Wave Hoax Tricks Gullible iPhone Users Into Microwaving Their Phones

[Steven Bogos]

Wave Hoax Tricks Gullible iPhone Users Into Microwaving Their Phones

The "Wave" hoax assures iPhone users that they can charge their Apple devices by microwaving them.

Anyone who has passed grade school no doubt knows (or has even experienced first hand) the destruction caused from putting metal and plastic in the microwave. But, when a legit looking hoax tells iPhone users they can "charge" their phones by microwaving them, more than a few rubes fell for the rather cruel prank, and are showcasing their destroyed devices via Twitter.

First up, here is the "Wave" hoax image that's been floating around the web:


Warning: do not try this at home.

As you can see from the fake advert, the hoax involves tricking users into throwing their phones into the microwave, with the promise of a quick charge. Fansided [http://fansided.com/2014/09/19/ios-8-wave-hoax-tricks-apple-fans-into-microwaving-iphone/] has gone ahead and collected some of the best Twitter reactions of people falling for the prank. Check out Apple's most gullible fans bellow:

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/DMV_Drummerboyy/status/512719000778731520]
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/JordanBeeTheGee/status/512959920862666752]
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/Fallenbot/status/512627909023248384]
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/CarmelaMarciano/status/512974953621495808]
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/Cee_Payton/status/484945337128206337]

We at the Escapist would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Apple, as worshiped as they are, has not earned the power to change the laws of physics, and until that day comes, microwaving your phone will only destroy it, and possibly the microwave used in the process.

Thank you, and stay in school.

Source: Fansided [http://fansided.com/2014/09/19/ios-8-wave-hoax-tricks-apple-fans-into-microwaving-iphone/]

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[Zontar]

I have to say, it's quite hilarious that people actually believed it.

I mean, seriously, metal and a microwave do not a happy mix make. God I got to find more of these pics and tweets. They make my day.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Well I guess a bunch of people never watched Brainiac.


Giving the benefit of the doubt even if you didn't know metals and circuits react badly to microwaves, surely you'd understand that microwave food comes out piping hot so therefore microwaves produce a lot of heat and that heat plus a new expensive phone is a bad idea on its own. But yeah stupid people are stupid.

 

[Brian Tams]

Just wait until I introduce these people to my wonderful friend Naziim, a member of the long-standing Nigerian Royal line. I hear he needs you to send him some money to help him out.

But don't worry; he's good for it, I swear.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I guess I'm a bad person because this makes me so, so happy.

Look at these idiots. Now imagine this. Conservatives say that you shouldn't waste the money on science education. The world is already full of morons. Do you really want to create more?

 

[RA92]

I'm trying really, really hard to suppress my amusement and stir up some sympathy within me. And failing really, really hard.

Should have stayed awake in Physics class. Or paid attention to Modern Warfare 2, when they detonated a nuke to fry all electronics with an EMP (about the only time any good would have come out of paying attention to a Call of Duty plot).

 

[Daverson]

Yeesh, some people are idiots... you have to set your microwave to "defrost" for it to work properly!

 

[Thaluikhain]

OTOH, yeah, you have to be rather thick for this to work.

OTOH, that's really a cruel thing to do. There's always going to be someone gullible...or possibly, drunk, enough to do this.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

This is one of those times where I don't have any sympathy for the idiots that fell for it. If they burnt their house down doing it, then maybe. But if your fancy new phone is broken because you're this thick, then ha. Hahahahahaha.

Ha.

It's even better than they guy in Australia that dropped his, live on tv.

 

[Doom972]

It's hard to believe someone would be stupid enough to actually try it, but for some reason I'm not surprised when it comes to Apple users.

Conspiracy time! *puts on tinfoil hat*

Maybe Apple are behind this hoax and they did it to get their users to buy a new iPhone quicker.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I don't even use Apple products, and even I can tell that ad was fake as hell(disregarding the bit with the microwave, if it did something more fun, like bricking the phone a la the Xbox One/4chan thing).

Apple would never say "latest and greatest", "The Next Big Thing"(capitalisation, seriously?), "iOS8"(as all-one-word). It doesn't even explain how it works in some physics-deifying jargon; just says "put it in a microwave". They could have at least related it to how the iWatch works via wireless charging or something.

The pranksters could have at least put some more effort into it. This just looks like they spent 15 minutes doing it then slacked off for lunch.

I could be over thinking this...

OP: lol!

 

[Parasondox]

How? How? Fucking how? Seriously how? What in the fuck how?
How can anyone be that stupid?

Why do I sound so angry over stupidity lol

 

[Bindal]

Anyone who belives that deserves to fry their phone, plain and simple. Shall we call them the FryPhone User?
And anyone who KNOWS that's stupid deserves the satisfaction of laughing about those people that did believe it.

 

[Kieve]

Words do not describe the glee this hoax inspires. My one regret is not being the clever (evil) bastard who thought it up.
Of course, I do feel a pang of sympathy for any microwaves damaged in the process.
*/cue Bender's "Laugh harder" clip*

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

If these people are microwaving their phones, where are they getting the neurons to use Twitter?

Almost as funny as the people who fell for the previous iOS7 update that made the phone waterproof.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

Giving the benefit of the doubt even if you didn't know metals and circuits react badly to microwaves, surely you'd understand that microwave food comes out piping hot so therefore microwaves produce a lot of heat and that heat plus a new expensive phone is a bad idea on its own. But yeah stupid people are stupid.

Actually, given that many of the materials used in phones are quite non-polar (plastics etc, for example), the microwave doesn't really make the device piping hot. Microwave ovens work by basically pulling about polar molecules (water, fatty acids etc) around very quickly, and since heat is molecular movement this heats up the things in the oven. This doesn't really work with non-polar objects.

 

[Aeshi]

So what I'm learning from this thread and its replies is that it's perfectly ok for other people to suffer if said people are "inferior"

 

[small]

while a lot of people are gullible, the advert does look legit and people tend to believe what they read. it also why internet urban legends spread so easiely

 

[Revolutionary]

A big smile just spread across my face, I know android users also fall for dumb shit, but I feel like iphone users are particularly susceptible. Also iphone users deserve it.