Slashdot Mirror
Apple Recalls 1.1 Million Laptop Batteries
elzurawka writes "Apple has issued a recall of over 1 million batteries in the U.S.. This comes after Dell recalled over 4 million batteries just last week. It appears to be again an issue with Sony produced batteries. From the article: 'Computer giant Apple is recalling upwards of 1.1m batteries used in its laptop computers in the US. The announcement affects laptop computers sold between October 2003 and August 2006 and impacts the company's latest range of machines ... The recall is said to be the second biggest in consumer electronic history and will come as a blow to Apple after its launch of new MacBook and MacBook Pro machines had been hailed as a huge success for the firm.'"
very informative post. mod parent up and grandparent down!
Yeah, I don't have any problems with my battery as far as heat goes, but it only holds a charge for about 45 minutes when I run my computer in highest performance mode. A new battery is exactly what I need!
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Hey, don't bash the minidisc. I had one for years before mp3 players were out. To this day, I have yet to find a mp3 player with better audio quality/battery life than my minidisc recorder.
Henceforth it shall be known as the "MacBoom"
Thanks!
I'm here all week!
Try the spaghetti.
-- Boycott Shell
One thing I'm curious that never seems to be mentioned. In both the Dell and Apple recalls, which company is paying to replace all these millions of batteries? Is it Dell/Apple or does Sony have to foot the bill?
Isn't Sony the company that released the "Da Vinci Code" movie????
Why's this modded as "Funny?" I'm looking forward to this recall for the same reason. I overused my batter and it only holds about a 20-30 minute charge. I get a nice, new, free battery from Apple that will last me until I decide to upgrade!
Of course, I just posted instead of using my mod points.... damn it!
Yes, I realize I typed that before I actually posted and therefor, could have used my mod-points, but shut up!
Slashdot: where repeating an article in a post is "+5 Insightful"
If you go onto Apple's site when it's up, or here... http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html then you can see where on the battery the information that you need is.
Also, you don't need to poweroff your laptop to take out the battery, just leave it plugged into the wall.
I actually managed to get through to them before the slashdotting, and talked with a CSR there. After confirming that I had a 'splodie battery, what were their instructions?
Go to the website to fill out a form.
Or just blue rays. If it detects you nefariously watching your movies via the Analogue Hole, (you could be making illicit backup copiesZOMG!!!11!), it has an inbuilt ray gun to vaporise you, thus gently discouraging you from doing it again.
Nobody else has this sig.
Yeah, I got the same problem.
From TFA: "Apple has said it has received a total of nine complaints so far from users reporting "overheating" of the batteries."
9 complaints my ass! The Apple support forums are full of people complaining about various problems with their batteries, overheating being the most common. What they should say is "We tried to ignore this problem as long as we could, but then people started to catch on fire so we're gonna do as little as possible to save our own asses."
I don't care what youre doing so much as the idiotic way you're doing it.
Modern notebooks need to be put on a flat surface for heat dissipation reasons (often, the fan intake is on the bottom of the chassis and would be blocked by clothing). Placing a notebook directly on your lap is a bad idea, and overheating in that case is definitely not an indication of a defect.
I thought Macs were immune to all types of attacks, even faulty batteries. Are you sure this isn't a PC only problem?
Can you see the new "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" commercial?
PC guy: Hey Mac, you look a little hot.
Mac guy: (smoking) I don't feel so good. (falls to ground and bursts into flames)
"But this one goes to 11!"
That is my take on it. My battery is getting kinda weak. Not horribly weak, but I am getting noticably shorter run times.
/usr/games/fortune
Damn! I got a 17" Powerbook, and its batteries are also approaching senility. But 17" PB batteries aren't in the recall list.
;-)
Guess I'll just have to pay for a new one. (Then they'll recall the old ones.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
Does your battery say that it is made by Sony? How can one tell?
If a story on the front page of slashdot causes the "Slashdot effect", what is it called when something from the front page of CNN causes the same thing?
CNN says that 1.8 million batteries are being recalled. http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/24/technology/apple_r ecall/index.htm?section=cnn_topstories
Which one is it?
it was the Dells that caught fire and did the most damage
I say they are about equal in destruction.
How shall I think different now, Steve-o?
Just thinking would be a good start.
