Posted by
michael
on from the public-service dept.
Beelsebob writes "Apple have put out a recall on a certain group of PowerBook G4 batteries. If you have a PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) 15" and your battery's model number is A1045, and its serial number starts HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408, then you could be at risk of it overheating."
I had always felt there was an overheating problem. People in the newsgroups and suggested that I recondition my battery... which maybe helped some.
Anyway, glad to know that I'll be getting a new battery out of it.
AC
Re:replace
by
AKAImBatman
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· Score: 2, Insightful
This is actually somewhat surprising as Apple has always been careful not to burn people's laps. Dell laptops, OTOH, have been known to cause injuries from the high temperatures at which they operate. I'm guessing that's why Apple has been so careful about the temperature of their laptops.
FYI, the iBook I'm typing this on keeps cool enough not to even need the fan running. The only time the fan kicks in is when I place it on a poor surface (e.g. a blanket while watching a movie). Even then, it never gets hot enough to burn.
Perhaps this only occurs under certain power draw situations? Or perhaps it's a run of defective batteries?
They're not _that_ hot. They are very warm, but they don't burn you. It's the side effect of having a case made out of aluminum (what do they make heatsinks out of? aluminum.)
I can only get mine (15", 1.33GHz) warm enough to turn the fan on when I'm using 100% CPU _and_ GPU. The CPU alone doesn't get it too hot.
I find that when my AlBook is plugged in, with the processor performance set to "High", it averages around 130 degrees. When maxing out the CPU or taxing the graphics, though, it will go up to 143 degrees, at which point the fan turns on. If I unplug it, it gets much, much cooler - 100 degrees or so. --Quentin
Re:replace
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Informative
What does "recondition the battery" mean?
The battery circuitry tracks charge level and usage patterns to estimate how much time you have left. If you go for a while without draning the battery all the way, the estimates can become inaccurate. Therefore it is recommended that you deep-cycle the battery about once a month, draining it all the way then charging it all the way up. This reminds the circuitry of the actual capacity of the battery, and this is what is called reconditioning.
Don't be tempted to drain the battery every time. While deep-cycling was necessary with NiCads and NiMH batteries, it's bad for Li-ion batteries.
Recipe for Caramel Apple Powerbooks
by
XaviorPenguin
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· Score: 5, Funny
1. Go to store and by some hard Caramel candy, at least a pound
2. Place pieces unwrapped on keyboard of Powerbook and turn on. Place the pieces on every other key to allow maximum coverage of Caramel
3. Let over heat and allow Caramel to spread
4. Enjoy!
--
Friends help you move... REAL Friends help you move dead bodies... ^_^
It already overheats.
by
Gannoc
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· Score: 5, Funny
I have a powerbook, and I love it, but after using it on my lap for 30 minutes, I can't have children anymore.
Re:It already overheats.
by
kannibal_klown
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· Score: 3, Informative
I have the PB 15" (1.25 GHz). And while I've never had it on my lap while playing, say, Unreal 2004, it's never been that hot. It's actually run cooler than most of my other noitebooks.
The PB 12, on the other hand, feels like it just came out of the oven. That thing heats up like a hot plate on a summer day. It's ony of the main reasons I decided to get the 15" instead (that, and I wanted to use it as my main computer and the screen was just annoying).
But truthfully, m Powerbook has been the best computer purchase I've ever made. And this is coming from a person that's long-since hated Macs for various reasons. While I'm no zealot, I think the Powerbook is a work of art.
Re:It already overheats.
by
StevenHenderson
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· Score: 3, Funny
Having children requires contact with a female silly.:)
Year of the Portable my butt
by
SpiffyMarc
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· Score: 4, Insightful
For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problemswithbatteries.
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
badasscat
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· Score: 4, Interesting
For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems with batteries.
And you didn't even link the most dramatic case, that of actual exploding batteries. And no, this isn't some Nokia-like third party battery situation, these were the real Apple-supplied batteries (though that article does go out of the way to point out they were "Sony-made").
Apple's got some real quality control issues, despite their reputation. They seem to have at least one or two recalls per year for various reasons ranging from defective batteries to defective power supplies to defective screens, as well as other problems that are common complaints but that they do nothing about (such as the iPod battery service life issue). The recall I noted above was actually a safety issue, and I would guess the overheating batteries in the G4 PB's might be a safety issue as well.
