Holy smoke: Apple recalls 1.8 million batteries

Because of a risk of fire, Apple is recalling 1.8 million batteries that use Sony's battery cell technology, which was also 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 received 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.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a press release on Thursday: "These lithium ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers."

Additional information can be found by calling Apple's tech support line or visiting an Apple web page for the recall. The page, probably flooded with traffic, was experiencing difficulties loading on Thursday.

Apple's recall involves 1.1 million batteries sold in the US 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 US 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 laptop is off.

Apple's 1.8 million recalled batteries represent about 32 per cent 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 laptop 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 laptops that Dell had.

An Apple spokesman 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. None of Apple's Intel-based laptops are affected."

The spokesman declined to say when Apple discovered the problem.

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

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

But the company will take a financial hit from the combined impact of the Apple and Dell recalls. As with Dell, Sony plans to offer financial support to Apple's recall effort, said the spokesman. The total cost of the Apple and Dell recalls could fall between $172m and $258m, 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 it's still a blow to both companies.

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

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com