You don't have to turn it off if it is plugged in and the battery model number is, surprisingly, listed right after the text string "Model No.:" on the back of the battery.
"the form to submit your serial numbers. That's reason enough to use SSL."
Hypothetically, how much damage could someone do with your laptop's serial number? I suppose someone could try to file a false technical support claim, but what advantage would that be to them?
"But this one goes to 11!"
I bought a PB17" in 2004, and it's unpleasantly hot when I'm using the processor heavily. One thing that helped a lot was changing the power management setting to "automatic" rather than "maximum" even on AC power -- now I can use it on my lap just fine and it only becomes unpleasant when I'm doing processor intensive work for long periods of time. I don't think that's a battery issue, though.
- UMD movies
In my office I have a both a Dell and an Apple laptop. Both batteries are recalled. Yeah for me.
Apple is claing 3-5 days to get teh replacement. Dell 4-6 weeks.
Gee. Apple's vaunted OS canot handle traffic to the website. Or will the Mac fanboys claim that Apple runs their website on IIS?
You don't have to turn it off if it is plugged in and the battery model number is, surprisingly, listed right after the text string "Model No.:" on the back of the battery.
...Dumbass.
So, either I'm functionally illiterate or your knowledge in this matter may be more patchy than solid.
Hint: functionally illiterate people tend not to use terms like "functionally illiterate", and when they do they spell it incorrectly.
These stories are free but worth money.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Those sites are so slashdotted, it's not even funny.
One of my friends actually has a case mod so his PC is also a (really slow) RC car, so don't make too many assumptions ;)
Who? Well in my experience about 50% (or slightly higher) of those doing professional or broadcast video. Sony, despite all the problems with consumer products, remains incredibly strong with pro-video. The only competition of note is Panasonic - and even they collaborate with Sony on some projects.
Oh I don't know, I think things could get much worse for them.
For instance, if the general public had any fucking clue as to what you are on about.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
This is one of those cases that warms the cockles of a language prescriptivist's heart. For some time, "notebook" (form factor) and "laptop" (usage style) have been used as if they were interchangeable; and we got away with conflating these distinct things for a while. Well, now the CPUs in computers with a particular form factor are pumping out lots of heat, we're finding out that the usage style no longer correlates strongly with that form factor.
... =}
Now, if only I can stop reflexively calling my MacBook a "laptop"
By U.S. rules? Not at all. Invasive surveillance of private computers is a felony at a minimum. Exploding batteries, certain proof of terrorist activities. If they can arrest the dude for trying to light his shoes on fire, or the idiots that thought they could take down the Brooklyn Bridge with torch cutters, then I's say absolutely.
Of course... you used the word 'terrorist'. Which makes me suspicious. Your papers please.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
Really not meaning to troll, but this got me thinking...
I must have gotten one of the lucky batteries, because my 17" powerbook is 3 years old, and the battery still holds a 3.5-4 hour charge with constant use. And not just websurfing either. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, among others.
Is there a way to calculate average life of these batteries?
Self proclaimed wannabe geek. You know how it is. Most of us who read this stuff probably fit in that category.
The Lithium in these batteries will be recycled; mainly it is easier to recover Lithium from batteries than it is to recover Lithium from its ore. Lithium is rare in the Universe, the conditions for its ore to form are rare, and Lithium is hard to recover from its ore. At any rate, Lithium is mined from the crystals that form at the top of pegamitic granite plutons. (Hah, eat that astronomers!) Pegamatitic granite is essentially granite that is made up of large crystals.
Impersonating Tycho from Penny Arcade since before there was a PA.
There was a study conducted somewhere that stated using a laptop on your lap can damage genitalia. The over heating essentially cooks your balls, possibly causing long-term. Of course, if you either don't have them (ya to being a woman!) or have/are ok with having them removed, then it's not an issue.
My battery isn't listed in the recall: https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batterye xchange/index.html
:(
iBook G4 12-inch battery model: A1061
serial number starts with ranges:
ZZ338-ZZ427
3K429-3K611
6C519-6C552
PowerBook G4 12-inch model: A1079
serial number starts with ranges:
ZZ411 - ZZ427
3K428 - 3K611
PowerBook G4 15-inch model: A1078 and A1148
serial number starts with ranges:
3K425 - 3K601
6N530 - 6N551
6N601
It is, however, down to about 75% of what used to be full capacity at full charge.