I'd still buy an Apple for other reasons, but quality control is not one of them, public perception notwithstanding. They're certainly no better than any other manufacturer and may actually be somewhat worse (IBM, for example, has had fewer recalls over the same period).
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
the+MaD+HuNGaRIaN
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· Score: 5, Interesting
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
Otter
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· Score: 4, Insightful
For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems...
I don't think that's a paradox -- Apple is continually pushing to have the smallest, lightest, longest-lasting portable devices and that means early adoption of new battery technology and enclosures. It's not surprising that their products run into more issues than boat-anchor Toshibas or MP3 players powered by AA batteries.
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
falcon5768
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· Score: 2, Informative
eh All of the laptop makers have had battery problems... there was once YEARS ago a problem with the old laptop batterys exploding though contrary to popular fiction, no ever did make it out to the public.
And as for the iPod battery... mine is STILL going strong, and I have a 1st gen. That battery problem was SO blown out of proportion it isnt even funny and those "brothers" ended up looking like fools in the end.
But apple isnt the only group to have battery problems so why beat up on them.
--
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
CountBrass
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· Score: 2, Informative
Do you even own an iBook, PB or iPod? Or are you just repeating second-hand gossip from a friend of a friend who once knew someone who thought he saw a PowerBook one time on a train?
Neither of my PowerBooks nor my 2nd and 3rd gen iPods have any battery problems at all. After 2 years my 2nd gen iPod still ran for 8 hours and my 3rd gen is better.
Take your FUD and stick it where the sun don't shine.
-- Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
dfghjk
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· Score: 2, Informative
The 1G players weren't the worst ones for battery problems. Even the best, properly working 3G players had crappy batteries. Take a properly working 3G player, charge it and remove it from charge. Three days later it's mostly dead.
Don't have a 4G, but the 1G players were by far the best of the first 3.
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
david_reese
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· Score: 4, Informative
Apple's got some real quality control issues, despite their reputation. They seem to have at least one or two recalls per year for various reasons ranging from defective batteries to defective power supplies to defective screens, as well as other problems that are common complaints but that they do nothing about (such as the iPod battery service life issue). The recall I noted above was actually a safety issue, and I would guess the overheating batteries in the G4 PB's might be a safety issue as well.
Guess their "reputation" also includes independent consumer reports studies... (note: link is to maccentral forums, but the info is from valid consumer reports articles... updated as of Jun04, I checked).
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
falcon5768
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Actually the real data I can find has showed that.0001% of iPod owners actually had a faulty battery if you find the numbers in the class action lawsuit to be true.... while its not a true percentage since there might be a few who have never heard of the problem, I can not find a true percentage though and usually if its that big of a problem you would be garenteed to find statistics showing it.
SO if you can find any real statistics I commend you, but if you comment was just to troll well your an idiot since a good troll would have posted facts to back it up.
--
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Re:Year of the Portable my butt
by
Lars+T.
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· Score: 3, Insightful
And you didn't even link the most dramatic case, that of actual exploding batteries. And no, this isn't some Nokia-like third party battery situation, these were the real Apple-supplied batteries (though that article does go out of the way to point out they were "Sony-made").
Apple's got some real quality control issues, despite their reputation.
Too bad (for you) that not a single one of those 5300s exploded in the lap of a customer, because Apple found out about the problem before any machines where shipped. Which means they had good quality control. Quite unlike Dell, over and over again.
--
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
::Looks at battery
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Funny
Hmm HQ... cant see the rest. Its melted away. How do I tell?
-- An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
History repeating itself
by
InternationalCow
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· Score: 2, Informative
Just goes to show that there is nothing new under the sun. It has happened before. Rather annoying and shameful for Apple that is should happen again in one of the most popular powerbooks.
-- -----
One learns to itch where one can scratch.
I didn't know Apple started putting Intel chips in their Powerbooks.
--
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Look at the date of manufacture....
by
detritus`
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· Score: 4, Interesting
At least they manufactured these batteries using the improved Li-ion technology, if it was the older style it wouldnt just overheat, it'd most likely start a runaway reaction that would end in quite toasted laptops. I think it was 150 Degrees F or so that this would start at, i know i heard of several cell phones left in hot cars that did this, and at least 1 nokia that burnt up while charging.
