Apple recalls 1.8 million batteries

update Because of a risk of fire, Apple Computer is recalling 1.8 million batteries that use Sony's battery cell technology, which also was at the root of Dell's historic recall last week.

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

Apple said it has gotten 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 Thursday.

Additional information can be found by calling 1-800-275-2273 or visiting an Apple Web page for the recall. The page, likely flooded with traffic, was experiencing difficulties loading Thursday.

Apple's recall involves 1.1 million batteries sold in the United States and an additional 700,000 sold overseas online and through retail stores and resellers. The recall is the second-biggest safety recall ever in the U.S. electronics industry, after Dell.

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 notebook is off.

Apple's 1.8 million recalled batteries represent about 32 percent of the nearly 5.6 million laptops the company shipped during the quarterly periods covered by the recall, according to IDC. Dell's recall, though larger in number, represents a smaller portion of its sales, given that it sold 22 million laptops during the period covered by its recall, again according to IDC. (The number of batteries recalled does not necessarily mean that 1.8 million laptops were affected, as some users purchase more than one battery for their systems.)

Other notebook 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 notebooks that Dell had. A Kansas City television station reported on Wednesday, however, that a Sony user's battery caught fire, and a CNET News.com reader 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."

Dowling declined to say when Apple discovered the problem.

Sony confirmed that Apple's batteries are using the same faulty battery cells that were used in Dell's batteries. Different notebook makers use slightly different configurations of battery cells and battery packs, but both Dell and Apple used the same basic cell that can be prone to short circuits in rare cases, said Rick Clancy, a Sony spokesman.

Fortunately for Sony, the company believes that it is done replacing bad battery cells. "We're anticipating no further recalls of battery packs using these particular cells," Clancy said.

But the company will take a financial hit from the combined impact of the Dell and Apple recalls. Like with Dell, Sony plans to offer financial support to Apple's recall effort, Clancy said. The total cost of the Dell and Apple recalls could fall between 20 billion and 30 billion yen, or $172 million to $258 million, Sony said in a statement.

Endpoint Technologies Associates analyst Roger Kay said that with Sony's help, the financial costs of the recalls may not be material to Apple or Dell but that it's still a blow to both companies.

"To have a recall is a hit," Kay said. "Part of the brand value is quality."

Kay estimated that the cost of the Dell recall would be about $200 million if everyone affected sent their batteries back. However, a return ratio of 10 percent to 25 percent is more typical with such recalls, he said. The total costs of the recall include the cost of new batteries, the shipping costs to replace them and the cost of letting consumers know about the recall.

"The question is who shoulders the cost," Kay said. "We're sure that Sony is at least shouldering the battery cost and maybe some of the other costs."

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 notebook sales are driving the growth in the computer business. Desktop sales in the United States have dropped 5 percent this year, while notebook sales are up nearly 25 percent, largely through growth in sales to consumers.

"This raises the hackles of any consumer notebook buyer," Shim said. "Those are the guys that are driving growth, and the notebook 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 notebook batteries. "It would certainly make the lives of consumers a lot easier, from a convenience and from a safety standpoint," Shim said.

[hawaiiinsomniac]

Apple link.

The link doesn't work. :\

[hawaiiinsomniac]

correct link...

support.apple.com/batteryexchange<br /><br />:)

[Yortuk]

still wrong

That link is for a previous recall covering batteries sold between 2004 &#38; 2005. According to CPSC (<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html</a>) the new recall is for batteries sold between 2003 &#38; 2006. This link also shows more product #'s and serial #'s than the Apple link.

[firestarter]

Are we suprise

it was only a matter of time before all the companies that had batteries made by sony do this

[KsprayDad]

'Not as big as Dell's'

Well duh freaking duh, who sells more laptops in the first place? The fact that Apple is recalling less just shows that they are not as big a player in the market as Dell, not that their quality is better.

[Macsaresafer]

And your point is?

So Dell is the Ford Pinto (#1 seller that also tended to blow up) of <br />the 21st century. Big deal.

