Apple Computer is recalling 1.8 million laptop batteries that were manufactured by the same Sony subsidiary that manufactured the recalled Dell batteries.
The faulty lithium-ion batteries used by Apple and Dell Inc. — which announced its recall of 4.1 units on Aug. 14 — all were made by a Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE – news). subsidiary at a Japanese plant. In their recall announcements, Apple and Dell said the batteries can cause the computers to short circuit, overheat or even catch fire.
Sony Energy Devices Corp. said the recalls will cost it between $172 million and $278 million.
The manufacturing process of lithium-ion batteries at the Sony plant introduced metal particles into battery cells. Makers of battery cells strive to minimize the presence of such particles, which can cause the overheating, but it's nearly impossible to eliminate the metal dust.
Sony said the Dell and Apple batteries were configured in slightly different ways. In a statement, it said the problems arise "on rare occasions" when microscopic metal particles hit other parts of the battery cell and lead to a short circuit.
Apple said Thursday it has received nine reports of battery packs overheating, including two cases in which users suffered minor burns and some involving minor property damage.
The recall affects only laptops that run PowerPC chips built by IBM Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc. It does not affect Apple's Intel Corp.-based models, including the MacBook and MacBook Pro.
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Apple's recall covers 1.1 million rechargeable batteries in the 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptops sold in the United States from October 2003 through August 2006. The recall also covers an additional 700,000 batteries in laptops sold abroad, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall affects only laptops that run PowerPC chips built by IBM Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc. It does not affect Apple's Intel Corp.-based models, including the MacBook and MacBook Pro.
Apple notebook owners were told to stop using the batteries and to remove them from their laptops. The machines can continue to be used as long as they're plugged into an AC power source.
Apple asked customers to consult a Web site or call a toll-free hot line, 1-800-275-2273, to determine whether they have a battery that is covered by the recall. A free replacement will be shipped to affected customers.
If you have one of the computers included in the recall, you might want to get on the phone real quick. It's likely going to take some time to get that many batteries replaced.