Here, lemme just pop out the battery and check my serial numb
Re:Dear Slashdot
by
nordicfrost
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· Score: 2, Informative
Funny, yes. Bu you can put it in hibernation and then look at the battery. I did, and lo and behold. The battery starts with HQ407, so I have filled out the form on the Apple recall site.
Re:Dear Slashdot
by
rampant+mac
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· Score: 4, Funny
"Funny, yes. But you can put it in hibernation and then look at the battery. I did, and lo and behold. The battery starts with HQ407, so I have filled out the form on the Apple recall site."
That reminds me of when I was on a flight from Boston to Seattle and I was doing some work on the flight using my PowerBook. The battery started getting really low, and I remember saving my documents (Word, Keynote and Dreamweaver, if my memory serves me) and closing the lid, turning the laptop over and yanking out the battery... The man sitting next to me started to say "Hey, I don't think..." while I slapped in a fresh battery and opened up the lid, resuming my work where I had left off. "Wow, that's amazing!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, it is nice to be able to work the whole time during these long flights." I replied. To my horror the moron (who was using an older model Thinkpad) flips his laptop over and proceeds to rip out his battery right before my very eyes only to discover, moments later, that his computer didn't support hibernation mode quite as well.
He didn't save his work before attempting said stunt.
We didn't talk much after that.
-- I like big butts and I cannot lie.
Hmm...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Funny
I'm going on an international flight next week. Does this mean that I'll get stopped by security when I try to take my Powerbook through?:-)
A couple more details
by
Lord+Grey
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· Score: 4, Informative
This article has a couple more details on the battery problem. From the article:
An internal short in the batteries made by LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea, can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
In addition, note that the battery's model number must be A1045 -- the serial number prefix alone doesn't uniquely identify the battery.
-- // Beyond Here Lie Dragons
Re:You know...
by
LEgregius
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· Score: 2, Informative
Guy #1: "Man this Powerbook is HOT." Guy #2: "Yeah, it is pretty sexy I guess." Guy #1: "No, I mean it is singeing my pubes dude."
One more...
by
Glendale2x
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· Score: 2, Informative
serial number series A1045 is under the recall, too.
-- this is my sig
Re:One more...
by
kannibal_klown
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· Score: 3, Informative
No...
A1045 is the model number, not the serial number.
A1045 is like saying "The Chevy Malibu." The serial numbers are like saying "if your VIN number starts with..." or more broadly "models made between 1995 and 1997."
My battery is model number A1045, but it's serial number is not in the supplied list. Therefore, mine doesn't have a problem.
Incorrect, you need to have model number A1045 AND one of the HQ serial numbers listed. Just having A1045 DOES NOT indicate a faulty battery.
From Apple's site:
A. No, only batteries with Model No. A1045 and serial numbers beginning with: HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, HQ408 are affected by the recall program.
that was a preproduction machine
by
SuperBanana
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· Score: 4, Interesting
It has happened before.
Jesus, everyone blows that out of proportion, like 5300's were exploding left and right. It happened in an Apple test lab, with a PREPRODUCTION model, with a DEFECTIVE BATTERY supplied by the battery manufacturer. I have no idea where MacNN got that it was two batteries.
Not a single customer was affected by the problem- Apple took the precautionary measure of switching to NiMH after the problem, and most people never even saw a Lithium Ion battery in their 5300.
So, I ask, how could they possibly have handled the problem any better, mmm? Comparing it to the iPod battery bit, which was not handled as well- is absurd.
Re:that was a preproduction machine
by
tgibbs
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· Score: 4, Interesting
You're probably right. I'm an Apple user myself and am not looking to bash Apple or something. But for a computer company that compares itself to BMW it is not acceptable that something like that should be possible at all. If you buy a BMW you don't want a model that has been known to be losing wheels in preproduction runs on the test circuit.
Yeah, you won't find a respectable company like BMW issuing recalls due to dangerous product defects
New battery!!!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 4, Funny
New battery? For free? Ahh, kick ass!!!!! Those third degree burns are finally starting to pay off!!!!
Can't help but notice you felt it was important to use the qualifier "normally".
I *always* wear pants (or another suitable garment to cover my genitals) when in the same room with other men, whether I'm using a computer or not.