[bigduke]

Laptops, and old age

We still use a 9 year old Mac laptop. Works fine and will reconstruct our computer records of the era. Like all our old tax files. That the original battery is still functional makes it still portable. <br /><br />We have even older and functional desk top machine that is so old they has a floppy drive too. Apple has not had those for almost a decade. We can sill reference records via this machine too. <br /><br />As a matter of interest I have a box of 8 inch floppies. Each side holds 128 Kbytes! No, I don't have a drive for this one. The biggest floppy I have ever seen was an early one used in the census and was 36 inches. It had one differene in that it never rotated more than 270 degrees. <br /><br />duke

[R3f3r33]

More laptop manufacturer recalls are coming

Could HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, Winbook, Averatec be next on the recall list?

[DennyInCary]

That's a leap

HP used Sony in the past but now use motorola batteries: "Hewlett-Packard "has no plans to recall notebook battery packs in conjunction with either the Aug. 24, 2006 Apple notebook battery recall or the Aug. 14, 2006 Dell notebook battery recall. HP has been in contact with Sony, the manufacturer of the battery cells in question, and Sony has communicated that HP should not be impacted by these recalls," HP said in a statement". <br /><br />Lenovo provided a little more detail, saying that while it uses the same Sony battery cells, it relies on a different technique for packaging and charging the cells. Sony assured Lenovo that its technology was implemented differently than Apple's or Dell's, a company representative said.<br /><br /><br />Gateway said, "Based on available information and our suppliers' input, we do not believe our systems are at risk for the same malfunctions that caused our competitors to issue battery recalls. It appears that a combination of factors led to the fault requiring the recalls, and this combination is not present in our systems. Gateway notebooks use different battery cells than those implicated in our competitor's recalls." <br /><br />Let's not take such a leap before the facts are in. Your using a very broad brush when you make statments like that.

[P. Jackson]

More garbage from Sony

Why is anyone surprised? Sony quality and service are an industry joke.

[umbrae]

Sony makes Junk

I am not. If they are not letting hackers in through their DRM; their batteries are exploding. And now they are have hardware issues with the PS3. Why does anyone buy any Sony products these days. I don't even see their movies until I can rent them to ensure Sony does not get a dime for me.

[snapple55]

What should I do?

I own a powerbook g4....do I need to replace my battery asap?? even though i have not had a problem yet

[Seaspray0]

Check the website

Go check apple's website. It will list the battery being recalled and how to identify it. If your battery is on the recall list, then follow the instructions to have your battery replaced. The chance of you having a problem with your current battery is very small. You must decide if you are willing to take the risk of using it.

[pwoon]

These batteries were made in JAPAN

The problem batteries were made by Sony Energy devices based in *********, north of Tokyo, and were placed in laptops shipped between April 2004 and July 2006.<br /><br />The rest of the world's laptop batteries are made in China. What does that say about China vs. Japan quality?

[SonicV4]

Country is irrelevant

After all, some of the batteries that Dell recalled were made in China.<br /><br />The important thing to take away from both of these recalls is to NEVER trust Sony products again. When Dell announced their recall, Sony claimed it was due to incompatibility with Dell's chargers, which is now obviously not the case.<br /><br />Sony is a deceptive electronics company that produces poor quality products and frequently lies to its consumers.

[David Arbogast]

SO??

&lt;&lt;,What does that say about China vs. Japan quality?&gt;&gt;<br /><br />Absolutely nothing. What it "say," is that Apple didn't do proper quality assurance testing before reselling these batteries. And now they are faced with the second biggest recall in U.S. history involving electronics.

[Mr. Network]

The real ? How will Sony respond?

Why all the bashing of Dell or Apple computers? This is not the fault of either of them, and last week media spin presented the problem as being Dell's fault. Here's a quote from last week's News.com article; <br /><br />?Sony has said the overheating problem is believed to be specific to batteries supplied to Dell and that an incompatibility between the battery cells and Dell's recharge system was to blame.?<br /><br />To me it looks like the real answer is Sony's design documents that they sent to the manufactures on how to build for the battery's use was fundamentally flawed and is not causing the problem just for Dell, but for a multitude of manufacturers. I will not be surprised if this is expanded to other manufacturers that use Sony batteries.<br /><br />How will Sony respond now is my question. More importantly how much money are they about to loose? Good thing I dumped that stock last week.

[the Otter]

?Dell?s recharge system was to blame?

