Because according to Apple, you could be at risk of electric shock from some of the faulty power adapters out there.

It seems the metal prongs on many of the ultra-compact USB adapters sold with the 3G iPhone model could break off without warning.

The company is being ultra cautious, because it stresses no-one has been injured by the faulty adapters. Yet.

It said over the weekend it had "received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold."

Apple said it will replace adapters free of charge and that the fixed versions should be available on 10 October.

In the meantime, it warned and suggested owners of the adapter stop using it immediately, and, instead, charge their iPhones using a computer's USB connection until it can ship out replacements.

Luckily, the problem centers on USB adaptors with two rectangle-profile pins, which are not used in Europe, but are in most North and South American countries, as well as in Japan.