I wanted a new battery.
It has always been, in my dictionary, SONY mean good quality and buy-with-confidence. Now that I remember my first 'wtf' with SONY is when compact flash was out along with MemoryStick - Sony digital cameras were good but heck, I cannot allow myself get stuck with only their product with the memory that's pretty much not compatible with anything else.
in the meantime the CPSC release gives all the details
Be warned that the CPSC release and the Apple site have, as of a few minutes ago, different serial number ranges for the third group of 12" iBook batteries (6C626 vs 6C552). I'll probably have to wait for the phone lines to clear in order to find out if we need to replace one or two...
c.
Log in or piss off.
Anonymous Tip: "Handy", meaning "mobile phone", isn't used in English speaking countries; I believe it's strictly a German thing.
I'm really not trying to start anything. But... who wants to use a product that is limited to usage with 1 or 2 brands when you can use a format that is supported by nearly all companies? Uh... Mac users?
What's worse is that if you manage to get it it will tell you the battery is NOT on the list right now. I verified it was covered with someone i know but he had to get me to do the website form. I've got 2 g4 ibooks sitting here in the range and the site claims they are not covered under the program.
:)
I have concerns now about the batteries and I can't even get ahold of anyone. This sucks. I needed a new battery anyway but my wife's iBook is less than a year old. It might not be wise to run it on a battery at work, etc.
Worst of all, I have to take back some of the dell jokes I made.
Don't bother calling apple. They just redirect you to the dead server. Any in case anyone asks, apple seems to run OSX server, solaris and Windows/IIS on their servers according to netcraft. It could be any of the three.
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
You forgot Rootkit on Music CDs. Sony has been going downhill in terms of quality of product for past few years. IMHO Sony is giving up quality that they used to stand for profits.
Shawn's Tech Articles
I think a 'cycle count' is more a case of how many times the charger has been plugged in more than fully charge/discharge cycles - as I hardly ever take my machine off mains power - due to such sucky battery life. Hopefully, when I organise a replacement for this, I'll get some decent battery life!
Sendmail is like emacs: A nice operating system, but missing an editor and a MTA.
I wonder if there is any connection between the recall and the fact that the new PB battery I ordered last week is now on 6 week backorder.
I guess I'ma cancel that order and get a free one instead.
Beauty is truly in the eye of the tiger
Yeah... and the Vaio laptop I bought years ago. ($220 for a spare battery?!? CUMMON!)
if ($oProduct=='Sony') {
RunLikeHell();
}
I heard that Apple had to pull it's upcoming advertising campaign because of this:
:)
Nerdy PC Guy : My trousers are getting hot
Cool Apple Guy looks over at Nerdy PC Guy
Nerdy PC Guy catches fire
Cool Apple Guy looks smug and says "Should have bought a Mac"
Kind of loses it's edge now the Cool Apple Guy is on fire too
Is Sony loosing money off of this and the Dell recall as well? or are they making money since all of the replacements are still going to be provided by Sony? Who is taking the biggest loss here, the battery manufacturer or the computer manufacturer?
Something pointed out in Apples instructions is that the life of their Li-ion batteries is determined mostly by the number of charges, not hours of use. If you keep it plugged in and charging whenever possible, battery life will be greatly extended. What runs it down is a lot of draining and recharging. At least that's what they say; it's probably a bit more complicated than that.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
I wonder how many of these posts are from non-biased observers and how many are from XBox fanboys that want to see the demise of Sony? Zonk is definitely an Xbox fanboy.
NOTE: No Sony parts were used in the making of this computer.
Trojan DRM was bad enough, but a 5 million battery recall due to possible explosive fires? Ouch.
Someone was once developing Sulfur based high capacity batteries that were much smaller and
more powerful than current laptop batteries, whatever happened to that? Anyone know?
"I would encourage anyone with Sony batteries from Dell and other manufacturers to recheck the recall lists from time to time."
a spx
Good advice, but you forgot to give directions to the uninitiated.
Go to this URL to see if your Laptop battery is on the recall list.
https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/batterymodels.
Anyone else that Sony had an advert up on this story? If you did not, here is the screenshot.
I'll top that. I already had my 12" iBook G4 battery replaced last summer in the previous recall. I've owned the computer 20 months, and will now be getting my third battery. I'm starting to like Apple's "battery recall every summer" program, since I haven't even had a chance to use any of my batteries long enough for loss of capacity to be a problem.
