Apple recalls 1.8 million Sony (Mac laptop) batteries [View All]

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SAN FRANCISCO - Ten days after Dell's record-setting notebook battery recall, Apple Computer Inc. told its customers Thursday to return 1.8 million batteries that could cause their Mac laptops to overheat and catch fire.

Both recalls involve lithium-ion batteries made by a Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). subsidiary in Japan, where the manufacturing process introduced metal particles into battery cells. Makers of battery cells strive to minimize or eliminate the presence of such particles, which can cause computers to short circuit, or, in extreme situations, catch fire.

In its recall announcement, Apple said it has received nine reports of lithium-ion battery packs overheating, including two cases in which users suffered minor burns and some involving minor property damage. The Apple recall only applies to older notebooks — not the just-released MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

On Aug. 14, Dell Inc. recalled 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries — the largest involving electronics in the history of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_hi_te/apple_battery_recall