Powerbook/iBook Battery Recall

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Apple has announced (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml05/05179.html) a product recall of batteries used in various models of it's portable line sold between October 2004 and May 2005. According to the recall, an internal electrical short can occur in the battery cells causing it to overheat, posing a fire threat. The models affected are:

12-inch iBook G4 A1061 HQ441 – HQ507
12-inch PowerBook G4 A1079 3X446 – 3X510
15-inch PowerBook G4 A1078 3X446 – 3X509

Powerbook batteries have previously been subject to recall (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/08/20040819145521.shtml) in August of 2004.

[JonMaker]

Yet another good reason to wait for the next rev., IMHO.

[uv23]

I was hoping it would be a recall of older batteries. My 1GHz 12" PB now gets 45 min on the battery if I'm lucky. POS.

[mainstreetmark]

Man, my eyes didn't get much passed "Powerbook" as the first word of the first rumor before I began to get a bit excited.

Sadness ensued, as battery recalls are not exciting.

[Sophipod]

Cool, New I guess i get a new battery

[MacNeXT]

I have one of these. Does it also Apply to Europe? Can't find it on www.apple.nl.

[mymemory]

Yeah, my 1Ghz is not giving too much time neither but I am having lost of troubles with the Blue Tooth lately. The computer does not recognize my keyboard and mouse and I have to turn it of, take of the batery, unplug the machine and hold the strt button for 5 seconds to reset the internal memory and then is all fine.

I am really waiting for a 12" with lighted keyboard though.

[Gimzotoy]

I was hoping it would be a recall of older batteries. My 1GHz 12" PB now gets 45 min on the battery if I'm lucky. POS.

I know of not a single person with a 12" RevB PowerBook that has not had their battery crap out on them. We got screwed on that one... Mine died 3 days after the 1 year warranty was up, obviously Apple chose not to do anything (the AppleCare you purchase does not cover batteries). It literally went from 3 or so hours of life to about 30-40 minutes in something like 2 days. A cell or two must have broken. I had to buy another battery off eBay just to be able to use the machine. Looks like they haven't made any progress in the poor quality battery department... they really need to start pushing whoever supplies these things.

[longofest]

Well, at least Apple is taking care of the problem. I know Dell has had to issue similar types of recalls that has affected the school that I work at, so don't think that Apple is the only company that has to issue these kind of recalls from time to time. All companies do. And hey, if you get your lap set on fire, you can get yourself a lawsuit! Just no finger claims please ;)

[derspringer]

My 12" PB's battery has serial number 3X4530XXXXXX, which seems to be in the recalled range, but Apple's website says it's not valid. Anyone else have that problem?

[Grunt]

I hope they get this fixed for the incoming iBook update... would hate to have to delay a purchase because of this :eek:

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Yet another good reason to wait for the next rev., IMHO.Why? I have the rev A iBook G4 and that's not included in the recall. It's just a bad batch of batteries, not a design flaw... :rolleyes:

[~Shard~]

Let's hope ths is another improvement (battery quality control) Apple makes when it eventually updates the iBook/PowerBook lines. (Of course, these things do happen...)

I'm still hoping for an announcement by WWDC...

[swissmann]

Cool, New I guess i get a new battery

Exactly new free batteries are always nice.

[longofest]

My 12" PB's battery has serial number 3X4530XXXXXX, which seems to be in the recalled range, but Apple's website says it's not valid. Anyone else have that problem?

Look for the MODEL number, not the serial number. The Model number will be indicative of if your battery is in the recall.

[virividox]

yikes!!! no flaming laptops hopefully

[narco]

Well, next time my sister complains that her powerbook is so hot it's burning her leg, I will pay a little more attention to the matter.

Fishes,
narco.

[NevadaJack]

Easy solution..buy the 17" PB. I have one for sale on the Marketplace forum and it includes not only the installed battery, but a spare as well. They must be using a different manufacturer or different hook up with the 17" PB because it has not been subject to this problem.

[munkle]

I know of not a single person with a 12" RevB PowerBook that has not had their battery crap out on them. We got screwed on that one... Mine died 3 days after the 1 year warranty was up, obviously Apple chose not to do anything (the AppleCare you purchase does not cover batteries). It literally went from 3 or so hours of life to about 30-40 minutes in something like 2 days. A cell or two must have broken. I had to buy another battery off eBay just to be able to use the machine. Looks like they haven't made any progress in the poor quality battery department... they really need to start pushing whoever supplies these things.

Count me in with the crap battery crew. My Rev B gets about 1-1.5 hours of battery time, if I'm not doing anything intensive.

[hob]

Count me in with the crap battery crew. My Rev B gets about 1-1.5 hours of battery time, if I'm not doing anything intensive.
In the last 3 months I've noticed the battery's just crapped out on my Rev B (I think it's Rev B - 1GHz G4 Powerbook 12"...) anyhoo - yes. Only 1:20 or so when just using it normally... And I will have to buy a new one eventually - I'm not covered on this recall... Unless... :D

[shambolic]

Look for the MODEL number, not the serial number. The Model number will be indicative of if your battery is in the recall.
It's a combination of both - my 15" Powerbook (latest model) does have the model of battery that's being recalled (A1078), but my serial is 3K501, whereas the recalled range is 3X446-509.

Which apparently means I'm safe from having my desk/pants/whatever burst into flame while using my PB. *fingers crossed* :eek:

[johnnowak]

Mmmhm. Same here. 1:20 when idling, as low as 0:40 under heavy stress. Bleh!

[nFinity]

My model number is A1079 but my serial starts with 3K50 - so this doesn't apply to me?

[munkle]

In the last 3 months I've noticed the battery's just crapped out on my Rev B (I think it's Rev B - 1GHz G4 Powerbook 12"...) anyhoo - yes. Only 1:20 or so when just using it normally... And I will have to buy a new one eventually - I'm not covered on this recall... Unless... :D

Yeah, that's the Rev B, sounds like we got a bum deal. I was hoping the recall would cover us lot as well...bugger!

