Sony's Spontaneous Combustion

USER BEWARE!

Your laptop may burst into flames!

If it's not powered by Sony, relax.

From The Financial Times:

Sony’s crisis over potentially flammable batteries deepened further on Thursday as US product safety regulators said Apple Computer was to recall 1.8m batteries because they presented a fire hazard.

The voluntary recall follows a similar move by Dell, which this month recalled more than 4m Sony batteries amid reports that they could cause computers to overheat and, in rare cases, explode into flames.

The recall applies to 1.1m batteries sold in the US and 700,000 batteries sold outside the US. It comes amid heightened concerns about the safety of Lithiumion battery packs commonly used in laptop computers. A number of videos and news stories describing fires caused by laptops spontaneously bursting into flames have circulated on the internet.

From the Associated Press:

Apple Computer Inc. on Thursday recalled 1.8 million Sony-built notebook batteries that could overheat and catch fire, just 10 days after Dell Inc.'s record-setting recall involving the same problem and the same supplier.

Apple said it has received nine reports of lithium-ion battery packs overheating, including two cases in which users suffered minor burns. There have been instances of minor property damage, Apple said.

Apple's announcement comes 10 days after Dell Inc.'s recall of 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries — the largest involving electronics in the history of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Both companies' batteries were made by Sony Energy Devices Corp. of Japan.

In a statement, Sony said the problems arise "on rare occasions" when microscopic metal particles in the recalled battery cells hit other parts of the cell and lead to a short circuit.

Both recalls are expected to cost Sony between $172 million and $278 million.

The recall was not expected to materially affect Apple's financial results, said spokesman Steve Dowling

Apple shares fell 27 cents, to $67.04, in Thursday afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The latest recall covers 1.1 million rechargeable batteries in the 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptops sold in the United States from October 2003 through August 2006. The recall also covers an additional 700,000 batteries in laptops sold abroad, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Is this the end of the recall, or is this just the beginning?

Will there be more recalls on faulty products?

Who knows?

In the meantime, I think it would be wise to keep an eye on any Sony merchandise you may own.

Treat it like an open flame. Never leave a burning candle unattended, that sort of thing.