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Apple Powerbook and iBook Battery Recall
doubleacr writes "The Register is reporting that Apple is recalling batteries in 12 and 15 inch Powerbook and 12 inch iBooks sold between October 2004 and May 2005. Apple has set up a page with info on model number and serial numbers of batteries affected, and also how to get a replacement."
when the batteries go boom.
affected
One of the greatest lies that historians have ever told is that the continent that we now refer to as North America was inhabited by "native peoples" at the time of its discovery by Columbus. This, as true history has shown, is sheer poppycock; it is a nefarious fantasy concocted in the minds of those who wish to control our collective destinies. Not only are there no contemporary documents that support the existence of these fantasy "natives", the people who are responsible for inventing them have never been particularly secretive about their true motives.
It is interesting to note that in the late 1950s, no American (indeed, no person) had ever even heard of these so-called "native Americans." But then, in the 1960s, stories of them suddenly started appearing seemingly from nowhere. Your next-door neighbor started relating stories from his great-grandmother about "Injun attacks." Schoolchildren started to get educated about the different "tribes" and "nations" of these people, and yet not one parent demanded to see evidence of their existence.
Our children were taught stories about how the great white pioneers of this nation supposedly plundered these peoples and took their land from them, and our children felt ashamed. Of course they felt ashamed! That's the whole reason these fantasy "native Americans" exist! They were invented by radical leftist agitators at Berkeley in the early 1960s. The primary purpose that these mythical "Indians" serve is to instill false guilt in white people. They exist to make the Chosen People of this land feel badly about their own history and heritage, and that is a thought crime.
Liberalism is about (first and foremost) the hatred of self and love of collective. To that end, this nation's leftists felt it necessary to invent an entire imaginary race of people that were "pillaged" by this continent's Anglo-Saxon discoverers. The goal: to make this nation's guardians hate themselves and their heritage, and be sympathetic to that which is alien and unacceptable.
The truth, of course, is that none of these stories has the least bit of credibility; despite repeated requests from the conservative community, liberals have been unable to produce a single "native American." And so we must file this lie in the same trash dumpster as the (extremely overexaggerated) stories of so-called "slavery" of the 1800s. Patriots must constantly guard their country from its enemies, and we must realize that more today than ever before, its enemies are more likely to attack from within.
Apple have come up with some innovative products, but their market share remains tiny. Sadly, though, many buyers have been mislead by the marketing and eye-candy, and desperately try to justify their overpriced purchases to themselves on forums around the Net. Let's see what they really mean...
"MacOS X is everything Linux wants to be."
"Despite the fact that Linux is just code and can't WANT to be anything, I truly believe that it'd love to be a single-vendor, single-platform, sluggish half-proprietary OS with dwindling market share. Linux would love to throw away its impressively growing corporate takeup for that."
"Apple hardware is for real computer lovers."
"It's no hassle to use a plethora of keyboard combos to make up for the patronising one-button mouse. Despite the fact that my hands have FIVE fingers, and multiple-buttons make Web browsing so much more pleasant, I prefer my computer to be treat me like a special-needs child."
"Aqua makes me so much more productive!"
"My non-techie friends drool over the transparency and scaling effects, even though UI research has shown that they add practically nothing to getting real work done. It feels like KDE 2 on a Pentium 200, and I can't change to a light and fast WM, but those drop-shadows must make me work so quickly!"
"OSX shows that Apple is committed to open source."
"OpenDarwin.org and its community of about 27 is surely not just a token gesture by Apple. Pretty much nobody uses pure Darwin, and all the crucial components of the system are closed and require me to spend money just to get major OS updates, but they're really helping the community somehow."
"You get what you pay for with Apple hardware."
"My iBook was made by in Taiwan by AlphaTop and has design and build quality flaws (needing foam sheets jammed in to stop the common problem of the keyboard scratching the screen). Meanwhile thousands of Mac laptop owners are trying to sue Apple over poorly-made logic boards. But it's silvery and cost far more than an x86 laptop of better spec, so it must be much higher quality!"
affected, not effected
I rather like my exploding iBattery, thanks.
