires are more common than you probably realize. You can search for appliance fires and find virtually every appliance type ever made from any/all manufacturers have had issues. Clothes dryers are particularly problematic. Apparently Whirlpool had some significant issues a while back. However, because of the note 7 debacle (sorry Samsung, the name fits) Samsung is in the news and under scrutiny. So the washing machine balance issue gets more attention than it probably deserves. Other people look up sensational fire pictures and the (social) media feeding frenzy continues.
So, talking about the note 7 is kind of a dead issue now. Hopefully Samsung learns from it. The washing machine thing looks to be a fairly routine problem that is on the verge of being distorted and blown out of proportion. (sorry, one last pun for the morning) I'm going to tuck my new S7 in my pocket, grab an energy drink, and head to work...