[reybart]

Check this out!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...pple_recall_dc

[iREZ]

Whoa nice catch, I guess a new battery isn't that bad a deal for some 15" owners.

[d.fine]

Mine is HQ402, damn oh well, at least I know it isn't gonna catch fire

[tavilach]

A sure way to make me feel more confident about my PowerBook!

I can't figure out how to remove my battery, to checck if it's infected. In the manual, it says to stick a coin in the latch, and twist it. I did that, but nothing happens. There's a little metal button next to it, and when I press it, five LED's turn on and then off. I can't figure out how to get this damn battery out!

[d.fine]

Originally posted by tavilach:
I can't figure out how to get this damn battery out!

Stick the coin in there and turn till the battery pops out, thats all ... (make sure your PB isn't plugged in and all that ! )

[tavilach]

Originally posted by d.fine:
Stick the coin in there and turn till the battery pops out, thats all ... (make sure your PB isn't plugged in and all that ! )

Haha, my PB wasn't plugged it...but oops, it was sleeping. Yoink. I'll turn it off.

/me slaps himself really hard

Edit: I unplugged everything, turned it off, and turned 1/4 of the way. If I turn it any more, I'm scared that I'll break it.

Edit: Oops, nevermind. I was only turning it 1/8 of the way. Hah. There we go.

Edit: "The recalled batteries have the Model Number: A1045 and serial numbers that begin with: HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408."

My battery: A1078, HQ421XXXXXXX [Edit: don't post your whole damned SN, silly! --tooki]

Yay!

[Lancer409]

any 12 inch batteries involved?

[tavilach]

Originally posted by Lancer409:
any 12 inch batteries involved?

Nope . It's only a select few of 15" batteries.

[cal6n]

I think I'll wait for a while and monitor my battery carefully. The machine in general has been cooler than my 800 TiBook. No point swapping out while my battery's in good condition. Then, towards the end of the program, I get a new one!

[Voch]

Originally posted by cal6n:
I think I'll wait for a while and monitor my battery carefully. The machine in general has been cooler than my 800 TiBook. No point swapping out while my battery's in good condition. Then, towards the end of the program, I get a new one!

Isn't the point of this that the batteries are potentially dangerous? If your battery is one of the recalled ones and Apple is recalling them and replacing them for free, I say get a new one NOW.

[Synotic]

Grr, I was hoping to get my battery replaced. My sub 2 hour battery life is quite annoying

[f1000]

Voch is right. If your PB falls under the recall category, then you should ask for a new battery ASAP.

[wuzup101]

This is taken from the e-mail apple sent me:


Dear Apple Customer:

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other international safety authorities, Apple is voluntarily recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable batteries that were sold worldwide from January 2004 through August 2004 for use with 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) notebook computers. Apple has initiated an exchange program and will provide you with a new replacement battery, free of charge.

Issue - The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. Apple received four reports of these batteries overheating. No injuries have been reported. Apple urges you to stop using your battery and to order a replacement battery immediately. If you continue to use your battery, do not leave it unattended and check for signs of overheating.

Product - The recalled batteries have the Model Number: A1045 and serial numbers that begin with: HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. Batteries with the affected serial numbers contain cells that were manufactured by LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea during the last week of December 2003 only. The model and serial numbers are located on the label on the bottom of the battery, and can be viewed by removing the battery from the computer. The serial number is printed in black lettering beneath a barcode. The battery is approximately 4.75-inches long by 3.25-inches wide by .75-inches high. The label located on the bottom of the battery reads in part, "15-inch PowerBook G4 Rechargeable Battery" and "Model No: A1045."

No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are part of this recall.

What to do - To begin the battery exchange process, go to Apple's website at:
(http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange)

You will be asked for the serial number of your 15-inch PowerBook G4, the serial number of your PowerBook battery and a ship to address. 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. If you do not have access to the website listed above, please call Apple at 800-275-2273 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Central time, seven days a week, for further assistance.

Thank you for your cooperation with this exchange program.

Apple

Copyright (c) 2004 Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 303-3DM, Cupertino, CA 95014. All rights reserved.
(http://www.apple.com/legal/default.html)

Privacy Policy
(http://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/)

[ICD2k3]

wooo I have 2 15" batteries and neither of em need to be recalled...Yippie!

