Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries

Apple is recalling 1.8 million batteries that use Sony's battery cell technology, it announced on Thursday.

The Mac maker's recall, while not as large as Dell's historic recall last week, affects users of its iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 laptop models sold between October 2003 and August 2006, according to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission. Users are advised to remove the batteries immediately and store them in a safe place.

Additional information can be found on a Web page Apple has set up for the recall. The recall involves 1.1 million batteries sold in the US and an additional 700,000 sold overseas online and through retail stores and resellers.

Apple said it has had nine reports of batteries overheating, including two cases in which users reported minor burns and property damage. However, it says no serious injuries have been reported.

"These lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a press release on Thursday.

Last week, Dell announced a recall of 4.1 million batteries, the largest recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry. Dell's batteries used cells manufactured by Sony that could potentially short-circuit and cause a fire, even if the laptop is off.

Other laptop manufacturers use Sony's battery-cell technology in their products, but several said last week that they had not seen the same level of incidents involving their laptops that Dell had. A Kansas City television station reported on Wednesday, however, that a Sony user's battery caught fire, and a reader of CNET.co.uk's sister site News.com this week reported a similar incident with a smoking battery on a Sony laptop.

An Apple representative said the company does not expect the recall to have a material financial impact on the company. "We discovered that some Sony batteries in previous models of Power PC-based PowerBooks and iBooks do not meet Apple's standards for safety and performance," company spokesman Steve Dowling said. "None of Apple's Intel-based laptops are affected."

A source familiar with Apple's recall told News.com that the Apple batteries are subject to the same problems that affected Dell's batteries. A Sony representative did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Sony changed its manufacturing process for battery cells earlier this year, a representative said last week. The problems stem from small pieces of metal that were dislodged in the manufacturing process. Over time, those pieces of metal can potentially work their way through insulating material that separates the electrodes in a battery cell and causes electricity to flow uncontrolled from one electrode to another. This produces a great deal of heat and can cause a fire.

As have other computer makers, Apple has had to recall batteries in the past. In May 2005, the company recalled 128,000 batteries used in its PowerBook G4 and iBook G4 laptops.

IDC analyst Richard Shim said the battery issue is an industrywide concern, particularly given that laptop sales are driving the growth in the computer business. Desktop sales in the US have dropped by 5 per cent this year, while laptop sales are up by nearly 25 per cent, largely through growth in sales to consumers.

"This raises the hackles of any consumer laptop buyer," Shim said. "Those are the guys that are driving growth, and the laptop market is driving growth for the PC industry right now."

One possible aid to the situation, he said, would be some kind of standard for laptop batteries. "It would certainly make the lives of consumers a lot easier, from a convenience and from a safety standpoint," Shim said.