[SiliconAddict]

Recalls are good. Less you have the following happen..... :eek:


http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/BoomBook/PHTO0009.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/BoomBook/PHTO0011.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/BoomBook/PHTO0015.jpg


Sorry if I made people cry or faint. Poor PowerBook. Where do PowerBooks go when they die? :confused: :D

[Windowlicker]

Could this be the reason my mom still hasn't received her 12" ibook she ordered about 2 months ago.. :Q

Also, has anyone been experiencing lack of pink iPod mini 6Gb model? a friend ordered one of those about a month ago and she's still not getting to use it...

[bartelby]

My Powerbook is from the right time but the battery isn't inside the serial number range.

I'm glad I don't have a potential problem, but I'd like a nice new battery for free...
Oh well.


SiliconAddict - please don't post things like that!!! My Powerbook saw it!!

[iGary]

I can't find my serial number on my iBook itself. Where it is? :confused:

I found the battery serial fine.

[~Shard~]

Let's hope that both better quality control and extended battery life are going to be enhancements for the new iBooks/PowerBooks. Longer battery life should be do-able, as are batteries which don't explode. ;)

[iGary]

Battery life is already great. :D

[joepunk]

Off to check my batteries even though I recieved it the month before the recall begins. Just to be on the safe side

Luckly I was using one of my roommates compaq instead of my PB when I saw your posted pics SiliconAddict. Otherwise my PB's batteries might have gone regardless :D

EDIT: Model# A1078 (not looking good)
Serial# 3K4323

Missed it by a narrow margin. untill next time

[munkle]

Since people are looking up their serial numbers, here's (http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html) a pretty cool site. Enter your serial number and it'll return a lot of info about your Mac :)

[AoWolf]

New Battery!

Ditto

[bartelby]

I can't find my serial number on my iBook itself. Where it is? :confused:

I found the battery serial fine.

On a Powerbook it inside the battery bay, on one of the sides. Might be the same for iBooks.

[swiftaw]

I can't find my serial number on my iBook itself. Where it is? :confused:

I found the battery serial fine.

Click the apple logo in the top left of your screen, select About this mac,

when the window appears click twice where it says Version, it should first change to Build, and then to Serial Number.

[outerspaceapple]

Yeah, i've got an '02 PowerBook G4 Titanium. You remember, back in the day when 800MHz was top-of-the line? Battery's been crap for me for years now. its teh sux0r!

cummoooon apple! give us 18 hr batteries already.

[JeDiBoYTJ]

Off to check my batteries even though I recieved it the month before the recall begins. Just to be on the safe side

Luckly I was using one of my roommates compaq instead of my PB when I saw your posted pics SiliconAddict. Otherwise my PB's batteries might have gone regardless :D

EDIT: Model# A1078 (not looking good)
Serial# 3K4323

Missed it by a narrow margin. untill next time

im the same...
Model# A1078
Serial# 3K4327
almost had a new battery!
:p

[ShavenYak]

Wow, my first Apple recall, on my first Apple. My Christmas iBook is affected. I have noticed my iBook getting pretty warm at times, I wonder if the new battery will help. I'm almost upset, though, that I haven't noticed any loss of life in my original battery... that would have made this a bit more exciting.

[evilernie]

Recalls are good. Less you have the following happen..... :eek:

Holy Moly, did that happen because of this defect? I'll be checking my serial number when I get home...

On a side note, is there a better aftermarket battery out there that anyone has gotten as a spare?

[.:*Robot Boy*:.]

Wow, I thought that was going to be a real hassle (Apple New Zealand is pretty pathetic when it comes to sorting out stuff like this and I was dreading having to contact their appalling customer service department), but I just wanged my serial numbers in at Apple.com, filled in my shipping details, and now Apple are sending me a brand spanking new battery.

I feel like I'm getting something for nothing... but actually, the fact that I've been happily resting something potentially explosive on my lap is a little unnerving :rolleyes:.

[Masao[RY]]

Well mine is apparently effected-- I'm not too shocked. So new battery, again (when I sent in my laptop for repair it was return with its battery badly dented, but Apple took care of it and replaced it ). So I'm curious is it safe to have the battery in, but stay plugged into an AC adapter for power? Without the battery my 12" Powerbook is a bit rocky since the battery does provide support.

[Dagless]

brilliant! i was quite abusive to my battery when i first got it. just watched loads of DVDs on it in bed. drained the sucker loads of times :p

and now i get a new battery for nothing :) but my battery lasts ages. hours on end! even DivX vids playing and other apps open the battery still lasts a while.

[2Sticky]

I have one of these. Does it also Apply to Europe? Can't find it on www.apple.nl.

Yes it is does apply to Europe, check Here (https://depot.info.apple.com/batteryexchange/index.html?lang=en)

[SiliconAddict]

Holy Moly, did that happen because of this defect? I'll be checking my serial number when I get home...

On a side note, is there a better aftermarket battery out there that anyone has gotten as a spare?



Not THIS defect. Remember that this isn't the first time Apple has had issues with batts. (Just about everyone in the ind does at some point though.) I ran across those picts about a year ago...its obvious that they had a PowerBook distributed from the IMF team. :eek:

This laptop will self destruct in
10
9
8
7..........

[blackpeter]

Battery replacement ordered. Happy to get a fresh start after 3 months of constant use.

On another note, I've never had the same battery life issues as many here and I'm wondering if they've taken the time to make sure they properly calibrate their batteries, turn off Bluetooth (if it's not being used) and adjust their Power Management settings? These tweeks go a long way in getting an additional 30-45 minutes from a fresh charge.

[puckhead193]

Well my spear battery is ok i have to check the one in the computer...
But apple does these recalls about a fire hazard yet, we don't here of any stories..... (at least not that i know of)

edit well looking at post 26 i guess it can go on fire... thanks SiliconAddict for proving me wrong :p ;)

[Dagless]

whoa nellie! my battery model number is A1079 and my computer is recognized, but im not eligable for a battery? my serial begins 3K501...

does that mean im safe (and no new battery *sobs*)?

[ffransis]

I was one of those affected in the last recall, and I suggest that you beware of Apple UK/Ireland when it comes to returning any dodgy batteries. They'll want to use a private Courier firm, but if, like me, you are not prepared to wait in all day for the Courier to come and pick up your old battery, Apple will ask that you post the battery to them, and promise to reimburse you for the cost of postage. They'll then ignore you completely and you'll never see the money.

