Laptop Battery Issues Nothing New. Blogs Made the Difference

Apple Power Book battery problems are nothing new, and neither are recalls because of fire hazards. "Silent" Apple recalls were made in 2004 and 2005 for the same reason. It's a design flaw, and you can be sure that Dell and Apple aren't the only laptops designed that way.

But this time, a photo of a burning Dell laptop made it to the Internet and round the world in a nanosecond. Blogs have made quiet crises impossible and companies are going to have to learn how to respond at the same speed at which news now travels.

Consumer Product Safety Commission bulletin August 19, 2004

Name of product: Rechargeable batteries used in 15-inch PowerBook G4 computers
Units: About 28,000
Computer Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc., of Cupertino, Calif.
Battery Manufacturer: LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea
Problem: An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Name of Product: Rechargeable batteries for iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 computers.
Units: About 128,000 units (in the United States)
Computer Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc., of Cupertino, Calif.
Battery Manufacturer: LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea
Hazard: An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

MACnn reports that the Japanese government on Thursday ordered Dell and Sony to submit reports to the Japanese trade ministry by the end of August that identify the root causes of the fires and explain the steps each company will take to avoid future incidents.

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Posted by: Maggie at September 8, 2006 5:36 PM

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