BTW 2 batteries are great for long trips

[Alex00087]

I just checked mine, looks like I need to get it replaced. But you have to send back the bad battery so its not like you're getting a 2nd battery for free. darn.

[Snake]

I wonder what they will do if they don't receive the recalled battery back?

It would be nice to have 2 batterys, mine is working fine

[chris v]

Well, I am one of the select few. I ordered a spare, though, and it's not in the recall. So one out of two goes back. Glad I ordered that spare, now.

[wuzup101]

Originally posted by chris v:
Well, I am one of the select few. I ordered a spare, though, and it's not in the recall. So one out of two goes back. Glad I ordered that spare, now.

The space wouldn't really matter in this case because they send you a new batt first and then you send your old one back...

[Person Man]

Originally posted by Snake:
I wonder what they will do if they don't receive the recalled battery back?

It would be nice to have 2 batterys, mine is working fine

They will probably charge your credit card then. My old Lombard PowerBook was affected by a problem where the DVD drive door mechanism was about a millimeter too long, and sometimes it would prevent the computer from booting up properly.

Apple made me give them a credit card number before they sent the replacement drive to me to make sure that I sent my old one back to them. (They would only charge the card if they didn't receive the drive within a week or two).

They did the same thing with the power cord recall (for the same machine). Used a credit card number to make sure that the old cord was sent back.

They're probably doing the same thing this time, too.

[chris v]

Originally posted by wuzup101:
The space wouldn't really matter in this case because they send you a new batt first and then you send your old one back...

Ah, I missed that part. That mitigates things greatly. (this is my third go-around with defects on this PB) Nice to see them handling it in the best possible manner.

[MrCaN]

Ok, on the website they say that you can find the battery serial number from the system profilier, ok how, I can't figure it out, anyone else know how.

[Alex00087]

I just looked for the serial number on the actual battery. Also, when I ordered a new battery, they DID NOT ask for a Credit Card? Perhaps I can try keeping this perfectly fine battery.

[tungtied07]

Originally posted by Alex00087:
I just looked for the serial number on the actual battery. Also, when I ordered a new battery, they DID NOT ask for a Credit Card? Perhaps I can try keeping this perfectly fine battery.

My battery is not under the recall too

I recommend that you return the battery even if they don't ask for a credit card number In the past, when I got user end replacement parts for my old ibook (keyboard, battery, etc), they wanted a credit card number on file, but they also sent one of those receipt/invoices later in the US mail to say that they received the defective part or something like that to notify you they did not charge your credit card. (if they did, they will probably show the price that you will need to pay...)

[PER3]

When they say 'overheat' and 'fire hazard', do they mean 'explode and burn'? Ever since I saw those photos of the exploded 17" PowerBook, I have been very uncomfortable taking my laptop onto the metro. Sure, the 'Book in question was being charged when it went off, but all the same... And I even leave my battery at home when flying internationally. I just don't feel so good even imagining the consequences of a burning/exploding laptop in an overhead locker 10,000m above the Sea of Japan.

So does anyone know exactly what they mean by 'overheating'?

[veryniceguy2002]

Originally posted by Snake:
I wonder what they will do if they don't receive the recalled battery back?

It would be nice to have 2 batterys, mine is working fine

In theory if your PowerBook explode or in flames or smoke with that battery on, Apple won't take any responsibility, and your warranty would be void, plus your insurance might not cover such damage.

[tooki]

Originally posted by PER3:
When they say 'overheat' and 'fire hazard', do they mean 'explode and burn'? Ever since I saw those photos of the exploded 17" PowerBook, I have been very uncomfortable taking my laptop onto the metro. Sure, the 'Book in question was being charged when it went off, but all the same... And I even leave my battery at home when flying internationally. I just don't feel so good even imagining the consequences of a burning/exploding laptop in an overhead locker 10,000m above the Sea of Japan.

So does anyone know exactly what they mean by 'overheating'?

What exploding 17"? Link?

tooki

[cal6n]

Originally posted by tooki:
What exploding 17"? Link?

tooki

It's not a 17", it's a15" and the photo is here:

http://www.powerbook-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1154

A picture is worth a thousand words! I think I'll get it done ASAP!

