Apple Recalls 1.8 Million Laptop Batteries

Aug. 24, 2006 — -- Little more than a week after Dell recalled 4.1 million Sony laptop batteries, Apple has recalled 1.8 million Sony batteries used in its iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 laptops worldwide (1.1 million of those are in the United States).

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the batteries could overheat and become a fire hazard. Apple has received nine reports of overheating, two reports of users receiving minor burns and an unspecified number of claims of property damage.

"The situation arises because on rare occasions, there are tiny microscopic particles," explained Rick Clancy, spokesperson for Sony Electronics. "One [particle] may have come in contact with the battery cell outside of the cavity where they would normally be, and that leads to a short circuit and potentially flames."

Clancy said Sony takes responsibility for what appears to be a manufacturing flaw that, when coupled with certain computer configurations, may cause the overheating.

He added that the company has introduced a number of safeguards into its manufacturing process and believes it has addressed the issue to customers' satisfaction.

"Sony is committed to the safety of consumers and the satisfaction of our customers," he said, "and in this case, of course, in supporting Apple in their recall."

According to a press release sent out shortly after the news broke, Sony estimated the cost of supporting both the Apple and Dell recalls will be between 20 billion and 30 billion yen -- about $171 million to roughly $257 million. That estimate is based on the cost of replacement batteries and other costs incurred by the company.

While it may appear that Sony is the big loser at the center of two of the biggest computer-related recalls in history, it may be Apple that will feel the hardest blow.

"For Apple, it's just unfortunate because it's the second issue they've had with batteries since launching the MacBooks," said Ross Rubin, an analyst with the NPD Group. "That's something they need to assure customers they've got licked at this point, but certainly it's better for them to be proactive about it before there are any liabilities."

The other issue was another battery-related problem with the MacBook Pro notebooks where the batteries would spontaneously refuse to hold a charge, he said.

Rubin points out that while the recall will be costly for Sony and will certainly cause some to think twice about Sony products, it will likely remain the king of consumer electronics.

"They continue to maintain very high market share in a variety of categories," he said. "Sony is still very strong in video games, and digital cameras and camcorders and LCD televisions and rear-projection televisions, so in the categories in which they're focusing, they tend to do pretty well."

While the Dell and Apple recalls may be frustrating to owners, there have been much more serious cases of lithium-ion batteries acting up.

In February a UPS cargo plane caught fire at 31,000 feet in the air. The plane managed to land safely with no one hurt, but the suspected cause of the fire was a shipment of lithium-ion batteries.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Transportation and Safety Administration officials are so concerned about the risk of fire that they have said, "Batteries in laptops … pose a serious risk to airplanes."

Lithium-ion battery packs are used in a wide array of consumer electronics and are popular because of their ability to pack a powerful, rechargeable punch in a small package.

The machines affected were sold between October 2003 and August 2006 at Apple's online store, its retail outlets and at official Apple resellers.

Owners of the machines are advised to remove the batteries from their computers, store them in a safe place and contact Apple for a replacement immediately. The computers can still be used with an appropriate AC adapter.

Consumers are advised to call 800-275-2273, or visit support.apple.com/batteryprogram for assistance.