Good point. I stand corrected.
"Sufferin' succotash."
you forgor
UMD
PSP
PS3
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
I was given an old P3-750 Vaio laptop to use while traveling, and as much as I hate everything about Sony and their products, you can't very well argue with free and lightweight. But this POS has turned out to be an even bigger POS than I imagined it would be. God, I hate Sony.
And great, now I'm just waiting for the keyboard to melt through - it really is just a cheap plastic that lays over the CPU heatsink. That'll be perfect. I've already had to replace the hard drive and the power connector. One of the speakers is dead. The touchpad just stopped working a few weeks ago. The CPU fan used to kick on for fifteen seconds out of every thirty, which was incredibly irritating just normally, but then when the fan bearings started to give out, the screeching would damn near make your ears bleed.
I couldn't afford to replace it, even if parts were available in South America, so I just yanked the CPU fan and set it to run at 600mhz. It doesn't get very hot to the touch, but I'm sure it ain't good. It's been running this way for many months now, and so far no keyboard burnthrough... but gee, it has just started spontaneously switching off. Sweet.
Anybody know of any decent IT gigs in Latin America? I need to make some dough and pick up a real computer before this one finally croaks for good.
On the bright side, more news of Sony products fucking up just makes me happy. I've always hated them. Die, Sony, die!
Carter... skip Carter
Joe rules!! http://www.scifi.com/eureka/cast/jo/ See her in the lastest one? And her line was perfect, it applied to that kid(guy) in the show and everyone watching. And I knew I saw her before somewhere..
Add Tom Cruise. He is the biggest hypocrite in the world. He is a belives in Scientology which echews all forms of modern and proven medicial devices and medicines but bought he an sonogram machine (how many people can buy one of those out of blue) to view their (Tom and Katie) child in the womb and this is strictly prohibit in Scientology. Now they discover too many un-needed sonograms are bad for the fetus.
Is Sony loosing money off of this and the Dell recall as well? or are they making money since all of the replacements are still going to be provided by Sony? Who is taking the biggest loss here, the battery manufacturer or the computer manufacturer?
1.1m in the US, 0.7m elsewhere = 1.8m
They may even get delisted like Lenovo in Hong Kong. Bad management by Sony in recent years are screwing up their company. Sony needs to stop playing management games and get on developing and making good if not great products they used to do. I had Walkman from the 1980's (yes I'm getting old so lay off) that still work even though most the words and symbols are worn off on it. Sony recently have been catering to financial figures rather good products and this where companies start their slippery slope down to oblivion.
So, if Dell recalls, the advice is "Switch to Apple".
If Apple is in the same shit, its "Sony's fault"???
Bravo!!
This is what vendors get for buying the "part o' the week". I'm sure that the poster below who is loosing both his Mac and his PC laptop would appreciate having something working. It's really sad that they charge so much and sell you such cheap crap!
2 cents,
QueenB
HDGary secures my bank
My 12 inch iBook is in the affected range, so I've been trying to get a replacement since I got home. The website says my battery serial number is invalid, and that I should call apple support (with a phone number given). I tried calling apple support, and pressing the battery recall option (#5, I think) and a couple menus later it tells me that phne support has been discontinued, use the website. I tried calling back and hitting 0, and it seemed to work but then I got a different voicing telling me "Sorry, you have a bad fetch error", and it hangs up on me. It sounds like Apple's support system is melting down. You'd think they would have put SOME thought into this beforehand....
// Dumps core here
I'm not sure about lifespan, but search for "coconutbattery" for a handy app to tell you how much life you've used up.
Happiness is like peeing yourself. Everybody can see it but only you can feel its warmth.
I'm not sure if there was some really subtle joke I missed in there, but you do realise QANTAS is a domestic and international airline, not a supplier of Apple parts, don't you?
Apple claims one of the serial number ranges for the 12-inch iBook batteries is:
e xchange/index.htmll
6C519 to 6C552
While the same row on the government's web page reads:
6C510 to 6C626
Which one is right?
https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/battery
http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.htm
My battery serial number was in the range for a recall according to the info, but when I entered it on the website it decided my computer was valid, but the battery serial number wasn't. After 50 minutes of being on hold (hurray for speakerphones) I found out there were some server issues and that they apparently were being worked out. Managed to get things taken care of over the phone while i was there already.