Ringing "Customer Service" (an oxymoron!), will involve paying national rates (an 0870 number, for which Apple gets a cut) and being kept on hold for eons.

[longofest]

Recalls are good. Less you have the following happen..... :eek:

((((Images removed by longofest for faster page load time. See original posting))))

Sorry if I made people cry or faint. Poor PowerBook. Where do PowerBooks go when they die? :confused: :D

Hey arn... I vote we ban all such images from the site, citing mental trauma.

[iGary]

Click the apple logo in the top left of your screen, select About this mac,

when the window appears click twice where it says Version, it should first change to Build, and then to Serial Number.

Thanks.

[spriter]

I was one of those affected in the last recall, and I suggest that you beware of Apple UK/Ireland when it comes to returning any dodgy batteries. They'll want to use a private Courier firm, but if, like me, you are not prepared to wait in all day for the Courier to come and pick up your old battery, Apple will ask that you post the battery to them, and promise to reimburse you for the cost of postage. They'll then ignore you completely and you'll never see the money.

Ringing "Customer Service" (an oxymoron!), will involve paying national rates (an 0870 number, for which Apple gets a cut) and being kept on hold for eons.

Cheers for the heads up. I get a new battery for my 12" 1.2 iBook but it's not going to be at my expense! :p

[azdude]

Damnit... I'm HQ416XX :)

[Bendit]

I can't wait to check my serial number when I get home.

My battery suddenly went from lasting about 2 hours per charge to 20 minutes. I was going to buy one in a few months.

[Agathon]

My new PB seems to have a 3K serial #, so I guess I am safe.

I just wanted to express my horror at the pic of spontaneous PowerBook combustion. That is sick – reminds me of that scene from Fight Club

[MontyZ]

I wish Apple would recall their 23" Aluminum Displays. But, after nearly a year since the problems have been known, I suppose they plan to continue to ignore it.

[VicMacs]

unbelievable how one word can make my heart skip a beat! happened to me too!


Man, my eyes didn't get much passed "Powerbook" as the first word of the first rumor before I began to get a bit excited.

Sadness ensued, as battery recalls are not exciting.

[Ugg]

whoa nellie! my battery model number is A1079 and my computer is recognized, but im not eligable for a battery? my serial begins 3K501...

does that mean im safe (and no new battery *sobs*)?


Yeah, mine begins with 3K501.. as well. I took it out a second time to make sure I hadn't mistaken the X for a K but no such luck. Ah well, the PB is only 3.5 months old so battery power is still strong.

[johnzoidberg]

I didn't know other 12-inch PowerBook (1GHz) owners like me also had a crap battery that came with their system. I finally caved in and bought a replacement after the battery that came with my system would spontaneuously cut off at like 30%.

[njmac]

I was hoping it would be a recall of older batteries. My 1GHz 12" PB now gets 45 min on the battery if I'm lucky. POS.

Yup, mine too. I thought for sure when I read the headline my battery would be included, but no, of course not.

Weird though, I had the PB plugged in then unplugged it and the cord(the part that goes into the PB) was so hot, I got a burn. I am returning the power cord as I just bought it at the Tiger release.

[njmac]

After reading the whole thread, I am shocked at the 12" Rev B. PB's that have this battery problem....... maybe Apple knows too, and next recall will be for us!

[ZenNerd]

I got a question for other people affected by the recall. When you applied for the new battery on Apple's site did you receive an email confirmation afterward? I haven't gotten one yet and my battery falls within the serial # range. Maybe they're just slow and maybe I'm not going to get one and a new battery will just arrive. I'm just checking to see what's happened for other people.

[oskar]

Man, my eyes didn't get much passed "Powerbook" as the first word of the first rumor before I began to get a bit excited.

Sadness ensued, as battery recalls are not exciting.

LOL :D Same thing happened to me. It's been a while without any iBook or PowerBook news. Which can only mean one thing. ;)

[me_94501]

I got a question for other people affected by the recall. When you applied for the new battery on Apple's site did you receive an email confirmation afterward? I haven't gotten one yet and my battery falls within the serial # range. Maybe they're just slow and maybe I'm not going to get one and a new battery will just arrive. I'm just checking to see what's happened for other people.
Yes, I did receive email confirmation.

[ZenNerd]

Approximately how long did it take?

[oskar]

Apple support page won't open for me. Too busy, maybe?

[fixyourthinking]

It might should be noted that Apple doesn't take on ANY expense for this, nor is it a quality control issue.

LG, the manufacturer of the batteries will have to eat the cost for Apple.

[ZenNerd]

I don't really care who eats the cost I just don't want my powerbook to end up like that crispy one pictured in this thread. Long as I get a new battery I'm happy

[deputy_doofy]

I was hoping it would be a recall of older batteries. My 1GHz 12" PB now gets 45 min on the battery if I'm lucky. POS.

Yeah, me too. I have the same model (1GHz G4) and I'm lucky if I get about 30-45 minutes. The battery goes from 100% to (maybe) 70% and then 0%. WTF? lol

[DeSnousa]

New battery as well, however i don't think im going to like it, first off i live in australia (takes forever to get mac products) and secondly i need to do powerpoint presentations at school, next week. Damn

My question is how safe would it be to use the battery. thanks.

[ariza910]

I can't find my serial number on my iBook itself. Where it is? :confused:

I found the battery serial fine.


its under the keyboard, push in the two tabs at the top and pull the keyboard up

[~Shard~]

its under the keyboard, push in the two tabs at the top and pull the keyboard up

Or, as a previous poster said to already answer this question in a far more simpler method, click the Apple logo, select "About this Mac", the click twice on "Version" to get the build, then the serial number. ;) :cool:

[ariza910]

Yeah, me too. I have the same model (1GHz G4) and I'm lucky if I get about 30-45 minutes. The battery goes from 100% to (maybe) 70% and then 0%. WTF? lol

If you have the powerbook plugged into AC for long periods of time then the battery will be less than optimal and after a while it wont hold a full charge.

its good to run the battery down to nothing every few days then plug it back in for a full charge.