--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Re:Apple fanboys !!!
by
stratjakt
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· Score: 2, Insightful
See, there's the fanboy spin!
They aren't just replacing a defective (and potentially very dangerous) part, nor are they providing the expected warrantee services, they're giving you something for free! How nice of them!
"The tires sold with the car were defective, and the treads seperated at highway speeds, and I'm now a quadrapalegic and both my children are dead. But check it out, Ford's giving me free tires! What an AWESOME compnay!"
--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
I know I'm going to get modded up for this...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Funny
But the fact that linux can achieve this same effect in just software really shows the power of open source. (insert keyboard characters to show humor)
The Replacement Process
by
AgTiger
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· Score: 4, Funny
"After serial number verification, a new battery will be shipped to you free of charge. When you receive the replacement battery, please use the same shipping envelope and included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery to Apple."
How appropriate, they're using an in-the-field hot-swap method.;-)
"The swap's hot, so it doesn't get too hot." (my version of Yogi Berra's logic in the infamous AFLAC Barber Shop commercial.)
Re:I'm writing a letter to the FAA and TSA right n
by
squiggleslash
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· Score: 2, Funny
Great, now we're going to have hysterical articles from Annie Jacobsen about Syrian musicians who are trying to use "Garageband" on a PowerBook while in flight.
It was terrifying. Each followed a ritual where they would drink a large glass of iced tea and then immediately, 30 minutes later, went to the bathroom. For what purpose I wondered? It became clear when they pulled out seven large PowerBooks. "Allah be praised for such a wonderful tool!" cried one, launching something called GarageBand. Garage, Band. Garages - the traditional location for the terrorist to manufacture a bomb, far from prying eyes, and bands - what you'd use to wrap around a bomb to keep it together? So obvious! And with the PowerBook's infamous exploding batteries I realised it straight away - these were no laptops, these were the bombs, the devices they intended to use to blow us to kingdom come!
I called over an air steward. She sympathized with me. "Yes, it does look sort of suspicious if you're paranoid" she agreed, "but actually they're just musicians". "Is there an air marshall on board?" I asked. "Look, it's all in hand, there's nothing to worry about" she replied, clearly terrified out of her mind.
My worst suspicions were confirmed when she quickly, 45 minutes later, spoke to a man on the back row. He came up to me. "There's nothing to worry about, I'm an US Air Marshall ma'am, if anything were to happen I'd be here". "Thank god!" I cried, jumping up with relief, "An air marshall! There's an air marshall on board! We don't have to worry about those shifty-looking Arabian featured terrorists!"
(Continued on page 94...)
-- You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
"I actually saw a salesguy at the Apple Store try to sell a Powerbook while it was on fire! True story. The customer was hesitant at first, but when he offered to throw in a refurbished 5GB iPod with spare battery assembly kit for an additional $179, the customer caved in. Another AppleStore salesguy chimed in and moved in to assist. He added that this Powerbook will virtually seemlessly integrate to the 2007 BMW 6 series."
Total cost of Mac ownership: $2199(powerbook) +$179(refurb/discoun ted iPod) +$45999-67000 estimated MSRP(BMW 6Series)options vary
TCO = ~49000-70000 USDollars.
This independent case study brought to you buy MSFT/Dell.
-- If you think/. comments are bad, check out Digg.
You forgot one step...
by
Joey+Patterson
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· Score: 3, Funny
I wish I could get a replacement...
by
Lethyos
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· Score: 2, Informative
Let me say that these batteries suck ass. I don't know if anyone else has had similar experiences with their 15" TiPB (please comment here if you have) where battery life seems to drop like a stone even when the laptop is asleep. It used to last nearly three hours, and that was even under heavy load. Now adays, not even a year after my purchase, just sitting idle will kill my battery in roughly one and a half hours. When I contacted Apple, I really just got snubbed. They claimed that the PMU wasn't "calibrated" right and I needed to drain the battery to zero, reset the firmware, then charge back up to 100%. No change (and that even sounds like a bad idea with lithium ion batterries). Anyone have any luck getting replacements in light of horrible performance?
-- Why bother.