Guess I shouldn't complain... the battery was starting to not last as long and now it'll be back to full capacity in a few weeks (and hopefully less likely to burn my place down). Now only if I could get a charger I wouldn't have to worry about....
Cycle Count: 140
I think a 'cycle count' is more a case of how many times the charger has been plugged in more than fully charge/discharge cycles
I verified that. I had my PB plugged in, the little battery icon said 94%, and the System Info window said the Cycle Count was 664. I unplugged the charger, waited about a minute until the icon dropped to 93%, and plugged it back in. The Cycle Count went to 665. So it's counting times it's plugged in, not charge cycles.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
Hey wow, I think I can get my digicam fixed for free! Thanks for mentioning that CCD recall.
Or your Powerbook catches fire on the airplane and you get arrested for being a terrorist.
Do that again and see if it goes to 666 (!!!). I expect that it would stay at 665. As such, your experiment hasn't proved anything yet.
You should find that it is actually cycle count rather than the number of times it's been plugged in. I have a brand new MacBook Pro battery that has 1 cycle on it. It has been plugged and unplugged a number of times (>1) but only used for short bursts in those periods so it hasn't yet got to the full discharge to click over the cycle count.
Do that again and see if it goes to 666 (!!!). I expect that it would stay at 665. As such, your experiment hasn't proved anything yet.
I tried it when it was at 99%, and you guessed right. It stayed at 99%. So I unplugged it again, let it sit for a minute or so until it dropped to 98%, plugged it in, hit CMD-R to update the data - and it still said 665.
So I guess I don't know what it's counting. Both times I tried the experiment (unplug, wait for it to drop by 1%, plug in, CMD-R). Both were in the same "charge cycle" (i.e., the charge hadn't yet reached 100%. One time was counted; one wasn't.
Something I noticed that might mean something: The first test was with the power adapter's cute little light in the plug in its orange state, which it usually does when charging. The second time, it was green. Mostly this means that it's fully charged, but it seems to turn green before the charge icon reaches 100%. Presumably this is somehow significant, but the info I can find was obviously written for idiots, and doesn't actually impart any wisdom on the topic. I'm also mildly curious about the fact that it seems to do this with a 2-wire connector; I suppose that could be determined by voltage level or current draw, but I don't know.
Which does remind me that I had yet another PB power adapter flake out and die just yesterday. The plug's light started dimming irregularly, then it flickered a few times, then it went out. I unplugged it, plugged it back in, and it went bright green again - for a few minutes. Then it repeated the light show, and after that, it didn't come back. I have a "Kill a Watt" toy that tells me it's drawing no power now, though I do hear a faint bzzt when I plug it in. It's only about 3 months old.
Those power adapters sure are fragile.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
A charge cycle is 100% of battery usage - however distributed. It doesn't have to do with the charge displayed in your menubar and a charge cycle can click over at any level of charge.
For example: Use 20% charge down to 80%, recharge, use 10%, recharge, use 70% is one charge cycle
Another example: Use 5% twenty times is one charge cycle.
What I think you demonstrated is that prior to unplugging it the first time you had used 99% of a charge cycle. It should take a further cumulated 100% before you click over to the next charge cycle.
Apple's power management means that it doesn't start to recharge until you drop below 95% charge. The first time you were at 93% and it started recharging (orange light), the second time you were at 99 and 98% so it didn't start recharging (green light). It does this to minimise the number of small charge cycles and thereby maximise battery life. (Lots of 1% charges could do bad things to your battery it would seem.)
It's unforgivingly hot when I'm using it on my lap.
Um, me too! (I swore I'd never do that. Damn.)
Anyways, I've taken the battery out and it's still too hot. Sorry, it's looks like we're stuck with it. Hope that helps,
-AC
Don't forget the rootkit =D
What? We blamed Sony for the Dell recall too. Apple has been having battery problems just as much as Dell has recently. They just look better when on fire.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
QANTAS (the national airline here in .au) recently banned using DELL laptops inflight on battery power because of the risks of explosion. Will they ban Apples now too? OR will they ban all laptops?