Oh, come on! I know it's not PC, but what the fuck, everybody pissed at something!
Q. Can I use my iBook or PowerBook without the battery in it?
A. Yes, once you've removed the affected battery, just plug in the AC adapter to power the computer.
And I thought only Windows users were dumb. How silly of me!
So that's why it keeps smoking! I'm so used to overclocked systems I thought that was normal.
Maybe if I scratch the serial number up...
"...the components could overheat and catch figure."
Get hot and strike a pose.
This is not a danger. it is a precaution. It may not even be an ISSUE but apple have still found parts out of spec in certain areas of battery production.
In other words like with the 5300 powerbooks, no consumer batteries have ever caught fire, and almost certainly none ever will.
DO NOT put them in a washing machine and puncture them with a screwdriver!
air and light and time and space
I'm glad to see a story posted with no opinion added on. "Apple recalls iBook batteries because apple SUCKS and PCs RULE!@!", for example.
"The need to build the internet comes from something inside us, something programmed... something we can't resist."
...some device called the ThermaPAK. Founded recently and been using one. Uses phase change materials to absorb the excess heat from Powerbooks.
Seriously. Everyone knows that the only people who use Macs are either teh ghey or they are wannabe geeks who are to inept to use Linux but who do not want the stigma of using windows so they go buy a poseur Mac and then think that they are cool.
The cool thing is, the battery that comes with most cameras holds a 60 min charge, but the ones they stock in store are 120 mins.
All you have to do is go in with your original battery and say, "this battery isn't holding a full charge". Bingo, free new better battery.
Sam
Always write down the opposite of the spelling you think is correct.
Will they do the same with the iPOD?
I mean, come on, a 100$ battery replacement after two years...
No sig for now.
..when they pry it from my cold, dead fing-
:-)
Oh wait, this is a good thing. Nevermind.
picpix image polls. create - share - vote. fun!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
From the article:
"Apple said the risk of combustion was very small. The recall comes after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission received six reports of batteries overheating, two from the US and the rest from around the globe."
Six, man. SIX! And only TWO in the US!
And they're taking what must be a pretty big loss just for the sake of having good business integrity.
I dunno, man. Sounds pretty cool to me.
http://augustwestproducts.i8.com
"The danger posed by these batteries is at its greatest when soaked in water and then stabbed with a screwdriver or other blunt object."
Just kidding. But it's true for the iPod, remember?
I am scientifically inaccurate.
Apple has asked 128,000 notebook computer users to return their PowerBook or iBook batteries on the off-chance the components could overheat and catch figure. I'd be interested in purchasing a computer that can catch figures for me.
God spoke to me.
For those that will snark away and say that a faulty battery is a very bad design flaw, let me be the first to say that youre *missing the target market*!
I JUST BURNED MY SNATCH!
Affected, not effected.
Dear God! It could catch figure?
SEO Firefox Extension
It's incredible! I got my new battery from the recall, and my Powerbook is faster than ever before! Whether it's software or hardware, Apple just keeps getting better!
>>US Consumer Product Safety Commission received six reports of batteries overheating
That accounts for almost 50% of Apple customers!! Is that SMALL??
So how long before Microsoft copies this?
er.. i mean....
Who should we complain to in the KDE team about being slow and lazy in adding this feature? My Toshiba running FBSD hasn't had any troubles with the battery! Those KDE folks are slow and lazy.
er... i mean....
Good job Apple.. Glad to see someone taking some responsibility.
do() || do_not();
I could have had the first post, but I realized that my recent ibook was effected. Went to the site and filled out the form in about 5 minutes. Deffinitly hassle free so everyone who has a relativly recient ibook 12" 14" or power book 12" should go there asap and get their free replacement battery.
Did this start out after somebody's mother accidently washed their iBook?
exploding batteries won't stop me from buying my powerbook! but why won't their online store allow me to purchase one right now? anybody? I didn't think they stopped selling them..
Am I supposed to believe that this problem "strafed" my 14" iBook G4? Better keep an eye on 'er.
