A few years back, someone sued Apple, claiming that the iPod caused hearing loss, saying that the devices have an “inherently defective design” and that they need more warnings that you can acquire hearing loss if high volumes are used. The lawsuit eventually turned into a class action, which a district court dismissed. Now an appeals court has agreed, saying that the plaintiffs showed no evidence that an iPod “poses an unreasonable risk of noise-induced hearing loss.” Basically, the argument amounted to “you know, Apple could make iPods that are less likely to lead to hearing loss.” But that’s not legally actionable, and it’s good that the courts were quick to point that out.

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