Indeed it was: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html
Sorry, I did slightly misspell the name - but only slightly. It is actually "Quanta". They are a taiwanese company that does contract manufacturing of electronics - most notably notebook computers for Apple, Dell, and others.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
to be fair, minidiscs were great for a period of time, filling a gap that existed between the crappy walkman/tape-based recorder and the digital hd/flash memory mp3 players/recorders we have nowadays.
But yes, everything else Sony does is crap. As a computer repair man, I've run into some sony VAIO laptops that are some of the best, most userfriendly laptops I've seen (surviving water damage), and some that are unsupported under OSes they report to be supported under (XP early on, for example). Others have just be piles of rubbish, as far as I'm concerned.
So it's hit or miss. And they'll install a virus on your computer. And if it will help make them money, give you syphillis. But lay off the minidiscs, man.
Please stop stalking me, bro.
Aha. That makes a bit more sense, then. ;)
Now you've got me scared!!! I have 3 batteries that are on the recall list. I hope they arrive soon!
The bits on the bus go on and off... on and off... on and off...
> If it says Sony .. run.
Good thing my computer says "VAIO" on them.
My gf has these batteries. Within 10 minutes you can get a blister from touching the back of her laptop. I told her to sue sony if they would not take it back. So far it overheated once where she had to get a cpu replacement. She always wonders if the fans are working inside her notebook. That could be a possibility but I wont open it as it would void her warranty.
THe batteries last maybe an hour before running otu of juice and its an overpriced piece of crap in my opinion. She even has one of the USB notebook cooler pads from Target and it still gets warm and her battery is the hottest part.
Thank god for my el cheapo Compaq pressario notebook. Its quite nice compared to her $400 more Viao.
http://saveie6.com/
My compaq pressario is cool to the touch always.
It varies on processor type and ratings from zdnet. Look for via or intel chips if you want cool books.
http://saveie6.com/
I believe this is the URL you're looking for.
The bits on the bus go on and off... on and off... on and off...
I wonder how much stock Steve Jobs dumped before this news broke.
That's how Apple works, right? Insider trading is ok?
You may never experience the burnthrough if you use it as a laptop and use its own screen. If you use the docking station or an external monitor and keep the lid closed when it is guaranteed to happen. Happened to all 5 my company bought once upon a time. This was before I took control of IT purchasing, put it in order, made it based strictly on technological merit and handed it to a collegue to do from there on. We still use this Sony debacle as an example to explain to users the fact that "You do not get to chose what we buy you no matter what your job title is".
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
Also, Apple recalled some of these same batteries about 1.5 years ago. I guess now that it's apparent that the exploding batteries were Sony's fault, they're just refreshing (and extending) their exchange program.
Mine is in range according to a reading of the page, but their script is telling me that the battery serial no. is ineligible. I'd like a nice new battery, too. This one has lost some its capacity, and it's got so many dents and dings that I think I'm warping the frame of the PowerBook when I put it in.
Yep. It was on Shasldot, too. However, they didn't recall the cameras. Unfortunately, my good old Canon Powershot A70 also had one of those faulty Sony CCD sensors... :-(
Except the cameras weren't recalled, and Sony makes over half the CCDs used in digital cameras. And Joe Blow doesn't know Sony even made at CCD, so don't worry about Joe Blow's opinion of Sony due to this CCD stuff.
A couple failed and were replaced?
Big whup. They're only batting 99.5% now.
People don't bother to learn much about numbers and statistics, that's for sure.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
No, that previous recall concerned a different range of batteries, made by LG Chem.
latst prost!
Yeah, youre right-I actually knew that....
Mac zealots are feverishly working on a way to blame this all on Microsoft.
Sony's Vaio series use Windows, so Microsoft brought some pressure to bear through licensing to force Sony to sabotage the batteries destined for Apple. Its obvious, really.
Blank until
Just so you know, Handy is only a German word, I think. The rest of the world uses "mobile phone" or "cell phone" or "hand phone" (well, the last one is an Asian thing; I've heard that in Singapore and Korea so far but nowhere in the US or Europe)
OSx86 FTW
Where is your laptop made? I have a VAIO (Model number PCG-TR5EB) that I've been using since June 2004 that has survived a couple of water spills into the keyboard. Its only current fault is that the left mouse button on the trackpad is a bit... sticky. It's made in Japan. I have another (PCG-V505) that died (won't charge or boot) after a little bit of condensation on the outside of the case while it was off. That one was made in the US. I checked the labels on both. I always buy Sony- but only in Japan. Their "export" models (American-made laptops) have always been more problematic for me than their "domestic" models (Japan-made laptops). Now, maybe you have some evidence to prove that their problems are across the board. But at least their warranty is better in Japan. It covers water, fire, and impact damage (basically, most forms of accidental damage). Their US warranty does not. Sure I have to get used to the Japanese interface, but it brings me better peace of mind knowing that the laptop will work for a long time.
