Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has reported to some media that the company will voluntarily replace the power cords of its hybrid devices Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3, that were sold before 15 July 2015.
Findings seem to suggest that if the cords of the chargers are repeatedly bent, they could overheat and cause a fire, under some circumstances.
The official announcement will be published on Friday, according to Channelnomics Europe. It seems that when the cables are “tightly wrapped”, they are susceptible to overheating, as a consequence, a fire could be caused if consumers do not detect the temperature changes.
Customers who want to obtain a new power cord that is not prone to overheating, will be able to access a dedicated website where they can request one. Also, Microsoft is going to give some recommendations for users who want to recycle their cords, or store them in a secure place depending on local regulations.
“As a result of damage caused by AC power cords being wound too tightly, twisted or pinched over an extended period of time, a very small proportion of Surface Pro customers have reported issues with their AC power cord. We will be releasing details of how customers can obtain a free replacement cable shortly.” said a Microsoft spokesperson to Zdnet on Tuesday.
The company leaded by Satya Nadella announced the first model of the Microsoft Surface in 2013, when the iPad was the dominating tablet in the market. Since that moment, Microsoft created a new segment of gadgets that are a combination of a PC and a tablet, that ended being so powerful and mobile, that the Surface became the perfect substitute for a laptop computer. As a response, Apple the most valuable brand in the world, had to create a new iPad Pro in order to compete with Microsoft.
Last year Microsoft announced that it had been selling approximately 500,000 Surface tablets per month. However, it is not known how many units have been sold by the company since the first launch of the device. According to Canalys, Microsoft sold two million units in the last three months of 2014.
In October, the company unveiled the Surface Pro 4, which is thinner and lighter than the previous models. The new tablet can be acquired with premium specifications such as 16GB of RAM, 1TB storage and a 6th generation Core i7 Intel processor.
Source: Channelnomics