Does anyone know if this is for those sold up until the begining of May, or if it is all of May?
The batteries are affected, not effected. Just a teeny, tiny attempt at good English every now and again would be nice. Please?
While I'm at it, Apple's not doing this because they're nice, they're doing it because they don't want to be sued.
I personally preferred the way Dell did their battery recall a few years ago. You called them, they sent you a replacement, then you returned your old battery and they sent you another one. I got a recall-worthy one when buying a replacement battery for cheap off of eBay, so I ended up getting 2 new (maybe refurb) batteries for around $15
His comment: "If you can't laugh at yourself, then you can't laugh at anything." A true talent.
I was once hit on by a gay guy. He looked like a good-looking Jude Law only taller. I was flattered. Anyway, when he outed himslf, he really queened it up. He was proud to be gay and enjoyed the jokes.
What I'm saying is, I really resent some of the PC Moderation shit on /.!
I'm a Pollack - fire away boys!! My Dad is always interested in new Pollack Jokes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can Canadians use the same webpage?
Website
I haven't a clue what the solution to this is, but with the explosion of notebook sales, I think we're going to be seeing A LOT of these kinds of problems
Free MacMini
On the flip side, if they didn't decide on a recall, and someone were to get injured, they'd face a serious liability suit. "You already had six reports of failure, and yet your company did nothing. Your negligence is directly responsible for my disfiguring burns." Not a pretty idea.
Good business practices and fear of lawsuits often yield the same results. Which motivation you choose to ascribe depends mostly on how cynical you are.
WE always had problems with the batteries and logic boards going out like crazy. Would anyone care to wager a guess why?
They're mainly manufactured in Guadalahara, Mexico. Cheap labor and poor standards controls usually equals poor products.
One out of three laptops actually made it past the Cashmere test after repairs, due to defective parts. (Bad onboard USB/Firewire, IDE controller, etc.) And people wonder why Apple products are so expensive. They're spending more in repairs than almost anything else.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
As I was reading slashdot on my new 17-inch powerbook (which has a 17-inch screen, larger than the 12 or 15 inch) running Tiger (the most advanced operating system on the market today), I was concerned that my powerbook (the largest and most expensive model available) might be affected by this issue.
Since I often rub my genitals against my 17-inch powerbook (powered by a 1.66 GHz processor, which is very fast), particularly the warm battery compartment (which usually gives nearly 4 hours of battery life, quite impressive for a large powerful laptop like this), I was concerned. You see, the high-quality, brushed aluminum finish transfers heat quite well (which is why such a powerful machine doesn't overheat).
However, I'm happy to discover that the this top-of-the-line, executive-class computer (paid over $3000 including tax and shipping) is safe from this battery issue. Sucks to be poor, eh?
Yours Truly,
Elitist Fuck
"Apple has asked 128,000 notebook computer users to return their PowerBook or iBook batteries on the off-chance the components could overheat and catch figure."
In a related note, the Register's reporting and editing have been outsourced to Bangalore.
Paris Hilton had her ibook's battery explode on her lap, all that we could hear her say was... 'That's hot!'
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Can Canadians use that webpage or is there a specific Canadian page?
Website
Ive just checked my battery and its within the range, which is worrysome, because if I hadnt spotted this on Slashdot, chances are I would never have found out about it! Anyway, replacement ordered, battery disconnected, threat of death averted, thanks :)
Standard practice for consumer recalls: pull the products off the shelves. Contact resellers and tell them to do the same.
I'd expect any laptops Apple is shipping are not part of the recall. Any orders would probably be held up until new batteries are available.
If you've placed an order before the recall was announced, you should probably check it when it arrives. The recall covers models sold until "May 2005" so it's possible that bad batteries were already in the hands of the FedEx guys before the recall was finalized.
... welcome our new Consumer Product Safety Commission overlords.
Ahem, sorry... this is getting really old, isn't it?
Despite what EULAs say, most software is sold, not licensed.
for buying a Macintrash!