Re:I wish I could get a replacement...
by
MarcQuadra
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· Score: 2, Informative
Well if you mistreat your battery it wil do that. It's not just Apple either. I killed one battery by leaving the PowerBook in the car in the summer, and an iBook battery by forgetting it overnight in the winter (we had some -5 degree nights last winter). I also killed a cell batery on one of those occasions, and a Compaq LiIon battery on another.
A great way to kill your batteries is to let them sit when they're discharged. LiIon needs to be charged as much as possible. We lost about forty batteries at my work last summer because nobody plugged the laptop carts in after the end of school.
-- "Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie."
-Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
Okay, lets just get the low hanging fruit out of the way...
If you've been letting your PowerBook rest on your lap, you'd better hope the low-hanging fruit was already out of the way.
Alt. use for defective battery - practical jokes
by
IronChefMorimoto
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· Score: 2, Funny
My friend was over at my place last night gaming with one of the affected Macs. Lo and behold, the battery was hot as hell after a few hours. I think I could find a use for the defective battery, though.
Run laptop for 2 hours. Remove battery. Find sleeping roommate/spouse. Put hot battery in roommate's/spouse's left hand. Watch person piss themselves. Retrieve battery. Laugh.
It's a lot simpler than using the warm water/left-hand/piss in your pants trick, since no one will ever suspect the battery.;-)
Of course, if you're doing this to your spouse (considered the joke on wife last night), you probably shouldn't be allowed to have a computer anyway until you get out of therapy.
IronChefMorimoto
OUCH!!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Funny
But I hate roasted nuts!
Common AA's
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Funny
This is the bad thing about PROPRIETARY BATTERIES.
Support the engineers who build their devices around common, replaceable batteries. You really can buy lithium-ion cells. And metal-hydride cells.
Re:IMPOSSIBLE!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 3, Informative
Actually, it isn't Apple's fault. It's the fault of the battery manufacturer, LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea; the recall is only on batteries manufactured during the last week of December.
Re:I used to be sold on PowerBooks
by
swimmar132
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· Score: 2, Insightful
1) Why would that matter for a personal buying decision?
2) You can secure it easily.
3) It's expensive, not sure what you mean by hard to come by. Perhaps you mean that there aren't as many spare parts around?
4) And Linux doesn't have a stigma?
5) This is for early 15 inch powerbooks. Not going to be an issue for newer ones.
Re:I used to be sold on PowerBooks
by
Entropy2016
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· Score: 2, Insightful
1. "The OS is proprietary, as is the hardware. Expensive and hard to come by." Actually, the OS is only partly proprietary. Darwin (the part that "has teh UNIX!") is open.
2. "The elitist stigma that would come with owning one." Mac users can't be elitists because elitists think they're better. We know we're better. (it's a joke, laugh!)
Too bad this recall doesn't include my powerbook's battery... one of the early jaguar updates broke my battery somehow... I've read of other users experiencing the same thing. After the update, the battery's status isn't acurate by any stretch of the imagination. The thing stays at 99% and when it gets close to dying, it just turns off. No warning. Nothing.
It's not a software issue. I've reformatted several times. And it's not a hardware issue, because when I put my battery into my mom's powerbook, the same thing happens on hers. And when I put her battery in mine, it works as expected. blah. sucks.
If it happens in 2 different laptops, then it's the battery, not the software. It is possible that you need to go through the calibration procedure again (Listed in the owners guide for the Powerbook). Otherwise, the battery is probably on it's way to the Charger in the Sky.
Li-Ion/Li-Polymer batteries have a certain life expectancy, after which they won't hold a charge perfectly, and their output voltage fluctuates more than usual, which is what makes the battery meter go wonky.
Essentially, you just need to charge your batter to full, then use it until it goes to sleep and it will recalibrate itself.
Re:I used to be sold on PowerBooks
by
GlassHeart
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· Score: 3, Insightful
1) Extremely annoying Mac zealots chanting "It has teh UNIX!" when they have no clue what that means.
There are extremely annoying Windows and Linux users as well. There are even extremely annoying people who don't use computers. So what?
2) "Total Cost of 0wnership" study showing how laughably weak MacOS is, even though "it has teh UNIX!"
Sorry, what are you referring to?
3) The OS is proprietary, as is the hardware. Expensive and hard to come by.
Yes, the OS and hardware are proprietary. That's not going to change.