I use to kill powerbook batteries all the time by leaving the powerbook plugged in, ever since I started running batteries through afull cycle I havent noticed a drop

[ariza910]

Or, as a previous poster said to already answer this question in a far more simpler method, click the Apple logo, select "About this Mac", the click twice on "Version" to get the build, then the serial number. ;) :cool:


I belive my method is better if the battery is dead.

regardless, its good to know more than one way to find your serial number.

far more simple? how hard is it to pull the keyboard up?

[~Shard~]

I belive my method is better if the battery is dead.

Good point. ;)

far more simple? how hard is it to pull the keyboard up?


Actually I was just giving ya a hard time - sorry, no offense, it's just my way. Spend some more time on the Forums and you'll learn my sense of humor and my overall bastardly nature as many others have. Just having some fun... ;)

[john_satc]

Having to replace mine too . Anyone who got the email yet, the one I got seemed to imply I had to send my battery off first and then get the replacement. I know this isn't whats happening just the way it was frased - or maybe that just me not being able to read :o

[fixyourthinking]

its under the keyboard, push in the two tabs at the top and pull the keyboard up


Just look at the battery like the Apple page suggests - it will only be replaced if the serial number on THE BATTERY matches the recalled units.

It has little to nothing to do with the serial of the iBook or PowerBook.

[ariza910]

Just look at the battery like the Apple page suggests - it will only be replaced if the serial number on THE BATTERY matches the recalled units.

It has little to nothing to do with the serial of the iBook or PowerBook.

relax, someone had asked how to find the serial number of their iBook.

[oskar]

Quick question: Isn't the Positive/Negative ratings on the main page supposed to be about whether or not readers believe a rumor? That's what I thought it was for.

[njmac]

If you have the powerbook plugged into AC for long periods of time then the battery will be less than optimal and after a while it wont hold a full charge.

its good to run the battery down to nothing every few days then plug it back in for a full charge.

I use to kill powerbook batteries all the time by leaving the powerbook plugged in, ever since I started running batteries through afull cycle I havent noticed a drop

I use run my battery down at the very least, every other day and My battery went from full capacity to about 25% in about a weeks time(after about 1 year of use).

Also it seems that only 12" 1 GHz Rev B. owners are complaining. So I would think that we got a bum deal.

[Abstract]

Count me in with the crap battery crew. My Rev B gets about 1-1.5 hours of battery time, if I'm not doing anything intensive.

Well, it has been a while since the rev B 12" was released, so I don't see the big deal. I've had mine since Oct 2003, and the battery is still giving me 2.5 hours of life.

Either

1. I'm a lucky punk.
2. I know how to use Lithium-Ion batteries properly because I read
Battery University (http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-12.htm) and learned about them.
3. It has been 19 months or so since I got mine, so even with proper care, my battery was due to crap out at some point right about now anyway.
:o

[bigandy]

I am really waiting for a 12" with lighted keyboard though.



hate to dissapoint you but it won't happen quickly, if at all. a friend at apple, in the design department said it wouldn't happen because there's not enough space in the 12". and they're concentrating on this bitch-of-a-project called a PBG5.... i believe it's been mentioned once or twice on macrumors* :rolleyes:


* make that once or twice too much...

[php]

My 12" PB's battery has serial number 3X4530XXXXXX, which seems to be in the recalled range, but Apple's website says it's not valid. Anyone else have that problem?

I had the same problem.
I spoke to a customer support person at Apple and they said to try again tomorrow. The rep said they're working on updating the database.

[iGary]

Still trying to get past step three in the process online. :rolleyes:

[dav]

Still trying to get past step three in the process online. :rolleyes:

Same here, I suppose I will wait a few days then

[dvdh]

2. I know how to use Lithium-Ion batteries properly because I read
Battery University (http://www.metronews.ca/tech_news.asp?id=8415) and learned about them.


Um . . . that link takes me to Metro News . . . but no battery university link. (you must be a Canadian eh?)

[dav]

Consequences if you keep the recalled battery after receiving new one? Besides a hot laptop..

[7on]

If you have the powerbook plugged into AC for long periods of time then the battery will be less than optimal and after a while it wont hold a full charge.

its good to run the battery down to nothing every few days then plug it back in for a full charge.

I use to kill powerbook batteries all the time by leaving the powerbook plugged in, ever since I started running batteries through afull cycle I havent noticed a drop

I don't believe that's no longer the case. It's why Apple batteries fluctuate between 95% and 100%. I leave my PB plugged in all the time and over 2 years I haven't lost more than 30 minutes or so of the original battery life. I still get between 3:30 and 4:00 instead of between 4:00 and 4:30.

[Maxiseller]

Ive only just brought my ibook 3 months ago - so I guess I'm not going to see tremendous time increases. Still, it's given me a new cell.

I'm having trouble too with the online process. An Apple rep confirmed that mine was in fact a serial number that needed the exchange process completing and that I should try tomorrow. (Just to second what somebody else had said)

[powerbook911]

My Powerbook battery also starts 3K. Does anyone's start 3X?

[makey]

New battery for me once the recall website is back up.

[mlrproducts]

I am currently using a 1Ghz (rev B) I got off feeBay.

When I got it I could run battery for 2 hours. All of the sudden, it would cut dead at 70%, of course when I took it to the Apple store it didn't do this. But now I'm getting a whopping 10 mins out of the thing (reserve notice as soon as I unplug). -

[Abstract]

Um . . . that link takes me to Metro News . . . but no battery university link. (you must be a Canadian eh?)

Sorry, link fixed. Battery University prevented the capacity of my battery from dropping too quickly. Actually, after following their instructions, I actually found that the capacity increased. I checked my capacity in the terminal using

ioreg -l | grep -i IOBatteryInfo

[tim1978]

My model is A1078 but my sn on the battery begins with w75. Does the recall affect me?

[CubaTBird]

yay i don't have to exchange anything. my battery is fine. :)

[iGary]

I finally got through and got a confirmation that a battery is on the way. :D

[Eniregnat]

Lucky me, it dosn't affect either of my battries.
Wa hoo!

