Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries... more Sony cells.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries... more Sony cells.

Posted: 8/24/2006 11:38:24 AM EDT

Dell ain't the only one Sony got, I wonder who else.

Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries

Power devices said to cause overheating risk; Battery-maker Sony's stock slides as it says recent recalls will cost between $172 million and $258 million.
By Rob Kelley, CNNMoney.com staff writer
August 24 2006: 2:46 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Apple is recalling 1.8 million battery packs for its iBook and PowerBook notebook computers due to an overheating problem, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Thursday.

The cells in the lithium-ion batteries in the iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 computers - the only two models affected by the recall - were produced by Sony.
Pictured above is the affected iBook G4 computer, which uses a battery with Sony cells.

Apple (up $0.36 to $67.67, Charts) stock was just slightly lower after the recall announcement, but shares of Sony (down $1.35 to $43.07, Charts) fell about 2.5 percent.

"It's primarily a Sony issue for Dell, so I expect it to be similar for Apple," said Wendy Abramowitz of Argus Research. "Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact."

Apple has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from the computers, the CPSC said.

Sony said its recent recalls - 1.8 million batteries for Apple and 4.1 million for Dell announced last week - will cost the company between $172 million and $258 million.

Sony said it anticipates no further recalls of battery packs using these particular battery cells, and said it has introduced additional safeguards into its battery manufacturing process to address the problem.

Sony makes about 25 percent of the world's lithium-ion batteries, second only to Sanyo, according to Reuters.

Apple said the recall affected 1.1 million notebook batteries in the United States and 700,000 batteries abroad.

The company will not take a severe hit from the recall, said an analyst.

"Since Apple was proactive in doing this immediately on the heels of the Dell recall, any negative impact on their brand or sales outlook will really be mitigated," said Steve Baker of NPD Group.

"The fact is that they've said they're going to replace all 1.8 million batteries and that these batteries aren't in any computers that are being sold today," he added. "The more important issue is how the company takes responsibility for the problem and tries to make things right, and I think they're doing a good job of that."

Apple consumers with affected products should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple for a replacement battery, free of charge.

Consumers should remove the batteries from their notebooks and use the AC adapter to power their computers.

Apple can be contacted at 1-800-275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Time all week, or customers can log on to their Web site at http://support.apple.com/batteryprogram.

Posted: 8/24/2006 11:40:33 AM EDT

[#1]

Sounds like the same batteries are in niceguymr's iPod.

Posted: 8/24/2006 11:42:43 AM EDT

[#2]

Roh-roh.

Time to check my baby.

Posted: 8/24/2006 12:12:53 PM EDT

[#3]

oh joy, time to check out a powerbook when i get home. bummer.

especially now that i am travling every 2 weeks...

Ronald

Posted: 8/24/2006 12:14:58 PM EDT

[#4]

Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:18:00 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Not very good logic though… Apple sells less than 1 laptop for every 5 laptops Dell sells (MacWorld magazines numbers) the impact on Apple could be far worse than Dell.

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:37:33 PM EDT

[#6]

Sony... Is there ANYTHING that they can't manage to FUBAR lately?

And my 17" G4 PowerBook is in the clear!

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:45:15 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Not very good logic though… Apple sells less than 1 laptop for every 5 laptops Dell sells (MacWorld magazines numbers) the impact on Apple could be far worse than Dell.

is it that high. i would have figures closer to 1:10.

mike

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:52:02 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Not very good logic though… Apple sells less than 1 laptop for every 5 laptops Dell sells (MacWorld magazines numbers) the impact on Apple could be far worse than Dell.

is it that high. i would have figures closer to 1:10.

mike

Last years numbers Dell had 28%+ of the laptop market Apple had just less than 5%. The overall laptop market is PC 20-1 over Apple.

Numbers came out yesterday that indicated Apples worldwide market share desktops and laptops combined was down to 2.3%... apparently Apple sales are in a freefall overseas. No good way to spin that.

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:55:56 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Not very good logic though… Apple sells less than 1 laptop for every 5 laptops Dell sells (MacWorld magazines numbers) the impact on Apple could be far worse than Dell.

The article notes the recall only effects the discontinued iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 computers, so no impact to Apple.

Posted: 8/24/2006 1:58:08 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Sony... Is there ANYTHING that they can't manage to FUBAR lately?

And my 17" G4 PowerBook is in the clear!

Not much... the bad news on the PS3 will not stop coming... came out last week the PS3 was not in production yet, 2 months before it is to be in stores.

A good question is who has these battery cells we have not heard from yet.

Posted: 8/24/2006 2:00:03 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Considering that Apple sells a lot fewer PCs than Dell does, I don't see it having a substantial impact

ouch! a recall notice and a bitch slap in the smae article

Not very good logic though… Apple sells less than 1 laptop for every 5 laptops Dell sells (MacWorld magazines numbers) the impact on Apple could be far worse than Dell.

The article notes the recall only effects the discontinued iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 computers, so no impact to Apple.

They still have replacement cost on batteries Sony has said they will “help” but it will still hit Apple pretty good.

Posted: 8/24/2006 2:02:22 PM EDT

[#12]

Lithium ion and lithium polymer batteries can have some pretty good fires.

Some people will 'enjoy' real exciting times with their laptops. Several magnitudes of order more exciting than Tetris.

Posted: 8/24/2006 2:18:25 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Sony... Is there ANYTHING that they can't manage to FUBAR lately?

And my 17" G4 PowerBook is in the clear!

Why the happy Snoopy? You don't want it to be in the clear so you can get a free new battery. I just got the e-mail saying I have four new iBook batteries on the way. Since those things are two years old and only last four or so years, I've got another two years of life out of my laptop batteries.z

PS: It's interesting to see the difference in service between Dell and Apple. With Apple, it took me less than five minutes to go to the web page and type in the serial #'s. With Dell, it took an employee of mine over 20 hours on the phone for a customer that has three Dell laptops. Apple service was about 300 times faster. I will never buy another Dell if I don't have to.

Posted: 8/24/2006 2:21:06 PM EDT

[#14]

I heard some guy's TRUCK caught on fire in Kingman, AZ from one of these batteries.

Aw I'd be pissed.

Posted: 8/24/2006 3:23:35 PM EDT

[#15]

wonder how long before other companies also do it?
I've been saying since I first read the details of the Dell recall that this is actually a Sony recall/problem not a Dell one

not all that surprising, Sony has a history of burning computers. One of the RX series desktops had power suplies that would catch fire

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries... more Sony cells.

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