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It all started with Dell. Mid August 2006, Dell finally announced that it will be re-calling 4.1 million lithium-ion batteries supplied by Sony, said to be “the largest safety recall in the history”. What followed after that move by Dell were beyond my wildest imagination even though any Tom Dick and Harry would have expected it but never really thought to be of this magnitude.

Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo/IBM, Fujitsu and Hitachi were also forced to join the party they wish their names were not on the invitation list. Poor Sony, just late Thursday announced that it would be recalling a total of 9.6 million batteries worldwide, 90,000 of which are for its Vaio batteries. The exercise so far has cost the Japanese giant total of ¥51 billion ($429 million) from July to September.

But the worst is not over. The Associated Press reports: “Sony spokesman Takashi Uehara said the 51 billion yen figure doesn’t include ‘provisions for possible lawsuits’,” speaking of which high-tech giants Toshiba and Fujitsu are considering demanding compensation from Sony over the fiasco. I am sure this is a party Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo/IBM would love their names to be on the invitation list. Anyone else wants to join the party?

Read [Australian IT]

I mean seriously guys, we’re all really pleased that you’re admitting to your mistakes, but can’t you get the batteries right the first time?  After Dell, Apple, and Panasonic’s leads, Lenovo and IBM have announced plans to recall approximately 526,000 ThinkPad batteries - Sony ones of course.  Why are they doing this all of a sudden?  Well, that’s because 1 computer caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday.  I have to say Lenovo, I respect you.  I mean, it took Dell what - 6 exploding batteries to do a recall?  All I have left to say is Sony, are you just messin’ with us?

Photo courtesy Reuters.

Read [Reuters] Via [Gizmodo]

It seems like the battery problem has finally gone beyond Dell’s walls.  Today, Apple confirmed that they are issuing a worldwide battery recall (a phrase we’ve come to be familiar with) for none other than “certain previous iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebook computers only"..."with [battery] cells manufactured by Sony.” Check out the details of the recall below...and more after the break.

Name of Product: Rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony for certain previous iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebook computers only.

Units: About 1.1 million battery packs (an additional 700,000 battery packs were sold outside the U.S.)

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corp., of Japan

Computer Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc., of Cupertino, Calif.

Hazard: These lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Apple has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property damage. No serious injuries were reported.

Description: The recalled lithium-ion batteries were used with the following computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4. Consumers should remove the battery from the computer to view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the unit.

Computer model name Battery model number Battery serial numbers 12-inch iBook G4 A1061 ZZ338 through ZZ427 3K429 through 3K611 6C510 through 6C626 12-inch PowerBook G4 A1079 ZZ411 through ZZ427 3K428 through 3K611 15-inch PowerBook G4 A1078 and A1148 3K425 through 3K601 6N530 through 6N551 6N601 No other Apple notebook computers are involved in this recall.

Sold Through: Apple’s online store, Apple retail stores nationwide, and Apple Authorized Resellers from October 2003 through August 2006 for between $900 and $2300. The batteries also were sold separately for about $130.

Assembled in: Japan, Taiwan and China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge. After removing the recalled battery from their iBook or PowerBook, consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.

Consumer Contact: : 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://support.apple.com/batteryprogram to check the battery’s serial number and request a replacement battery.

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Via [CrunchGear]

As you probably already know, on Monday, Dell announced the “the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry.” The batteries that led to this explosion in the blogosphere (pun intended) were likely used by more companies than just Dell, since they were manufactured by Sony.  Coincidentally, Apple has a similar exchange program set up for MacBook Pros sold from February to May of this year.  Did Apple use the Sony batteries as well?  According to Channel News Asia, a spokeswoman from Apple has reported that they are “looking into the issue.” If this is what it sounds like (a shady way of avoiding the press), expect Apple’s battery exchange program to span more than just February to May; maybe as long as April to July?  And if they used these batteries in PowerBooks and iBooks, that could spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Apple.

Update: Reuters says the Sony batteries are also used in laptops from Hewlett-Packard Co., Apple Computer Inc., and Lenovo Group Ltd.

Via [Gizmodo]
Read [Channel News Asia]

After weeks of exploding laptop incidents, Dell has finally announced an official recall of 4.1 million lithium-ion batteries.  The recall, which is said to be “the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry,” is for specific models laptop batteries shipped between April 2004 and July 18, 2006.  As ironic as it is, the batteries were outsourced to Sony, so we can only blame Dell so much.  If you’re affected by the recall, Dell has set up the Dell Battery Replacement Hotline (1-866-342-0011) which will operate weekdays 6:00AM - 6:00PM, weekends 9:00AM - 6:00PM.  They’ve also set up www.dellbatteryprogram.com (which will be live around midnight central time tonight) so you can see if your battery is actually defective.  Alex Gruzen, Sr. VP of Dell’s Mobility Product Group offers a sincere apology on Dell’s official blog and combats expected criticism by saying “some might say we are being conservative and even overreacting in taking this broad action, but even one more incident is too many.” Hey, 4.1 million out of 22 million ain’t that bad, is it?

Via [Direct2Dell]
Read [NYTimes]