[advocate]

Anyone know what the difference is between the various battery models? The current run of 15" AlBook battery is A1078 while mine, from my 1.25 GHz 15" AlBook, is A1045.

[motherfather]

After an hour or three of trying to get through, I just got the confirmation it's coming.

I also would like to know what happens if you don't actually send them back the recalled battery?

Does Steve personally come to your house and and impregnate your cat?

Because my cat is fixed, that's not going to work.

[blackpeter]

After an hour or three of trying to get through, I just got the confirmation it's coming.

I also would like to know what happens if you don't actually send them back the recalled battery?

Does Steve personally come to your house and and impregnate your cat?

Because my cat is fixed, that's not going to work.

I know it's tempting to keep the battery as a spare. It could be that your particular battery is totally fine and would be a great for long trips. But that is a rather expensive chance to take.

I'm going to send mine back. It's free and (after all) the right thing. Especially since I don't want to go through the pain of properly disposing/recycling it.

[ColoJohnBoy]

My Powerbook battery also starts 3K. Does anyone's start 3X?

Mine starts 3X. The recall page isn't working properly. I'm able to fill out the form and everything, and click 'Place Order' but the next page stops loading before the grpahics alopng the top finish loading. What the mo?

[JoeG4]

I do have a battery that is model A1078, but it's made in china and has a serial beginning with 3K516

[LimeiBook86]

I didn't know other 12-inch PowerBook (1GHz) owners like me also had a crap battery that came with their system. I finally caved in and bought a replacement after the battery that came with my system would spontaneuously cut off at like 30%.

My battery does that too on my 867mhz 12-inch, I thought I was the only one. Looks like I'll need a new battery sooner or later. :eek:

[iBlue]

thankful for a 17" at the moment; although my poor PB had to view its sibling in that traumatic picture on post 25 (or wherever)

Hey arn... I vote we ban all such images from the site, citing mental trauma.

indeed :p

[efoto]

My Powerbook battery also starts 3K. Does anyone's start 3X?

Sorry if this has already been asked, but I didn't have time to read the entire thread.
The 'X' isn't an open variable or anything, it specifically means 'X' in the battery serial?

My info is A1079 :eek: and 3K449, which as long as X = X (I think) then I should be fine, although my 449 falls in the range, the K is my savior :rolleyes:

So just to reitterate, because I did see this question once or twice.
X means X right?
So a 3K--- is fine due to the K, thanks.

[motherfather]

I know it's tempting to keep the battery as a spare. It could be that your particular battery is totally fine and would be a great for long trips. But that is a rather expensive chance to take.

I'm going to send mine back. It's free and (after all) the right thing. Especially since I don't want to go through the pain of properly disposing/recycling it.

Just playing Devil's advocate.

The way I figure, this battery I have been using without problems (or even much of anything that could be described as overheating) so keeping it around as an emergancy spare probably wouldn't be that big of a risk.

I am going to send it back, but still curious all the same what if any return inforcement exists?

[jung_offender]

I can't wait to check my serial number when I get home.

My battery suddenly went from lasting about 2 hours per charge to 20 minutes. I was going to buy one in a few months.

I have the same problem. My 12" G4 (867 MHz) gets about 20-30 minutes. I have always followed the available recommendations for battery consumption (ie: energy saver settings, battery calibrations, resetting the PM, etc.) and have not used the battery very much - and it's been this way since the PB was about 9-months old.

Why doesn't apple acknowledge this common problem?

[Mord]

this is great news for me, i bought me battery about 6 months ago and it's under the program, when i got it is easily lasted 7 hours screen dimmed no airport, now it only dose 5:30 tops.

[Little King]

Yep... mine is affected too. I too am wondering what would happen if you don't send it back. Would Apple send you a bill for the replacement?

[efoto]

Yep... mine is affected too. I too am wondering what would happen if you don't send it back. Would Apple send you a bill for the replacement?

Try it and let everyone else know.

I would imagine they would just bill you for the replacement, seems like a corporate policy type move to do something like that.

[puuukeey]

between the infinitely annoying powerbrick jack and the dangerous batteries I vote we call it something like goodbook or jbook or happyfun book. powerbook is just way to ironic and/or hipocritical

sorry for spelling

[Mord]

ok, now i'm very very pissed off, i called apple because i coyuld not get a replacement shipped with the online form and they said it's covered and i can just walk into an apple store and get a replacement, now i'm here in the apple store and all i get is "no you have to order the replacement battery online",

now i'm going to pull the "you sold me an item of unmerchantable quality and demand a replacement. the excuse is that it needs to be replaced by a service part not a off the shelf retail part which is BS a battery is a battery.

[Gimzotoy]

I use run my battery down at the very least, every other day and My battery went from full capacity to about 25% in about a weeks time(after about 1 year of use).

Also it seems that only 12" 1 GHz Rev B. owners are complaining. So I would think that we got a bum deal.

Yea, same here. I learned my battery lesson on an old crappy PC laptop, and was super-careful to provide my baby with the optimal conditions for its battery. Unfortunately, its battery is a POS. A friend that works in the local Apple Store says they probably get a half-dozen or so RevB 12"s in a week with dead batteries (Go from 30-40% battery power down to 0 almost instantly - indicates a bad cell within the battery, so its obviously a defect, not a wear condition). We definately got screwed. I envy those of you getting new batteries :(

[Yvan256]

Either there's something I'm not getting, or the form on this page (https://depot.info.apple.com/batteryexchange/index.html?lang=en) isn't right at all.

Computer Serial Number:*
Battery Serial Number:*
Battery Serial Number:
Battery Serial Number:

They're asking the battery number three times?! And not asking any model number? :confused:

[Abstract]

njmac: I use run my battery down at the very least, every other day and My battery went from full capacity to about 25% in about a weeks time(after about 1 year of use).

Running your battery from FULL to ZERO every time you use your battery is BAD for the battery and its carrying capacity. Like mobile phones and iPods, you can charge it whenever you want, meaning 50% filled or whatever. Its actually good for the battery to do this. Look at page 4 for my link and read about batteries. :)

[makey]

I cannot place the order for my battery right now. The page stops loading. ARGGGH!!!

