Mass Smartwatch Recalls, Intel’s ‘Basis Peak’ Prone To Overheating

“Basis” recently recalled its smartwatch line called “Peak” over concerns regarding the devices’ propensity to overheat. In light of the recent news about an “iPhone 6” exploding and causing third-degree burns on a man’s thigh, companies are taking risks of injuries involving their devices more seriously.

With the “Basis Peak” posing a burn threat to customers, the Intel-owned company had no choice but to announce a recall on Wednesday, PC World Reports. Intel senior VP Josh Walden explained why they had to make this decision, citing the danger that the watch posed if it overheats.

“We are issuing this safety recall of the Basis Peak watch because the watch can overheat, which could result in burns or blisters on the skin surface,” he said. “It is important that you stop using your watch immediately and return it.”

The watches that are going to be recalled are the 2014 and 2015 models, which were sold from November of 2014 until June of 2016. This essentially covers every “Basis Peak” smartwatch ever made, which should have a significant impact on the sales of the watches in the future.

With regards to the significance of this decision, “Basis” had initially released advisories that told customers to stop wearing the “Peak” smartwatch. The company also offered full refunds for the devices, even though only 0.2 percent of the watches sold have been reported to overheat. This was supposed to be only until “Basis” could find a solution to the problem, but as it has issued a full recall of every single unit, it has become clear that no solution was found.

The “Peak” was meant to be the ultimate fitness tracker, both during waking and sleeping hours, CNBC reports. Unfortunately, smartwatches have not caught on as well as manufacturers have hoped, and even Apple’s own offering could not ignite the same fires in customers that it did with the iPhone.