I had a dell notebook once that had a battery recall. I didn't even know about the recall until one day I found an Airborn Express box on my porch with a new battery and a prepaid box to return the old one. After returning it I promptly got an ADDITIONAL battery and a $30 gift certificate to Dell's website as a thankyou/sorry. I thought that was pretty cool of them, the recall consumed about 2 minutes of my time to seal the battery in the return box, and I got a bunch of free stuff out of it too.
Not good odds (but better than the lotto). But hey! Free battery.
Companies too often get a bad press when they do the responsible and praisworthy thing of honoring their promises to consumers and recall their products to repair a fault. Yes, ideally the product should not have the fault in the first place, when that would be in an ideal world, and these thing just have to happen from time to time. I think companies should get a bad press when they don't recall a product when they should, not when they do the right thing.
..I wonder what will happen if I receive my NEW battery *AND* don't send back the old? Two batteries for my ibook!
Yes, it's immoral, I do not deny that.
"the components could overheat and catch figure." Wow...wouldn't want that happening to my batteries. Anyone know what exactly a battery that catches figure looks like?
"They're mainly manufactured in Guadalahara, Mexico"
I think that you mean, Guadalahara Meksiko.
Wrong, this one burned.
That is a bit of a misleading statistic don't you think? That is like saying:
When I worked at AA, we always had drunk people coming in for help. Based on this, I think that most people must be drunks.
Mac users are incredibly dumb. Why else would they buy one?
I'm at work right now, so I don't have my PB Battery Serial # handy to fill out the form. Do you have to send in your battery first, or do they send you the replacement along with a return box?
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
That's going to my Dad!!!!
I love it!
And I thought only Windows users were dumb. How silly of me!
They are. Anyone who chooses a bug-riddled, virus/worm/trojan/spyware/malware-ridden, DRM-crippled, monopoly driven platform over easier to use and more stable alternatives (Apple) and more robust, more stable alternatives (FreeBSD/Linux) is making a stupid, indeed idiotic choice. They know they have the Apple alternative, yet they moronicly choose familiarity over security and ease of use.
Contrast this with Apple users, who may be ignorant of the specific designs of their laptops (there are, after all, portable tablets and laptops, including some of Apple's offerings, that do not run without the battery regardless of AC power), but having chosen Apple of Windows they are, by definition, not stupid.
(The humor-impaired and Microsoft apologists will doubtless pop a vein or two and mod this down . . . joke notwithstanding. As a GNU/Linux user myself, I can hardly be accused of being an Apple fanboy by any reasonable human being, but I recognize quality when I see it and like to give credit where credit is due. Microsoft deserves little-to-no credit (c.f. the last 15 years of their shoddy product and unethical, even criminal, behavior), but Apple definitely deserves credit for their fine products, even if Jobs is a Gate's wannabe at the bottom of his heart.
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
Mine is about 5 months old, but I've been babying the battery. Wish I'd known I'd be getting a freebie! To find out how many cycles your battery already has:
:(
ioreg -l -w 0 | grep Capacity
I only used 22 cycles.
well, this is just for recent switchers ...
I feel kind of bad for the poor tech writers who make a living going over stuff like this. It's like they get told to pretend they're morons.
"What happens if I put my tongue across the contacts? Will it feel like a nine-volt?"
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
I am an iBook user, and qualify for the battery replacement program. When Apple sends me a free battery, am I required to part with the old one and send it back to Apple? I've been thinking about purchasing a second battery for the extra-long car trips, and this would be a nice alternative to shelling out for a battery from Apple. Thanks.
Think outside the iBox. Don't buy crummy Wintel batteries that don't iExplode when they are being iCharged.
BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm Polish, German, Irish, French, Welsh, Polish, and AMERICAN (Including Canadian)! That's FUCKING AMERICAN!!!!
I laugh at others because I'm really laughing at myself! Get over it!
Lastly, "Shite" ?!? Are you really from Ireland?!? Or are pretending?!?
