1003 Back in 1995, the spontaneous combustion of a Sony Lithium Ion battery in one of the then-new PowerBook 5300s at an Apple test lab nearly sunk the 5300's launch, and the resulting publicity created a stigma that the 5300 was never able to shake. Even today, nearly a decade later, tech writers still refer to the 5300 as the "flaming PowerBook." The irony is that there are no documented cases of any 5300 catching fire in consumer hands. Apple recalled the 1000 or so 5300s that were in distribution channels at the time of the lab incident and replaced the LiIon batteries, as well as those in all subsequent PowerBook 5300s, with Nickel Metal Hydride units which proved safe and reliable. The NiMH battery in my eight year old 5300 still takes and holds a charge.

There have been other instances of laptop computer recalls due to battery-related fire hazards since the 5300 affair, but this is one context where Apple's prominent name recognition and media newsworthiness was a disadvantage. Even I, relatively tuned into such issues, can't recall off the top of my head which of the Heinz 57 varieties of PC laptop brands were afflicted with battery recalls. Everybody remembers (more often than not inaccurately) the "flaming" 5300 kerfuffle.

There were also several anecdotal accounts of PowerBook G3 Series WallStreets catching fire back in 1998 due to faulty power manager circuit boards, but there was never any recall. In 2001, Apple did recalled about 570,000 AC adapters had shipped with WallStreet and Lombard PowerBooks which reportedly could overheat, posing a fire hazard. These were replaced with the "Flying Saucer" style power adapters that shipped with the original iBooks, the Pismo PowerBook G3, and the early TiBooks, and which many contended was less reliable than the older black rectangular power adapters.

Anyhoo, the battery overheating issue has reared it's ugly head in Apple's wheelhouse again. Judging from the amount of media coverage, it's another tempest in a teapot. Apple is doing the right thing and recalling the defective batteries, which in this instance are apparently due to a manufacturing issue rather than faulty design of the battery itself as was the case with the Sony PowerBook 5300 battery. Once again, the problematical component is not of Apple's own manufacture, although that's a moot point given that all Apple laptops since 1998 have been built by subcontractor firms.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Apple, yesterday announced a voluntary recall of certain rechargeable batteries used in 15-inch PowerBook G4 computers

About 28,000 batteries are affected which were supplied to Apple by LG Chem Ltd. of South Korea

The Problem is that an internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat,
posing a fire hazard to consumers. Apple has received four reports of batteries
overheating, though no injuries have been reported.

The recalled batteries are used with the 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) laptop computer. The batteries, which contain cells manufactured during the last week of December 2003 only, have the model number A1045 and serial numbers that begin with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. The model and serial numbers can be found on a label on the bottom of the battery. The battery is approximately 4 3/4 inches long, 3 1/4 inches wide, and 3/4 inch tall. No other PowerBook or
iBook batteries are involved in this recall.

Affected machines were sold by national and regional resellers, catalogers, and Apple's online and retail stores from January 2004 through August 2004 for between $2000 and $2600. The batteries also were sold separately for about $130.

Apple recommends discontinuing use of the batteries and returning them for replacement under the recall program. The PowerBook can still function without a battery installed, but must be plugged into AC externa power.

Further recall information is available at:
http://www.cpsc.gov

http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange

http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange/

For more information, contact Apple at (800) 275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday or log on to Apple's Web site at
http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than
15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths,
injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation
more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting
consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical,
or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer
products -- such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and
household chemicals -- contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in
the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the
past 30 years.

For more information, visit:
http://www.cpsc.gov

Apple Recall Hotline: (800) 275-2273
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772

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