Fanny Schlatter, 18, with bandaged thigh and burned-out Galaxy S3
FORTUNE — Did you miss the report Monday about the Samsung Galaxy S3 that caught fire in the pants pocket of a Swiss teenager, sending out shoulder-high flames and inflicting second- and third-degree burns on her right thigh?
I’m not surprised. These things can happen in any device powered by lithium-ion batteries, and the news of such incidents tends to fly under the radar.
Unless, of course, the device that catches fire is made by Apple (AAPL). Then — whether it’s an iPod in Japan, a MacBook in California or an iPhone in Finland — the Internet lights up like a Christmas tree and doomsday pundits start weighing in.
Take, for example, this Your Gadget Guide video from last March titled “Apple iPhone 5 Catches Fire – Apple Going Downhill?”
http://youtu.be/Y6K3Ks-qSnU
Fair is fair. Where are the YouTube videos about Samsung’s decline?