Fuck the spelling Erros!
well, this is just for recent switchers ...
and only for the ones coming from windows; naturally, linux experience enables you to run the ibook from, say, the heat generated from your dual-athlon (still your main machine) while compiling some private kernel modifications. did i call you switcher? sorry, you dual-boot the ibook.
Thank you
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
It seems there are some current problems with the website, just be forewarned!
Here's my story:
So, my battery for my PB 12" is in the range as testified on Apple's site. I tried to use the site to have my affected battery registered, but the site kept returning an error that my serial number wasn't recognized. Huh?
So, I call Apple, and the guy says, "your model number is the Powerbook battery #, but the battery's serial number is an iBook battery serial number, so the system is rejecting the battery # as inconsistent with the computer's #." Huh?
So, the guy went off to figure out what to do and put me on hold. For some reason, the hold music turned off, and this voice comes on every 30 seconds to say, "Please wait. Please wait. Please wait. Please wait."
It is very very very obnoxious.
So, they finally try to set up a manual request over the phone, but I have to give them a credit card number (They want to put a hold on it, I guess to keep you from getting a free battery), which is SOP but still annoying, because I don't have a credit card. So I have to call back later with a credit card (grrr) or wait for the website to be fixed (double grrr grrr).
for whatever reason, they *don't* requre the credit card info via the website.
hopefully my experience can be of assistance to one of you out there.
multifariam.net -- yet another nerd blog
a thing "affects" another thing.
"effected" means produced, "affected" means influenced
(btw - the title is just a joke)
----- In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream...
I'm using it right now and haven't had a singl
+++ATH
NO CARRIER
Nick
Comment removed based on user account deletion
They should have released this warning for the exploding iPod the other day...
Nothing about this on the Apple website, at least on the home page. "Hot News" is that "Tiger Roars and Soars". Unfortunatley the link provided in the story has been slashdotted, so I will have to wait to see if my iBook had the bad battery. (unless someone is kind enough to post info...)
So how do I ask for my replacement battery if the site is slashdotted?
They just changed the page and put a powerbook-only page instead.
I have an Ibook you insensitive clud!
Why is this recall not coming from the Original Equipment Manufacturer? I mean, does Apple actually make the batteries being recalled?
It also seems like battery recalls are happening more and more on electronic devices. Is it that we are using more batteries or is there something going on with battery manufacturing?
Dell issued a large recall last year, this is Apple's second recall on batteries I believe. Certainly there are others that I don't know about.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Apple's page (the one linked in the post) clearly states that the recall is for the 15 inch aluminum Powerbook only.
Looks like another case of not RTFA.
Web hosting that doesn't suck!Dreamhost
I haven't seen anyone else mention it in this thread, but pouring water on burning lithium is an extremely Bad Idea. You'll get an effect similar to pouring gasoline on burning wood.
Most Slashdotters probably know not to pour water on an electrical fire, but I suspect far fewer know burning lithium can use water for a fuel source.
From a FAQ I found about how to handle a lithium fire (this is a google html version since the original was a .Doc file): "Use a graphite powder or a Lith-X (class D) extinguisher to extinguish burning lithium. Don't use water, sand, carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, or soda acid extinguishers in lithium cell fires."
"The advanced societies of the future will be driven by competing systems of psychopathology." -JG Ballard
It only sounds like a stupid question. However many laptop power supplies are designed with the assumption that there will be this big battery installed acting as a capacitor. So the power supply just sends in dirty power, letting the battery smooth out all the noise into a nice steady DC current.
That is why you leave your old, dead, battery in your laptop even though it gives at most a second of runtime - it still make the power better.
Apple's page (the one linked in the post) clearly states that the recall is for the 15 inch aluminum Powerbook only.
Copied directly from Apple's main page:
Important Safety Recall -- Rechargeable Batteries for 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch and 15-inch PowerBook G4
And you wondered why they included a fire extinguisher with a notebook computer?
yeah not yea.
'Yea' is olde englishe. 'Yeah' is the common informal way of saying yes.
So lets see here: we have cellphones that catch fire; we have iPods that can explode; we have Dell and Sony and Apple laptops that catch fire -- the problem seems to cover a wide variety of battery operated consumer products.