Current Dell laptops apparently have a ?quick charge? option that <br />over-stresses the batteries. Call it Dell?s fault, call it Sony?s fault, <br />but the bottom line in that situation is a simple incompatibility <br />problem that presumably won?t be an issue for any other <br />manufacturer.

[rshimizu12]

Sony should pay all of the costs

Sony is responsible so Dell and Apple should make Sony pay all costs involved. It's bogus that Apple or Dell should have to pay one cent for Sony's defective battery

[john55440]

Apple = Dell Quality

It's reassuring to know that Apple uses the same "high quality parts" as Dell.:-)

[the Otter]

Cute.

A rather humorous observation, but note that Apple?s CURRENT <br />computers don?t have this problem at all; it?s the older ones that <br />shipped with funky batteries.<br /><br />Actually, I?m kind of glad they?re recalling them. After 2+ years of <br />use, laptop batteries tend to have lost some of their charge and <br />this way I can get some new ones! :)

[SonicV4]

More trouble for this low-quality company.

I'm talking about Sony, of course.<br /><br />Not only do they have to pay out to help Dell, but they'll probably have to help pay for this recall as well. Not only that, but this may not be the last company to recall laptops that use Sony batteries.<br /><br />I wouldn't be surprised if some companies come out and publicly announce that they will stop using Sony laptop batteries altogether.<br /><br />Another nail in the coffin that this company has built.

[Stan Johnson]

Sony! LOL

SONY SUCKS! OMG SONY SUCKS!

[techguy83]

Now we know why..

Now we know why the PS3 is so expensive. To pay for screw ups like this.<br /><br /><br />IT also explains why the PS3 games, according to the latest information available at various PS3 news sites, will cost more than $60.0 U.S. dollars. Estimates are leaning towards 70-80 range. <br /><br /><br />Ah Sony, how low we have sunk. Glad I don't own Sony stock.

So where's the lectures from the Mac cultists?

I want to hear all about how your Mac's hardware is so much better than a PC's.

[CitizenX]

Stupid comment

Seeing as it is a Sony battery and this is a voluntary recall. I read <br />this morning that the CPSC cleared Apple's batteries as being ok, <br />but Apple chose to protect its customers nonetheless.

[Macsaresafer]

So if a BMW uses the same gasoline as chevy...

then you'd say they're both the same? We're talking about a battery <br />here, not a motherboard, graphics card, or a hard drive.

[lkrupp]

OK

Here you go. Apple's hardware is FAR superior to anything you <br />personally will ever use, including your cheap, Walmart toenail <br />clippers.

[windraiden]

BATTERY BY SONY U MORON!!!

Get you head out of your PC case! This will affect other PC makers <br />as well! The real story here is Sony and their QA on these battery! <br />This is not a MAC vs PC issue!

[dysonl]

WELL SAID!

Now, those Apple evangelists claims it's Sony's fault, not Apple's... Funny how fast they change their opinion on things. Just several days ago, when the recall only seemed to have affected Dell, without wasting a moment, the Apple fanboys/Dell bashers were all over Dell.<br /><br />Now those dudes have foot in mouth.

[M C]

Real story is Sony, of course

They suffer setback after setback, and the widespread problems with their laptop batteries is just the latest.

[mmdt1985]

apple recalls 1.8 million batteries

maybe not as big as dell's because they dont sell as many computers

[s0s860]

Flaming Sony VAIO!

Check this Out!...<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ktvu.com/technology/9728922/detail.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.ktvu.com/technology/9728922/detail.html</a>

[ajbright]

I hereby rename this product

to the Apple Hindenbook..

[Gomphos]

Invalid serial number?

I just tried using Apple's online exchange form and I got the <br />message that my battery's serial number was invalid, even <br />though it falls squarely within the recall range. Has anyone else <br />had this problem? Oh, I did buy this battery at the Apple Store, <br />too.

[bleah311]

yes, I have

it did the same thing to me, until I put all the letters that were in the number in lower case. Try that...if it doesn't work, try apple customer support, I think they are open during normal business day hours....