Expensive is relative. For some people, dealing with Linux (for example) is an expensive proposition as well, which can involve spending considerable time and money learning it. There's also the question of resale value, where Macs do considerably better than PCs of similar age. (Whether you consider it lunacy or not, a 400 MHz PowerMac circa 2000 fetches about the same price as a brand new 2.4GHz Dell desktop.)
Hard to come by? Apple sells computers right on its website, if you don't have a retailer near you. Recent Macs use standard hard drives, RAM, as well as various Firewire and USB peripherals.
4) The elitist stigma that would come with owning one. (I don't think they'll sell you one unless you have an aloof attitude, a goatee and a pair of those fashionably thick-framed rectangular eyeglasses.)
Wow, you really do let image get in the way of your computer purchase decisions. You are even more like those you criticize - yeah, those who buy Macs because of their pretty cases - than many actual Mac owners.
Apple is just as susceptible to flaws like this as anyone else. I prefer the more ubiquitous and affordable hardware.
That's certainly your right, but you don't have a right to dress up that personal preference in pseudo-technical babble.
You want a low up-front cost. Great, but that doesn't mean a computer with a higher up-front cost has a low value.
You want the most common hardware. Great, but that doesn't mean another computer is "hard to come by".
You want non-proprietary software. Great, but that doesn't mean you can't run Linux or a Mac, or that you're not paying Microsoft when you buy that Dell. Want a PC without paying Microsoft? You may find the selection to be as limited as Macs.
Finally, you don't like the image of Mac owners and zealots. Great, but your insecurities are your own.
Re:Common AA's - they are
by
adzoox
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· Score: 4, Informative
Actually, the cells in these batteries ARE replaceable - they are common double AA's. (It has been disputed they may not be, but I have actually taken a G4 battery apart - rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries) I wish they'd make the casing easier to split apart though.
The defective batteries were manufactured the last week of 2003. Get the feeling the regular (senior) QC people were taking the whole week off and the poor slobs at the bottom of the totem pole were stuck at work during the holiday?
(yes, both Christmas and New Years Day are Korean holidays)
Slashdot Mirror
I love baked Apples.
Well, it keeps my lap nice and warm, since I couldn't afford my heating bill after purchasing the powerbook... ;)
Gotta get your priorities straight, s'all.
feh. stuff.
I have the phrase "HQ405" burned into the top of my thigh... All the chicks think it's a prison tatoo.
-- "A chicken is an egg's way of making another egg."
ZDNet Story
Forbes
I had always felt there was an overheating problem. People in the newsgroups and suggested that I recondition my battery... which maybe helped some.
Anyway, glad to know that I'll be getting a new battery out of it.
AC
1. Go to store and by some hard Caramel candy, at least a pound
2. Place pieces unwrapped on keyboard of Powerbook and turn on. Place the pieces on every other key to allow maximum coverage of Caramel
3. Let over heat and allow Caramel to spread
4. Enjoy!
Friends help you move...
REAL Friends help you move dead bodies... ^_^
I have a powerbook, and I love it, but after using it on my lap for 30 minutes, I can't have children anymore.
For a company that puts so much emphasis on portable devices, Apple certainly has a lot of problems with batteries.
Hmm HQ... cant see the rest. Its melted away. How do I tell?
never mind.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Just goes to show that there is nothing new under the sun. It has happened before. Rather annoying and shameful for Apple that is should happen again in one of the most popular powerbooks.
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
I didn't know Apple started putting Intel chips in their Powerbooks.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
At least they manufactured these batteries using the improved Li-ion technology, if it was the older style it wouldnt just overheat, it'd most likely start a runaway reaction that would end in quite toasted laptops. I think it was 150 Degrees F or so that this would start at, i know i heard of several cell phones left in hot cars that did this, and at least 1 nokia that burnt up while charging.
drunk chemists
But that's just natural selection eliminating Mac users from the genetic pool.
Reminds me of that ebay auction for a laptop cooling pad where the headline was "Don't burn your penis". Does anyone have a screenshot of that?
I think "don't burn your penis" is good general advice as well, not just in regards to laptops.
This time it's not supposed to burst into flames, just overheat.
Here, lemme just pop out the battery and check my serial numb
I'm going on an international flight next week. Does this mean that I'll get stopped by security when I try to take my Powerbook through? :-)
They do ydl.net.