It took the TSA/DHS nearly 3 years after the British would-be bomber, Richard Reed, to get around to banning butane lighters on commercial aircraft. Anyone willing to take a bet on just how long it will take for the TSA/DHS to ban all battery operated consumer products from commercial aircraft?
The whole paranoia about aircraft safety will not subside until after the TSA/DHS has all commercial aircraft passengers disrobing, with only paper (drafty) hospital gowns and paper slippers being permitted.
WE always had problems with the batteries and logic boards going out like crazy. Would anyone care to wager a guess why?
Because you were working in a repair company, so people didn't bring you the ones that worked?
What I say does not represent the views of my employers, my friends, my cats, or myself.
If you're like me, your battery is wearing out anyway and a free (and new) replacement is a pretty good deal!
(If it hasn't exploded yet, it probably wont anyway)
I have one of the affected battery models. (Go me.) I tried to fill out their web form for a replacement, and it seems they're being slashdotted. Bah, can't win.
Makes you wonder why they don't spend more on QA upfront.
I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
These Google ads are killing me. Recall story about Powerbook batteries, and they're pitching Powerbook laptops! :)
Notice that it's in the Apple section. If Apple isn't of interest to you, you can disable it in your account. For those who do use Macs, this might be important. The risk is certainly small, but at least for a person with one of these three models, why take the chance? Apple's wouldn't be recalling the batteries if they thought it so minor. I think it's perfectly appropriate for the Apple section of Slashdot to spread this news more widely.
Signature.
How preposterous. Guadalajara, Mexico is actually a high-tech city where IBM, Apple, Sony, amongst others have fully compliant ISO-9000 plants. Cheap labor? How about world-class US educated Engineers running the plants. Parts are assembled following strict ISO. The cost effectiveness of their model doesn't come strictly from labor but more from geography, tax incentives, and technology.
what exactly is a battery cycle? the number of time you've charged it? what happens if you charge it at half-full... is it only a half cycle? or is it just estimated?
Your CPU is not doing anything else, at least do something.
Had to end up calling Apple support directly (800-275-2273) who admitted that they are being slammed and all the techs are taking serial numbers to enter at a later time when the servers get quiet again...
Just to save everyone the hassle of trying to get registered on the web site...
my girlfriend's looking to get a 12-inch powerbook before the fall. any mac gurus know whether there will be an upgraded line of powermacs before then. if so, when? if not, would it happen before years end?
thanks.
What comes first, finding a teacher or becoming a student?
Aw, man... I can't microwave it?
We must not judge a company by just one thing that they do. Apple also distributes proprietary software as part of MacOS X which denies its users the ability to learn what their computer is really doing. They hold and acquire software patents which stop all software developers and users from implementing software described in the patent and using that software without permission from the patent holder. One of Apple's patents stops free software developers from distributing software to render fonts in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
Thus, I don't think it's fair to describe Apple as having "good busines integrity" when they harm all citizens of certain countries as they do. Some business practices can be appropriate, others are unquestionably harmful.
Digital Citizen
could overheat and catch fire, not could overheat and catch figure.
HAHAHA!! Not entirely true, but still funny regardless!
Actually, we've received working laptops that only needed a firmware upgrade so certain programs would work properly. However, once we perform ANY type of work, we had to run Cashmere on it. And, more often than not, along the way, something would go wrong, and it would require us to replace whatever was causing the problem (most common problem, the firmware upgrade would completely kill boards of a certain revision, so we'd have to replace the entire board, regardless, before we could even run Cashmere.)
What's really funny, though, is we've received government Apple laptops (72B, 72C, 73 models) with the hard drive removed (for security, of course) only to find out there's nothing wrong with the laptop, at all, so it was OBVIOUSLY their hard drive.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
I know this will make alot of Mac users happy/unhappy, but I can honestly say (having worked both sides of the fence) that it's the same reason Microsoft doesn't spend more on Quality Assurance. Quicker shipping release = quicker flow of cash. Who cares if it works now and screws up a couple of weeks later? We've already made the money, we can fix it later once it becomes a real problem.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
The issue at hand has nothing to do with being perfect. Such a comparison is a way to railroad people into accepting your conclusion without any real consideration of alternatives. It says that on the one hand we have Apple with whatever behavior they wish to engage in, on the other we have perfection. Since perfection is never available anywhere for anything, the perfection "alternative" goes away leaving only what was offered first; thus there is really no alternative at all.