[ptkdude--2008]

Invalid Serial for me, too

This is my 2nd battery recall for my PowerBook, and just like the last time, Apple's website says the battery serial number is either invalid or not part of the recall, despite the fact that it is within the range. Last time (May 2005), I called Apple and was told I had to go through the website. Since the website wasn't working for me, I placed a quick call to the CPSC to file a formal complaint. I had a return call from Apple in 30 minutes and they took my info. This time, the website said the same thing, but they did take my information via phone and are shipping me a new battery. A tip for calling in... if you can get through at all (even if you don't hear anything over the phone initially), STAY ON THE LINE. The VRU will cut itself off, just wait through it.

[zipppit]

"Invalid Serial Number" - me, too

Exact same problem here. It accepts my PowerBook SN but not my battery SN, even though it is definitely within the "recall range." Looks like I'm going to have to call the 800 number tomorrow morning. I'm thinkin' two, maybe three hours on hold. The perfect way to spend the morning!

[Tech Victim]

APPLE - Wake-up

After failing the online registration process for both batterys from <br />my two Apple Powerbooks (that clearly fell withing the serial <br />numbers being recalled) I spent three hours either attempting to <br />dial into the phone number offered (total joke) or waiting before <br />someone answered only to tell me they couldn't take the <br />information over the phone. I love my Apple computers, but have <br />always hated Apple's idea of service - thanks for reminding me why <br />Apple!

[Ars Venture]

Weird Apple Statistics

This is what you're forced to believe if you're a Mac fan:<br /><br />&gt;&gt; you are still wrong, as recent estimates put it at around 4.8% and climbing.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />Sorry, it's 2.5 percent and it goes up and down (but around 2 percent). That's what the reliable sites (IDC, Gartner) say, from Apple's and the industry's sales figures, not "estimates."<br /><br />&gt;&gt; I reiterate my earlier post: Macs command roughly 15-20% of the home market. &gt;&gt;<br /><br />Right. Any figures from an independent source, not a Mac fanboi site?<br /><br />&gt;&gt; For the last three years, over 50% of all Macs sold have been to first-time Mac users. &gt;&gt;<br /><br />That's a "statistic" reported only by the Apple Stores. If that was actually true, it means that repeat buyers of Macs have been in the 1.2-3.0 million a year range. Must be a lot jumping ship.<br /><br />&gt;&gt; Market share itself is not an indicator of quality.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />It's what people choose to buy. If they don't want a Mac, they prefer a PC. It's right for them.<br /><br />&gt;&gt; Macintosh Computer dominate the top tier of Graphics, Web, Multimedia, Video and Scientific Production and Modeling.<br /><br />If you take your figures from ten years ago, they do. <br /><br />&gt;&gt; PS -- In my Production Company:<br /><br />Yeah - I worked for a $12 billion company, without a Mac in the place.

[anarchyreigns]

Go away pre-teen monkey!

&lt;eom&gt;

[Macsaresafer]

That's just dumb.

First, recent articles have put Mac market share at between 4.6% <br />and 4.8% of the total market. That includes corporate sales, <br />where IT staff have locked out almost everything but Windows as <br />a way to ensure job security. More problems equals more need <br />for them. Don't believe me? Your last point, that you worked at a <br />$12 billion company with no Macs is telling, since IT people <br />routinely claim that you should use the best sytem for the job. <br />The odds of any one OS being best for every job at a company <br />that size are incredibly small. So small that it is statistically <br />impossible. <br /><br />Second, if you spend any time in an Apple store you'll likely <br />bump into one of those new to Mac buyers. They're easy to spot, <br />since Windows has taught them to worry about computer <br />purchases. They have heard that Macs are easier to use and far <br />less trouble, but they haven't yet learned it for themselves. This <br />results in a worried, yet hopeful look that longtime Mac users <br />don't have. <br /><br />What makes your post just plain dumb though, is where you try <br />to refute the fact that market share isn't an indicator of quality. <br />Maybe you're just not old enought to remember the Ford Pinto. <br />It was a piece of junk that didn't just break down easily, it also <br />had a disturbing tendency to explode if hit from behind, even in <br />a low speed collision. That car was the number one seller for at <br />least two years, even though just about every car on the market <br />was better in many ways! <br /><br />People don't choose Windows because it's what they prefer. They <br />choose it because it's the only thing they know about.