Guy #1: "Man this Powerbook is HOT."
Guy #2: "Yeah, it is pretty sexy I guess."
Guy #1: "No, I mean it is singeing my pubes dude."
serial number series A1045 is under the recall, too.
this is my sig
Jesus, everyone blows that out of proportion, like 5300's were exploding left and right. It happened in an Apple test lab, with a PREPRODUCTION model, with a DEFECTIVE BATTERY supplied by the battery manufacturer. I have no idea where MacNN got that it was two batteries.
Not a single customer was affected by the problem- Apple took the precautionary measure of switching to NiMH after the problem, and most people never even saw a Lithium Ion battery in their 5300.
So, I ask, how could they possibly have handled the problem any better, mmm? Comparing it to the iPod battery bit, which was not handled as well- is absurd.
Please help metamoderate.
New battery? For free? Ahh, kick ass!!!!!
Those third degree burns are finally starting to pay off!!!!
Can't help but notice you felt it was important to use the qualifier "normally".
I *always* wear pants (or another suitable garment to cover my genitals) when in the same room with other men, whether I'm using a computer or not.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
See, there's the fanboy spin!
They aren't just replacing a defective (and potentially very dangerous) part, nor are they providing the expected warrantee services, they're giving you something for free! How nice of them!
"The tires sold with the car were defective, and the treads seperated at highway speeds, and I'm now a quadrapalegic and both my children are dead. But check it out, Ford's giving me free tires! What an AWESOME compnay!"
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
But the fact that linux can achieve this same effect in just software really shows the power of open source. (insert keyboard characters to show humor)
"After serial number verification, a new battery will be shipped to you free of charge. When you receive the replacement battery, please use the same shipping envelope and included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery to Apple."
;-)
How appropriate, they're using an in-the-field hot-swap method.
"The swap's hot, so it doesn't get too hot." (my version of Yogi Berra's logic in the infamous AFLAC Barber Shop commercial.)
Except for some humorous posts involving aptly-named musician Bruce Cockburn.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
But that's just natural selection eliminating Mac users from the genetic pool.
One could argue that they were never in the gene pool to begin with.
Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
at least it's not a Con Ed manhole cover.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
"I actually saw a salesguy at the Apple Store try to sell a Powerbook while it was on fire! True story. The customer was hesitant at first, but when he offered to throw in a refurbished 5GB iPod with spare battery assembly kit for an additional $179, the customer caved in.
n ted iPod)
Another AppleStore salesguy chimed in and moved in to assist. He added that this Powerbook will virtually seemlessly integrate to the 2007 BMW 6 series."
Total cost of Mac ownership:
$2199(powerbook)
+$179(refurb/discou
+$45999-67000 estimated MSRP(BMW 6Series)options vary
TCO = ~49000-70000 USDollars.
This independent case study brought to you buy MSFT/Dell.
If you think
Step 3.5: Bake Powerbook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Let me say that these batteries suck ass. I don't know if anyone else has had similar experiences with their 15" TiPB (please comment here if you have) where battery life seems to drop like a stone even when the laptop is asleep. It used to last nearly three hours, and that was even under heavy load. Now adays, not even a year after my purchase, just sitting idle will kill my battery in roughly one and a half hours. When I contacted Apple, I really just got snubbed. They claimed that the PMU wasn't "calibrated" right and I needed to drain the battery to zero, reset the firmware, then charge back up to 100%. No change (and that even sounds like a bad idea with lithium ion batterries). Anyone have any luck getting replacements in light of horrible performance?
Why bother.
In other news, air cooled by the frigid waters deep in Lake Ontario started bringing relief to G4 Powerbooks in downtown Toronto on Tuesday after the valves were symbolically opened on the multi-million-dollar project. http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/1 8/0056252&tid=126&tid=14
"Don't waste your time or time will waste you" -MUSE
Maybe the other person was a woman...
Oh, wait, it's Slashdot. My bad.
My friend was over at my place last night gaming with one of the affected Macs. Lo and behold, the battery was hot as hell after a few hours. I think I could find a use for the defective battery, though.
;-)
Run laptop for 2 hours. Remove battery. Find sleeping roommate/spouse. Put hot battery in roommate's/spouse's left hand. Watch person piss themselves. Retrieve battery. Laugh.