OSx86 FTW
1. apple_batt.c:
./a.out
#include
int main (void){
for (i = 1000000; i >= 0; i--){
printf ("%d batteries on recall. %d batteries! Take one down, bury it in the ground. %d Apple batteries on recall.", i, i, i-1);
}
}
2. gcc apple_batt.c
3.
SON¥ is paying for both the Dell and Apple recall and saids it will cost them less than 200 million euro.
That works out 34 euro per battery including shipping, handling and processing of the old one!!!
So normaly there is an unbelievable markup on batteries because a spare one is costing about 140 euro excluding shipping.
They cannot refurbish the batteries because it is impossible to test which cell would fail.
Your joke raises a good question though...what are they going to do with all of these batteries? There's some pretty nasty chemicals in there and they need proper disposal. This is going to cost Sony a lot more than just the replacements. Unless they ship them to China I guess!!
"There's some pretty nasty chemicals in there and they need proper disposal."
Too bad Packard Bell is not still around. These batteries would be perfect to sell to Packard Bell so they could put them in their nice new laptop computers for sale.
Where were you when the voynix came?
Follow up: My computer is indeed eligible for a New battery. The Battery has the correct model and serial numbers listed on Apple's battery recall website... however... when I enter the information into the web form to get a new Battery, the form craps out and says "Invalid Serial Number or not eligible" So... I tried to call the hotline.... Busy Tone... and for some reason the busy town sounds especially irritating... as if it Knows 1.8 million people are trying to call all at once.
--------========+++Dont Feed The Lab Techs+++========--------
They should put a sign on these batteries... "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY" Hey! Maybe thats the first old battery hack! (ducks)
It looks like Sony suffered a huge blow - from this article Apple Battery recalls to deal blow to Sony's nascent recovery
Yes, Im aware of it now, thank you. And I havent heard "hand phone" before, sounds kinda strange. Well, another thing /. is good for: teaching english to idiots like me . ;)
To begin the battery exchange process, you will be asked for the serial number of your iBook G4 or PowerBook G4, the serial number of your battery and a ship to address.
I wonder how Apple Authorized Service Providers who have a few spare batteries on stock are supposed to utilize this.
this is the US model.. i have 4 of them .. each with the exact same issue.. i ended up jsut taking the drives out of them and putting them in cheap enclosures and giving them to guys on the road..
i have been tempted to rip one of the lcd's out and try and make it work on a normal vga card.. but can't find anything about the pin outs for the screen
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
Some MacBook Pro batteries are also being recalled, although they say they don't pose a safety risk:
h ange/
https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexc
- Star Wars: Galaxies
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Are the batteries in danger of catching fire when just sitting on a shelf, discharging, charging, or what? Inquiring minds need to know...
Technical editing and writing, programming, and web development
What I want to know is exactly how many lithium ions are being recalled?
NZ users can either visit their local Apple service provider, or order their free replacement online here:
http://www.totallymac.com/batteryexchange/
If Apple is in the same shit, its "Sony's fault"???
No, I think the correct response is "It's a FEATURE!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
....about that time the smoking Intel Bunny comes out... he's wearing this little screen... It says "Dell".... transforms to an Apple logo..... then as it transforms into "Sony" sparks start shooting out.
Those little terrorists at Sony have been at it again. First the rootkits, now the batteries. Let's hope they don't start putting things in cereal boxes.
As much grief as it'd cause, maybe we'd better disallow laptops with batteries on airplanes, even as cargo. How hard would it be for someone to set a machine to wake up and have an S.C.R. short the battery? Scarey stuff.
It seems that a great number of Slashdot posts are flamebait,
and may result in explosive posting of combustible comments.
Here ya go:Oops... forgot slashdot ran on perl...
And of course in true slashdot fashion, I transposed the last two operators. Classic.