Essay: Problems encountered by large technology companies

This essay explains the issues that Samsung encountered following the release of their newest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, on 19th August 2016. The problems they encountered after their recall and second release regarding the batteries of their smartphone will be discussed and evaluated more
1. INTRODUCTION
Samsung first released their Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on 19th August to strong sale demands and positive reviews. By 31st August, less than two weeks later, reports from customers saying that their batteries were exploding began to surface. Then, just two days later, on 2nd September, Samsung recalled their device.
The ‘exploding’ handset was never released for sale in the UK but the company are now planning to relaunch the device in several countries, including the UK, on 28th October as they say they are “confident” that the battery issues have been solved.
2. PROBLEM ANALYSIS
The issue of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is that it can overheat and even explode. Samsung has recalled millions of its new Galaxy Note 7s due to these reports of it catching fire. The phone was on sale for only two weeks before multiple owners of the phone were reporting that their phones had melted due to batteries that had caught fire. Samsung said it “conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue” and has halted sales of the phone completely. This recall came at a crucial time for Samsung, with the release of the iPhone 7 just two weeks later and Christmas fast approaching.
Smartphones use lithium-ion cells. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are an integral technology in the process of reaching a clean and sustainable energy future . However, what makes these batteries ideal for powering gadgets is also what makes them vulnerable to catching fire, says Donal Finegan, a chemical engineer at University College London. “They are so energy-dense and can operate under such high power that they can combust in a particularly catastrophic way.” The overheating of any device or component is caused by a rise in temperature which can be due to the environment, or through head transferred to the battery from another component within the phone. Also, heating could begin within the battery itself, which is what was found to be the reason behind the battery cell issue in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. Phones do not contain fans or any liquid cooling mechanism that you may find in games consoles and alike, due to their small portable size. This means that the heat generated must radiate into the surroundings, but if this does not happen, heat is generated faster than it can be dissipated. When a battery reaches about 100ºC its materials begin to break down, creating a process called ‘thermal runaway’. Thermal runaway is a situation where an increase in temperature changes the conditions and triggers a chemical chain reaction which causes a further increase in temperature.
Li-ion cells are made up of lots of layers, each of which consists of a positive and a negative electrode that are separated by an insulator. When it is charged, lithium ions flow from positive to negative and ions return to the positive electrode as the battery drains. When materials inside a cell move around, the electrically insulating layer separating the electrodes can tear, causing a short-circuit. This short circuit can create a spark. Even the tiniest of sparks inside a small battery is enough to kick-start the thermal runaway process. In addition to this, it is known that lithium ions are carried by an electrolyte solution, an extremely volatile liquid. When heated, electrolytes produce gas bubbles that cause a cell to lose its structural integrity and therefore, could create a short circuit.
Rectangular batteries, like the one used in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 are more prone to failure compared to cylindrical ones. This is because cylinders have a central support which means that it is harder for any internal layers to deform. They also have a rupture disc in the middle which will cut off when the current is stretched to prevent short-circuiting. Phones do not have these fail-safes that come with the cylindrical shape as they are bounded by the desirable small size. Batteries are not as safe as they could be, because scientists and engineers must cater to the demands of manufacturers who prefer these high performance, but less stable, cells.
Everyone is seeking to get a smaller phone and so batteries have to be as small as possible in size to either allow for the shrinkage of the phone in size, or for the advancing technology being added on to these smartphones with every new release. This year was the death of the headphone jack on several popular phones, including the iPhone; the headphone jack’s former space was now occupied with other technology.
Information released by mobile analytics firm Apteligent shows an estimated adoption rate of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone from August through to October, showing a number of drops and rises following the smartphone’s recall.
After the recall, the adoption rate then rose again before encountering another drop. While the drop occurred due to customers being unable the purchase the hone, the graph quickly rises again to correct itself by the following weekend.
The graph shows that usage of the phone, whilst declining, is still as high as when the first recall was announced back in August. Thousands of the smartphone are still in service and Samsung may never get these back, despite the phone’s reputation for literally exploding.
The continued use of the smartphone could pose a great risk to the public. For example, on 7th September, a hotel room was burned down and a man was left with burns after his Samsung smartphone exploded, bursting into flames as he slept in his hotel room. The accident reportedly caused AUD$1,300 which Samsung offered to pay.
Due to the ongoing fiasco, Samsung have set up drop-off points in airports and sent fireproof boxes to the 2.5 million people who have bought the phone since its launch in August, so that the phones can be recalled safely. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made carrying this smartphone on a plane a criminal offence. Samsung’s stock market value fell by an enormous $22billion in just two days.
3. PROBLEM SOLUTION
In a report posted on 6th October 2016, Samsung have said they are “confident” that they have solved the battery issues of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and now plan to relaunch the device in the UK on 28th October, in time for the usual surge of phone sales around Christmas time. Conor Pierce, vice president of Samsung’s mobile division in the UK told the Press Association that a manufacturing error caused the problem, “I can confidently say that the problem has been identified – it is not a device issue – it is related specifically to a battery cell through a manufacturing error”. He continues that since the problem has been identified, “all the proper steps have been put in place to ensure this is never going to happen again”.
Customer apathy is a huge problem when trying to recall the exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices as people assume that the explosions will not happen to them after looking at statistics. The AP reports that Samsung will be issuing a software update in South Korea for anyone who does not want to immediately exchange their Note 7 smartphone. This update will limit the battery life to just 60% which they believe will solve the ‘exploding issue’. Keeping the battery level low could reduce the risk of overheating due to the battery short-circuiting, but it is at the expense of the battery life of the phone. It remains unclear when the update may be issued overseas. This update is considered to be somewhat of a ‘desperate measure’ as Samsung try to contain the battery explosions whilst people are not returning their phones