It's a lot simpler than using the warm water/left-hand/piss in your pants trick, since no one will ever suspect the battery.
Of course, if you're doing this to your spouse (considered the joke on wife last night), you probably shouldn't be allowed to have a computer anyway until you get out of therapy.
IronChefMorimoto
But I hate roasted nuts!
This is the bad thing about PROPRIETARY BATTERIES .
Support the engineers who build their devices around common, replaceable batteries. You really can buy lithium-ion cells. And metal-hydride cells.
Actually, it isn't Apple's fault. It's the fault of the battery manufacturer, LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea; the recall is only on batteries manufactured during the last week of December.
1) Why would that matter for a personal buying decision?
2) You can secure it easily.
3) It's expensive, not sure what you mean by hard to come by. Perhaps you mean that there aren't as many spare parts around?
4) And Linux doesn't have a stigma?
5) This is for early 15 inch powerbooks. Not going to be an issue for newer ones.
1. "The OS is proprietary, as is the hardware. Expensive and hard to come by."
Actually, the OS is only partly proprietary. Darwin (the part that "has teh UNIX!") is open.
2. "The elitist stigma that would come with owning one."
Mac users can't be elitists because elitists think they're better. We know we're better. (it's a joke, laugh!)
Too bad this recall doesn't include my powerbook's battery... one of the early jaguar updates broke my battery somehow... I've read of other users experiencing the same thing. After the update, the battery's status isn't acurate by any stretch of the imagination. The thing stays at 99% and when it gets close to dying, it just turns off. No warning. Nothing.
It's not a software issue. I've reformatted several times. And it's not a hardware issue, because when I put my battery into my mom's powerbook, the same thing happens on hers. And when I put her battery in mine, it works as expected. blah. sucks.
...spike
Ewwwwww, coconut...
There are extremely annoying Windows and Linux users as well. There are even extremely annoying people who don't use computers. So what?
2) "Total Cost of 0wnership" study showing how laughably weak MacOS is, even though "it has teh UNIX!"
Sorry, what are you referring to?
3) The OS is proprietary, as is the hardware. Expensive and hard to come by.
Yes, the OS and hardware are proprietary. That's not going to change.
Expensive is relative. For some people, dealing with Linux (for example) is an expensive proposition as well, which can involve spending considerable time and money learning it. There's also the question of resale value, where Macs do considerably better than PCs of similar age. (Whether you consider it lunacy or not, a 400 MHz PowerMac circa 2000 fetches about the same price as a brand new 2.4GHz Dell desktop.)
Hard to come by? Apple sells computers right on its website, if you don't have a retailer near you. Recent Macs use standard hard drives, RAM, as well as various Firewire and USB peripherals.
4) The elitist stigma that would come with owning one. (I don't think they'll sell you one unless you have an aloof attitude, a goatee and a pair of those fashionably thick-framed rectangular eyeglasses.)
Wow, you really do let image get in the way of your computer purchase decisions. You are even more like those you criticize - yeah, those who buy Macs because of their pretty cases - than many actual Mac owners.
Apple is just as susceptible to flaws like this as anyone else. I prefer the more ubiquitous and affordable hardware.
That's certainly your right, but you don't have a right to dress up that personal preference in pseudo-technical babble.
You want a low up-front cost. Great, but that doesn't mean a computer with a higher up-front cost has a low value.
You want the most common hardware. Great, but that doesn't mean another computer is "hard to come by".
You want non-proprietary software. Great, but that doesn't mean you can't run Linux or a Mac, or that you're not paying Microsoft when you buy that Dell. Want a PC without paying Microsoft? You may find the selection to be as limited as Macs.
Finally, you don't like the image of Mac owners and zealots. Great, but your insecurities are your own.
Actually, the cells in these batteries ARE replaceable - they are common double AA's. (It has been disputed they may not be, but I have actually taken a G4 battery apart - rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries) I wish they'd make the casing easier to split apart though.
See an xray here
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
i had a battery with serial HQ404 but i cant find it anywhere :(
The defective batteries were manufactured the last week of 2003. Get the feeling the regular (senior) QC people were taking the whole week off and the poor slobs at the bottom of the totem pole were stuck at work during the holiday? (yes, both Christmas and New Years Day are Korean holidays)