Apple's newer, waterproof iPhones can survive spills of coffee or drops in the pool, which has been a saving grace for some clumsy consumers.
But for one woman, her iPhone 8 Plus' water resistance ended up saving her life when she was stranded in the open sea off the coast of a remote island in Japan.
Rachael Neal, 28, credits the device for helping her get in touch with emergency responders after she and seven passengers were forced to jump overboard a capsized boat near Okinawa Island.
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Neal, her boyfriend and some friends from college had embarked on a two-week trip through Japan at the end of October and spent the last day of their vacation chartering a boat out to a small chain of islands near Okinawa.
There, the group enjoyed a day full of hiking, snorkeling and grilling out, before getting back on the boat to return to the mainland as the sun was setting.
'The way out there, the water was flat and still like glass. I remember even the captain remarked that,' Neal said in an interview with MailOnline.
'Then mother nature decided to belly flop and the waves were just really, really big.
'It was pretty clear that we were in for a rough ride, but I don't think anyone fathomed that it would end the way it did,' she added.
Within moments, the group's boat was overcome by rough waters and capsized 'belly up' in what Neal estimates to be about 60 seconds.
Rachael Neal (center) credits her waterproof iPhone 8 Plus for helping her get in touch with emergency responders when a chartered boat capsized in the open sea near Okinawa Island
Neal and some friends went on a two-week trip through Japan at the end of October and spent the last day of their vacation chartering a boat out to a small chain of islands near Okinawa
Most of the passengers quickly leaped overboard as the boat took on water.
But Neal, a Washington, DC-area resident who has worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for six years, knew to grab one more item before jumping ship - a 'go bag' that contained two canteens of water, a small first aid kit, protein bars and, crucially, her iPhone.
'Being prepared is something that's always been in my blood and in my nature,' Neal explained.
Rachael Neal, a DC-area resident who works for FEMA, says her iPhone 8 Plus helped save her life after a chartered boat capsized
'In those critical moments...I had enough time to reach down, grab my go bag and jump out.'
The strong currents forced the eight passengers apart into groups of four, with one group getting sucked into the coral reef, where Neal says they were badly sliced up by the reef, but eventually drifted back to shore.
Meanwhile, she and three other people got stuck in a dangerous whirlpool, surrounded by swirling currents that made it nearly impossible to swim out of.
'We tried to kick our way out and we just couldn't,' Neal said. 'We tried to get to shore, but because of the way the current was working against us, we couldn't.'
After about 20 minutes, the group began calling emergency numbers. Luckily, the ship captain spoke fluent Japanese and could convey their situation.
As they waited for the emergency responders to arrive, Neal says that's what the reality of the situation began to set in.
'I think that once we knew that help was coming and that our lives were pretty much in someone else's hands, it got a little scary,' Neal said.
She described how they were tired and terrified, floating in the water for nearly two hours, unsure if they'd be attacked by sharks.
Allen Nolte, an Air Force Airman stranded with Neal, shot video as they saw the Black Hawk helicopter (right) from the Japanese Coast Guard arrive to airlift them out of the water
Neal reached out to Apple to tell them the story of how her iPhone helped save her life, which even garnered a response from CEO Tim Cook, who called it 'remarkable'
Neal said she was thankful that an active duty Air Force Airman was able to help she and her boyfriend remain as calm and collected as they could be while they waited.
Then, they finally heard the sound of a Black Hawk helicopter from the Japanese Coast Guard arrive, which airlifted the group out of the water and transported them back to the mainland, then to an airport about two hours away.
The other group of four was successfully rescued, but Neal said they had no idea that she and her friends were alive.
'By the time we were rescued and driven to them, we walked through the doors and all of them got emotional,' Neal explained.
'They didn't know we were alive until we walked in at that moment.'
The harrowing experience, which Neal and her friends now 'affectionately refer to as the boating incident,' made her realize how grateful she is for the life-saving technology, as well as the importance of emergency preparedness.
She waited a month before reaching out to Apple to tell them her story, which even garnered a response from Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In a tweet, the Apple boss said: 'We are glad you're all safe.'
Apple began advertising its iPhones as waterproof beginning with the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus in 2017. Beginning with the iPhone XS, Apple debuted an improved IP68 rating
WHAT MAKES A SMARTPHONE WATER RESISTANT?
A smartphone that is water-resistant will be labeled as IP67 or IP68.
IP stands for an Ingress Protection Rating, or International Protection Rating.
The International Electrotechnical Commission sets the standards and describes the IP codes as 'a system for classifying the degrees of protection provided by the enclosures of electrical equipment.'
The first number represents the level of protection against solids, such as dust or hands and fingers, and is rated on a scale of 0 to 6.
iPhone XS is rated IP68, so it's able to be exposed to more than 1 meter, or 3.3ft, of water. IP stands for an Ingress Protection Rating, or International Protection Rating
If a device is rated 6 on the solid protection scale, it's considered 'dust tight.'
The second number represents the level of protection against moisture, such as dripping or spraying water, and is rated on a scale of 0 to 8.
If a device is rated 8 on the liquid protection scale, it means it's able to be exposed to more than 1 meter, or 3.3ft, of water.
Apple began introducing water-resistant technology with the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus in 2017.
Those devices, as well as the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and XR, are water-resistant in up to 3.3ft of water for as long as 30 minutes.
They're all IP67 rated, which is an international standard applied for water-resistant technology.
Starting with the iPhone XS, however, Apple earned an IP68 rating, which allows the device to be water-resistant in up to 6.5ft of water for as long as 30 minutes.
The iPhone XS is also protected from spills like coffee, tea and soda, according to Apple.
Neal said that, if not for her iPhone, her life jacket and her emergency preparedness skills, she's unsure if she would be alive today.
'That's what made this outcome what it was,' Neal explained.
'It could have been very different without a go bag or if Apple hadn't created a phone that was waterproof.
'That is why I chose to reach out, because at the end of the day, emergency responders are only going to be there so quickly. You are the help until help arrives,' she added.
Link hienalouca.comhttps://hienalouca.com/2018/12/19/shipwreck-survivor-reveals-waterproof-iphone-saved-her-life-after-capsized-boat-left-her-stranded/
Main photo article Apple’s newer, waterproof iPhones can survive spills of coffee or drops in the pool, which has been a saving grace for some clumsy consumers.
But for one woman, her iPhone 8 Plus’ water resistance ended up saving her life when she was stranded in the open sea off the coast of a ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/18/16/7546122-6505797-image-a-26_1545149728582.jpg
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