You're also trying to position convenience above ethical treatment of other people and this is very dangerous position. People of a variety of political standpoints agree that Nike products are manufactured by underpaid workers who labor in unreasonable working conditions, earning far less than a living wage. Nike makes a great deal of money on the backs of workers who are treated unethically. See the evidence presented in the book and movie "The Corporation" for first-hand accounts and price evidence retreived from Nike's garbage.
Yet Nike products are sold at most athletic shoe stores. We are not better off by encouraging people to do business with Nike because what they offer is convenient. Particularly for those wealthy enough to afford Nike shoes (or Apple computers), other options are available which will serve a comparable function.
In the software realm, we are better off by doing what we can to encourage writing more free software, software which respects the users ability to share and modify programs, and we are also better off by doing away with software patents entirely. We should encourage hacking on free software to make it easier to use for most people most of the time. But we cannot afford to believe (as so many who frequent this site do) that ethical treatment of people is separable from computer software, or that technical convenience should trump how we treat other people.
Digital Citizen
Oh, I forgot to add, for those of you who have sent your Apple laptops in for repair, do you remember that "All of our work is performed by Apple-Certified technicians" paper you got in your little box?
I have NO Apple certifications to speak of, at all. So, just an FYI, they're not telling you the complete truth.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
https://depot.info.apple.com/batteryexchange/index .html
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 packaging and included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery
Nope, it's not a misleading statistic. All inventory that came thru S/R on the trucks has a Guadalahara, Mexico postage mark on it. Even says it on some of the parts. Take a look for yourself. It's been about a year since I've done work on any Apple products, so I can't remember exactly where it's stated. Hrm, If I had any of the iBooks lying around for fun, I'd take it apart and tell you where to look. Maybe not ALL of it is made in Mexico, but I guarantee you SOME of it is, especially if your laptop got shipped to Memphis for repairs.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
I am sure Apple passes the costs back to the companies that build them, but ultimately at what cost to their reputation?
Any idea who makes the batteries?
So, would that explain why when I turn my PS2 vertically to save space, half of the time it won't even read my games, or if it does read it, it takes an insane amount of time to load? (Case in point, I play Final Fantasy X. With my PS2 set vertically, I've got enough time to go use the bathroom, smoke a joint, then sit down and listn to at least one song before the battle even loads up.)
Would that also explain why people throw away perfectly good PS2 units that "don't work" when all they need is to be taken apart, and all the componenets reseated? (I don't even have to clean the lens in most cases.)
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
The company I work at in Canada had Apple come around for a tour a few weeks ago. Looks like they are unhappy with the South Korean manufacturer and their venting cells...
I appreciate your remarks, which plainly show a perspicacious analysis of the deeper ethical issues. In particular, I appreciate your treatment of the tender balance of nonmaleficence (with Nike) and beneficence (with open source software).
It was truly a breath of fresh air.
Although, I am still worried that if I go around with this strong moralistic attitude towards every product I buy, I will end up living in some monastery somewhere, wearing homespun robes and eating organic brown rice daily, listening to an endless supply of Grateful Dead bootlegs (and, yes, the Dead always allowed bootlegging). I'm sure some would prefer this existence, but, to me, it seems a bit austere, to say the least (aside from the Grateful Dead part--that, I think I could handle quite well).
In other words, sometime around grad school, I decided to ditch the mentality of "I won't buy Ford cars because Henry Ford was racist. I won't buy non-range free chicken meat because it's animal torture..." because, as I have already mentioned, I will end up feeling guilty every time I drive to work, or sink my teeth into a juicy, spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's.
