iPods Make You Deaf and Even Kill You!

It's not entirely clear why everyone likes to pick on the iPod, but its popularity seems to attract all sorts of odd warnings about the evilness that is the iPod. In the past, there have been warnings about how iPods are a security risk and a beacon to muggers. The latest, though, is that audiologists are warning that the iPod will make you deaf.

Of course, while it sounds alarming, basically they're just saying that loud noises, directly in your ear are a risk. They always have been, from the days of the transistor radio with an earpiece to the walkman. However, how many stories are there of people who are now deaf for listening to their walkmans too loud?

But not everybody minds: the CEO of hearing-aid maker Phonak has forecast strong growth his company, saying that young people listening to their music players too loudly will create a "a hearing loss bubble in years to come". While the company may be rubbing its hands in expectation of a booming market, it had better hope that class-action lawyers, or overzealous politicians trying to protect the stupid, don't screw things up for it.

Furthermore, MP3 players could mean the difference between life and death when crossing the road, pedestrians are being warned during Road Safety Week. Deafness Research UK has teamed up with Specsavers Hearcare to encourage pedestrians to remove their headphones while crossing the road in a bid to reduce hearing-related road traffic accidents. So IPODs can kill you when crossing the road? Surely its the idiot listening to the IPOD that crosses the road without looking?