[Mord]

ok, now i feel sourly violated

the battery chronicles:

11:30 wake up see battery recall info take battery out of ibook and read into it, then i try to put in the details on the site, and it wont have any of it.

12:00 call apple and they seem to know what they are talking about and they give me the option of having one sent to me or picking one up at the apple store which is choose call lasts about 40 mins

12:50 call the apple store to confirm i can have a replacement battery, the woman on the phone was clueless but said i could have it replaced sure.

1:00 go to the apple store which takes an hour and then get told they cant replace it it needs to be done online, i tell them i cant do it online and i called apple up and they said i could have it replaced at the apple store but they have none of it.

2:40 after talking with various people complaining allot and generally not having a great time i go home which takes annother hour

3:40 get home and call apple again, this time the guy on the phone has no clue about the program so asks me to go on hold while he spends 15 mins reading two pages of text and then abruptly hangs up.

4:05 call again this time a helpful guy is on the other end who instead of messing about asks the right questions and finds out why i'm having all these problems, turns out the only way for it to be replaced is through the online form and it wont take ibook G3 serial numbers if you bought a replacement battery retail, he says it should be fixed on monday and to try it them

4 hours of my wasted time when i have my AS level exams which decide which universities i can go to in the next week, which i need to use my ibook to revise for them at school where i dont often have a power socket near by, i'm writeing apple an angry letter i'm very pissed off. :mad:

[motherfather]

Hey Einstein,

It's for people with multiple batteries! :rolleyes:

That wasn't Einstein in his icon, it's Dr. Wiley!

Who is like Einstein, but evil!

[mcgarry]

My 12" rev. C PB's battery is not subject to the recall. It has been doing so well (got it in October) that I actually had a pang of regret thinking I might have to send it back. Still lists 96% of rated capacity in Terminal/Capacity Meter (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/24002), still gets as much time as it did when new.

By the way, here's Apple's official battery page (http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html). Might be useful.

[Pismo]

Recall doesn't apply to me. Bought my PowerBook 3/24/05. Checked my battery yesterday and doesn't fall in the range of the problem serial/model numbers.

[iSwift]

I just got my powerbook and my battery doesn't qualify for the recall, but I almost wish it did. My batter lasts about 2 hours instead of the 3 i was hoping for, and it's brand new. Oh well. Those pictures of that 15'' PB are scary...

[iSwift]

4 hours of my wasted time when i have my AS level exams which decide which universities i can go to in the next week, which i need to use my ibook to revise for them at school where i dont often have a power socket near by, i'm writeing apple an angry letter i'm very pissed off. :mad:


The part that suprises me is the support person hanging up on you and not knowing his stuff. Everytime I've used apple's support line they are very helpful. But it is nice when you can get someone like you finally got at the end, someone who knows what they are doing and can actually help. The whole situation sucks though, sorry man....http://forums.macrumors.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1473369#

[makey]

Finally got my battery replacement order confirmed. Just waiting for it to be shipped now.

[notjustjay]

Yeah, that's the Rev B, sounds like we got a bum deal. I was hoping the recall would cover us lot as well...bugger!

Crap, I just noticed that happen to me too. Went from 3-4 hours of life to less than 2.

[DeSnousa]

i went through the process and got this email

The request for your battery will be processed shortly.
Apple will ship you a battery as soon as possible after receiving your replacement order. Shipping time may vary due to battery availability.


Do you get a second message telling the the battery is processed or something. Or is it all done, thanks in advance.

[SiliconAddict]

4 hours of my wasted time when i have my AS level exams which decide which universities i can go to in the next week, which i need to use my ibook to revise for them at school where i dont often have a power socket near by, i'm writeing apple an angry letter i'm very pissed off. :mad:

The first mistake you made was not getting the woman's name at the Apple store. The second mistake you made was not calling Apple AT the Apple store. The third mistake you made was not doing the studying and waiting until AFTER the exam to get the batt replaced. This recall from what I've read is based on SIX....count em....1..2...3...4...5.....6 instances of something bad happening. What do you think the odds are of your iBook going up in smoke in the next week? Better yet what are the odds of it happening if you don't simply pay attention to how hot the iBook gets and turn it off if it starts to overheat....or better yet take the batt out and work without it when you are near a power source......sorry if I'm coming off as pissy but I just spent a hour this evening at a get together of a bunch of my friends with one bitching about how he had his iBook replaced 3 times because of a bad mainboard...Apple finally replaced the laptop altogether with a G4 (His was the last g3.) and how he has to go through the experience again. At which point I pulled out my virtual trashing club and went off on how not only did he get a free upgrade from Apple that this issue isn’t even causing him any downtime. It’s a one to one swap out. This is a battery replacement for a “potential” issue. Its not like your computer is going to explode on you. :( Oh and getting pissed at Apple isn't going to help the fact that they are recalling 128,000 batteries. What you think they have 128,000 operators standing by to take your call? This is catching not only Apple but their CSR's by surprise so cut them a little slack. K?

[homerjward]

this is great news for me, i bought me battery about 6 months ago and it's under the program, when i got it is easily lasted 7 hours screen dimmed no airport, now it only dose 5:30 tops.
i dont mean to upset you or anything, but only an apple user could complain about getting only 5.5hrs of battery life :D:p it's funny sometimes at starbucks watching guys with pc laptops pull out their charger as soon as they get there cause they won't last an hour on battery...

[SiliconAddict]

i dont mean to upset you or anything, but only an apple user could complain about getting only 5.5hrs of battery life :D:p it's funny sometimes at starbucks watching guys with pc laptops pull out their charger as soon as they get there cause they won't last an hour on battery...


Umm dude. I get 5 hours on my Thinkpad. I add the additional battery base that is about 1lbs more to bring the battery life to 8 hours. So :p

The reason he hooked up the laptop is probably the same reason my Tosh (I own 3 laptops.) gets about 5 minutes: the battery is screwed and that will happen on a PC or a Mac. Battery tech is battery tech.

