Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/30/japan_apple_battery_probe/
Japan's trade ministry has given Apple a week to explain why one of the Mac maker's notebooks allegedly burst into flames in April this year and to detail what's being done to make sure the incident isn't repeated.
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry yesterday revealed one owner of an iBook G4 received minor injuries after their computer caught fire. According to a Ministry statement cited by Agence France Presse, the machine contained a Sony-made battery.
The Ministry's revelation comes a week after Apple announced it would replace 1.8m batteries (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/24/apple_battery_recall/) shipped with a variety of its iBook and PowerBook laptop computers sold between October 2003 and August 2006.
On 14 August, Dell said it was recalling 4.1m notebook batteries (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/14/dell_laptop_recall/) after a spate of reports of laptops catching fire. At that point, only a single instance of an Apple machine going up in smoke had been reported. That incident took place in Norway (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/03/more_laptops_burn/).
Sony has been named as the battery supplier behind both the Apple and Dell recalls. Both Sony and Dell have also been asked to make a formal report to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. ®
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http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/04/fujitsu_battery_recall/
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http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/26/apple_imac_802-11n/
Man saves laptop from battery blaze (25 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/25/man_saves_laptop/
Virgin tells travellers to remove Apple, Dell laptop batteries (14 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/14/virgin_apple_dell_battery_ban/
Canon to recall personal copiers (13 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/13/canon_copiers_smoke/
Apple to launch movie store, new iPods next week? (4 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/04/apple_12_sept_launch_details/
Dell laptop detonates in UK home (1 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/01/dell_laptop_combustion_uk/
Mac OS X-friendly OpenOffice to go public next month (30 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/30/aqua_openoffice_goes_public/
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http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/24/apple_battery_recall/
'Zippo' battery recall could cost Sony $430m and a truck (16 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/16/sony_recall_cost/
Dell recalls 4.1m laptop batteries (14 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/14/dell_laptop_recall/
Two more laptops light up (3 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/03/more_laptops_burn/
Dell laptop smoked in Singapore (31 July 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/31/dell_laptop_burned_in_sinagpore/
Apple requests return of MacBook Pro batteries (31 July 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/31/apple_battery_recall/