[PER3]

Tooki,

I remember some discussion on one of the Mac boards a while back, but can't remember which one.

The original post with pictures was on the French site cal6n linked (and yeah, it was 15" and not 17").

Hang on - I just found the thread - in MacNN - in which a 'Tooki' also participated...

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?threadid=206731

And while we're on exploding batteries, here's a link that explains things pretty well:

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=14417

I'm just wondering when they are going to be banned by the airlines.. I mean I can't take my toe clippers on board, but there's no problem with a potential bomb?

[thetman]

I placed my order for a replacement battery yesterday mid-day say 12 to 1pm It got here this morning around 11am or so. that was fast. they tell you to drain the old battery for some reason. the replacement is model A1078

[intake]

Same thing for me. I ordered yesterday around 3pm MDT, and here it is 1:35pm MDT, new battery installed. Must be costing the battery manufacturer a fortune in shipping costs.

Of course that is quickly offset if a battery or two blows up and take a laptop and user with it.

[Drakino]

Originally posted by tavilach:
Haha, my PB wasn't plugged it...but oops, it was sleeping. Yoink. I'll turn it off.

/me slaps himself really hard

The Powerbook should have remianed in sleep for a few minutes with the battery out. It's a feature to allow a person to swap batteries when one runs low.

[d.fine]

Originally posted by cal6n:
It's not a 17", it's a15" and the photo is here:

http://www.powerbook-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1154

A picture is worth a thousand words! I think I'll get it done ASAP!

Yikes; wouldn't want that happening while working on it

[veryniceguy2002]

Originally posted by cal6n:
It's not a 17", it's a15" and the photo is here:

http://www.powerbook-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1154

A picture is worth a thousand words! I think I'll get it done ASAP!

Excuse my French, but I think that thread was started (with the photos) on 30 December 2003. Apple battery recall was manufactured between January and August 2004.

So, either that battery was not the same kind as the ones Apple try to recall (i.e. we are talking totally different stuff), or Apple haven't told us the whole turth...

[Person Man]

Originally posted by veryniceguy2002:
So, either that battery was not the same kind as the ones Apple try to recall (i.e. we are talking totally different stuff), or Apple haven't told us the whole turth...

Same type of battery. Yes, Apple is telling the whole truth.

Lithium Ion batteries of ANY type (laptop, cell phone, etc) and ANY brand have the ability to explode if overcharged. That's why all LiIon batteries have circuitry to protect against this. There is no such thing as having electronic items be 100% perfect, especially given the limitations of current technology.

The batteries Apple is currently recalling were all substandard and can be traced back to the manufacturer. But, that does not mean that you can be 100% sure that the new battery won't explode, nor does that mean that Apple is not being honest about the scope of the recall.

In reality, there is probably something like a 0.000000002% chance (1 in 500 million) of something like this happening to anyone. Very small, but it CAN happen (and in most cases, Apple SHOULD NOT be held liable because they have no REASONABLE [key word--- reasonable] way of knowing that it would happen to that particular battery at that particular time and place. They still have to outline that there is a risk that this can happen-- read through all the fine print on the stuff that comes with a new battery).

This recall situation is different because Apple KNOWS that there is a problem with a certain batch of batteries. Let's say that this batch has a 0.00000001% chance (1 in 100 million, or five times more likely) of having one explode. In this case, if Apple did not recall the batteries, and one in that batch explodes, then Apple WOULD be liable, because they knew that that batch was 5 times more likely to explode than other batteries they sold, but did nothing about it.

No conspiracy here, folks, just coincidence and bad luck.

Note that I made the numbers up. The real numbers are probably smaller (meaning that the real chances are higher in real life), but still small enough that a REASONABLE person should not worry.

Here are a few references:

Exploding Laptop Batteries

Another article that mentions the risk of exploding batteries

Here's a quote from that French message board linked above.

Mais rassurez vous, c'est un cas extr�mement rare, mais ca surprend. La r�paration est prise sous garantie, et il n'y a pas eu de bless�s, l'ordi �tant en veille...

You don't have to even know French to understand that "extr�mement rare" means "extremely rare"

[Alex00087]

Does anyone know the phone number to call to schedule the pickup of the recalled battery? I can't seem to find it on the "return label" as the letter from Apple says.