And, for me, I'd rather not live with that burden.
As for my "NOT PERFECT" comment and your subsequent reply, I agree with your logos. So, perhaps it should not be "Perfect versus Nonperfect," but "Good versus Better" (as defined by the end user).
At least it's a start...
Thanks again, man.
http://augustwestproducts.i8.com
Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.
I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.
Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.
Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.
There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.
Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.
Apple has now lost three opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.
I learned of the recall through this story and lo and behold, my iBook's battery is affected. I don't know whether Apple is going to drop me a mail or not (I didn't register the iBook), but it's better to hear such news redundantly then possibly not at all.
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
"I was writing a paper on the PowerBook, and it was, like, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep! And then, like, the battery exploded acid all over me. And I was, like 'ow.' It devoured my skin. It was really good skin. And then I had to do get grafts and I had to do it fast so it wasn't as good. It's kind of a bummer."
Because of The Power Supply burning up .
You do realise ISO 9000 says nothing about the quality of a product, don't you? It just says you have a consistent and well documented process. That process can be to produce the cheapest, nastiest, most poorly-designed crap on the planet.
I'm not saying Guadalajara produces crap, just that ISO 9000 is no guarantee of a quality product.
Chernobyl 'not a wildlife haven' - BBC News
I got an email from Apple about this because I recently got a 12" PB and had it registered (I love Apple!). Anyway, apparently the batteries are manufactured by LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea.. Great.. Anyway, my battery is not affected (Not in the serial range, but pretty close.)
It just demonstrates that the reason is poor design, not lazy mexican workers.
You honestly think if it were made in the states it would be any better? What about the Pinto?
Well as of right now, I thnk Apple's recall site is overwhelmed/slashdotted/whatever -- I submit my recall form but I don't get any confirmation page (in fact the page I get is blank & full of things that didn't load ("connection reset by peer").
I'd reccomend calling Apple tomorrow morning (certainly what I'll be doing) to be sure your request went through and your replacement battery is on the way if you didn't get a confirmation page.
/~mikeg
Try to cover up bad things Apple did, huh, fanboie?
We will be here to continue monitor your actions to dispel your spreading myths that Apple products cost more because are of higher quality --- Apple products cost more because IT PUTS A BIGGER IN STEVE JOBS POCKET. You think he loves you? Save yourself and learn how to use Linux --- it is truly yours.
Your girlfriend seems to think so.
Don't forget snappier!
It puts a bigger in Steve Jobs pocket? Oh noes!! I wouldn't want Steve Jobs pocket to have a bigger!
I mean, seriously, WTF, is that some sort of innuendo? Are you saying that higher-priced products make Jobs get turned on?
Well, normally I don't respond to idiot trolls, but speaking of dispelling myths, I'd like to point out that nothing that I said was pro-Apple, and also that I use both Mac OS X and Linux regularly. So there.
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Your criticism of the article summary is perfectly appropriate. I agree that it should have had more detail about the reason for the recall.
But what violent reaction were you referring to? I see nothing that could be taken as a violent reaction in my reply to your original comment. Just curious, and I apologize if I said anything that sounded hostile.
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Apparently the Memphis repair depot has had a horrible track, not just on parts failing, but extremely sloppy repair practices. The issue is supposed to have improved, though.
I would say that the problem here is cheap, badly trained labor, and poor standards controls in Memphis, not in Mexico. (I say cheap labor because the wages in Memphis are much lower than in many other parts of the U.S.).
The salaries in Latin America and parts of Asia are substantially lower than in richer regions of the world. Sometimes this is a consequence of underpaying the workers, but sometimes the difference is due to an extremely lower cost of life. In the latter cases, the workers are actually very, very well payed, and the quality of their work is remarkable.
Actually, nothing is manufactured in Memphis. We've done absolute bare testing on the parts we've received before, and about 60% of them fail. Wherever they're coming from, or what's being used to ship them, is the most likely cause.
And to add in, I talked with one of my friends that still works for that particular company. It's STILL got a horrible track record, and almost nobody now has an Apple certification.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.