[Mord]

The first mistake you made was not getting the woman's name at the Apple store. The second mistake you made was not calling Apple AT the Apple store. The third mistake you made was not doing the studying and waiting until AFTER the exam to get the batt replaced. This recall from what I've read is based on SIX....count em....1..2...3...4...5.....6 instances of something bad happening. What do you think the odds are of your iBook going up in smoke in the next week? Better yet what are the odds of it happening if you don't simply pay attention to how hot the iBook gets and turn it off if it starts to overheat....or better yet take the batt out and work without it when you are near a power source......sorry if I'm coming off as pissy but I just spent a hour this evening at a get together of a bunch of my friends with one bitching about how he had his iBook replaced 3 times because of a bad mainboard...Apple finally replaced the laptop altogether with a G4 (His was the last g3.) and how he has to go through the experience again. At which point I pulled out my virtual trashing club and went off on how not only did he get a free upgrade from Apple that this issue isn’t even causing him any downtime. It’s a one to one swap out. This is a battery replacement for a “potential” issue. Its not like your computer is going to explode on you. :( Oh and getting pissed at Apple isn't going to help the fact that they are recalling 128,000 batteries. What you think they have 128,000 operators standing by to take your call? This is catching not only Apple but their CSR's by surprise so cut them a little slack. K?

my battery runs very very hot, i thought it was just how newer batteries ran but this confirmed my suspicions, i cannot risk my ibook in any way, seeing as every apple rep i had talked to seemed to think i would get it done at the apple store i did not suspect it would go amiss, i know who the woman on the phone is i know a few employees at the apple store.

i have classes at school where there are no power sources near by, i do all my work on my ibook and my old battery only lasts an hour tops as it cuts out at 50%, and 128,000 people do not all call up at the same time most of them dont even notice the recall as they dont spend there time on mac rumors the only person who had heard of the program i had talked to was the first guy who told me to go to the apple store, my issue is purely with him, i did question the fact that the faq says it's all done online and he said that would be fine, the amount of studying i get done at school on my ibook outweighs the 2 hour trip so it would be in my interests to go and pick up the battery.

the fact of the matter is that the first guy's stupidity cost me 4 hours of my time.

[jung_offender]

The part that suprises me is the support person hanging up on you and not knowing his stuff. Everytime I've used apple's support line they are very helpful.

Welcome to Apple UK.

[john_satc]

2. I know how to use Lithium-Ion batteries properly because I read
Battery University (http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-12.htm) and learned about them.


A little OT but...
Anyone think they can sumarise what this link says in something non - intellectuals can understand please???
I have read conflicting reports on how to charge and use the batteries on my iBook and iPod. Should I always have the my iBook on charge if I only use the battey once / twice a week. And should I wait till it reaches 0% before recharging? And the same with the iPod, should I wait till my battery is 0% before recharging?

[Mord]

Welcome to Apple UK.

there is a pattern to it, if you get a guy that sounds french or really crackly they suck and know jack all, if you get an irish guy then they rule.


the fact that a recognize the people worries me.

[jung_offender]

...i have classes at school where there are no power sources near by, i do all my work on my ibook... most of them dont even notice the recall as they dont spend there time on mac rumors...

a) get your mom to pick you up a notepad at Tesco for £0.29 and leave your pretentious laptop at home.

b) don't cry about wasting time hunting down a new battery when you acknowledge wasting time that could be spent studying. You made 14 posts here in the 24 hours preceeding this reply on topics as relevant to your exams as "Donating my Sperm to a lesbian"

[Mord]

a) get your mom to pick you up a notepad at Tesco for £0.29 and leave your pretentious laptop at home.

b) don't cry about wasting time hunting down a new battery when you acknowledge wasting time that could be spent studying. You made 14 posts here in the 24 hours preceeding this reply on topics as relevant to your exams as "Donating my Sperm to a lesbian"

my mother died when i was 10, and even if she did not she would not be my personal slave, you know nothing of my situation.

i'm extremely dyslexic, and all the work i have done over the last 3 years at school is on my ibook and i have to use it in my revision. also i use my ibook a heck of allot in my cisco classes you cant replace a cli prompt with a notepad.

it takes me 20 seconds to write a post i think it's fair to take a 5 min break to make a couple of posts when i have worked for a few hours solid.

[john_satc]

my mother died when i was 10, and even if she did not she would not be my personal slave, you know nothing of my situation.

i'm extremely dyslexic, and all the work i have done over the last 3 years at school is on my ibook and i have to use it in my revision. also i use my ibook a heck of allot in my cisco classes you cant replace a cli prompt with a notepad.

it takes me 20 seconds to write a post i think it's fair to take a 5 min break to make a couple of posts when i have worked for a few hours solid.

Hey I agree with you.
I am also doing my AS Levels at the moment. Luckily the work I do on my iBook is all printed out and using that to revise. Thankfully I don't have to take my iBook to classes, so I do feel sorry for you in that case.

Good luck with your exams am sure you will do fine :) - and general studies wasn't really that hard ay.

[Mord]

Hey I agree with you.
I am also doing my AS Levels at the moment. Luckily the work I do on my iBook is all printed out and using that to revise. Thankfully I don't have to take my iBook to classes, so I do feel sorry for you in that case.

Good luck with your exams am sure you will do fine :) - and general studies wasn't really that hard ay.


i have about a GB of documents, one for each lesson i have had, and i take math, further math, physics, electronics and cisco CCNA (did take chemistry but i dropped it)

i use my ibook because it takes far too long to write out notes legibly with my handwriting, not because i'm a "flash git" or whatever, my ibook is old and beat up, if i wanted to show off i'd take in a 17" athlon 64 laptop like someone in my tutor group dose.

[john_satc]

i have about a GB of documents, one for each lesson i have had, and i take math, further math, physics, electronics and cisco CCNA (did take chemistry but i dropped it)

i use my ibook because it takes far too long to write out notes legibly with my handwriting, not because i'm a "flash git" or whatever, my ibook is old and beat up, if i wanted to show off i'd take in a 17" athlon 64 laptop like someone in my tutor group dose.

Hey I was agreeing with you!

[Mord]

Hey I was agreeing with you!


yeah i know, it was more of a statement than a response to you

[dobbin]

My 12" iBook battery is affected - although I have never noticed the battery (or any part of the computer) getting particularly warm. In fact I've only ever heard the fans on my iBook once and that was when I was using the CD drive all afternoon to rip some CDs. Generally the whole machine runs very cool.

I had no problems at all using the online form at Apple UK to order a replacement.

An email confirmation arrived within a minute:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for ordering a replacement battery. Your request is currently being processed.

It will take approximately 3 to 5 business days for your replacement battery to arrive. Please note that shipping times may vary due to availability.

We appreciate your cooperation with this exchange program.

Apple

It all seems very simple and efficient.

[GilGrissom]

Hey, Ive finally got my 12" powerbook ive been waiting for! Its great! Now I hear of these battery recalls. Ive checked my batteries (as I have 2, one with powerbook and a spare one) and the model number matches on both (A1079) but my serial numbers are slightly different. I know one of the serial ranges starts in 3X510, my two are 3X515 and 3X517, not 510, so am I ok??? Please say I am!! I dont want my brand new powerbook (ordered as soon as Tiger became preinstalled on all machines, early May, received last week!!) to be ill already! Im just asking because my serial numbers are close and my model number is the same!! Could some kind soul please clarify for me?? Many thanks! :(

[Mord]

your fine only if the serials are in the batch effected is there an issue

[rinseout]

what's the deadline for getting in on this? can i abuse my battery for a few months before requesting a new one?

[efoto]

i'm extremely dyslexic, and all the work i have done over the last 3 years at school is on my ibook and i have to use it in my revision. also i use my ibook a heck of allot in my cisco classes you cant replace a cli prompt with a notepad.

it takes me 20 seconds to write a post i think it's fair to take a 5 min break to make a couple of posts when i have worked for a few hours solid.

back + up = BACKUP

In an age of advanced technologies and micro-sized portables and mass-storage drives, why would you not backup the data if your entire 3-yr scholastic career depended on it? iPod in data mode? Pocket FW/USB2 drive (40Gb ones are pretty cheap now), etc etc.
You said before you had roughly 1Gb of documents pertaining to school, burn a dvd for Pete's sake (the real Pete, not the expression Pete). (and don't bother saying you don't have a dvd-r drive, find someone at school, I know it exists somewhere nearby, its all the fad these days).

One the second portion, I completely agree that after a while of studying, browsing/posting MR is a great break, actually better for me than TV or a video game because its less distracting mentally and there is not a time limit (start a show, and inevitably I will finish it, and video games just suck you in). Best of luck studying for your tests, backup your stuff to be safe!

[fraggle]

The way I figure, this battery I have been using without problems (or even much of anything that could be described as overheating) so keeping it around as an emergancy spare probably wouldn't be that big of a risk.

Just because it does work at the moment does not mean that is does not have an increased risk of bursting into flames at some point. Just return it.

[efoto]

The way I figure, this battery I have been using without problems (or even much of anything that could be described as overheating) so keeping it around as an emergancy spare probably wouldn't be that big of a risk.

The question was not of what harm may come to you, but rather whether Apple would raise a fuss if they didn't receive the batteries back. As it was mentioned, this recall is being enacted based on the account of 6 incidents, albeit serious, but 6. Your battery is *probably* fine, but Apple is doing what a corporation must to ensure the safety of the customers.

Small risk or big risk, I don't want to risk my PB to spontanious combustion :p

Old ladie on a chair in a silk dress, fine, amazing even. (if you don't get this, nevermind)
PB on desk or god forbid on lap, not fine, no where close to amazing.

[sungoddess]

Recalls are good. Less you have the following happen..... :eek:


http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/BoomBook/PHTO0009.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/BoomBook/PHTO0011.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jonnormand/Boom`Book/PHTO0015.jpg


Sorry if I made people cry or faint. Poor PowerBook. Where do PowerBooks go when they die? :confused: :D

Ai ya!!! Poor Powerbook... I think they go to Mac heaven.

I'm in the iBook battery recall. I bought my 1.2ghz laptop April 29, at the London Apple Store Tiger launch, and I've taken it out of my laptop and am now running on AC power alone.

I was a little disappointed when I realised that my battery was in the range, but you know, I guess there some things you just can't avoid.

[iGary]

Mine came today. Pretty amazing considering I ordered the replacement on Friday evening.

Discharging the old one now, then I'll calibrate the new one. I'm pretty excited, beacue the old one wasn't a perfect fit; there was a protruding edge.

[Mord]

back + up = BACKUP

In an age of advanced technologies and micro-sized portables and mass-storage drives, why would you not backup the data if your entire 3-yr scholastic career depended on it? iPod in data mode? Pocket FW/USB2 drive (40Gb ones are pretty cheap now), etc etc.
You said before you had roughly 1Gb of documents pertaining to school, burn a dvd for Pete's sake (the real Pete, not the expression Pete). (and don't bother saying you don't have a dvd-r drive, find someone at school, I know it exists somewhere nearby, its all the fad these days).

One the second portion, I completely agree that after a while of studying, browsing/posting MR is a great break, actually better for me than TV or a video game because its less distracting mentally and there is not a time limit (start a show, and inevitably I will finish it, and video games just suck you in). Best of luck studying for your tests, backup your stuff to be safe!

it is all backed up it's loosing the ability to revise from it at school that is the worry not loosing it forever, i have all my stuff on a fw 2.5" HD my ipod and i keep the last month of work on my usb drive and i burn my documents to dvd every month, (i have a burner in my ibook :P and an 80GB HD.)

[Panoctopi]

After reading the whole thread, I am shocked at the 12" Rev B. PB's that have this battery problem....... maybe Apple knows too, and next recall will be for us!

I'm surprised as well... i'd think that for what you pay for a pb you'd get a better battery...

[admanimal]

Do you get a second message telling the the battery is processed or something. Or is it all done, thanks in advance.

Nope that's it. I got that email right after I signed up on Friday morning, and the new battery got here today.

[blackpeter]

Just got me battery.

Funny that the instructions on the recall notice specifically say to remove the battery and never use it again, while the instructions that come with the new battery say to completely discharge the old battery before returning it.

So confused...

[ZenNerd]

Well signed up Friday and got my battery today so I'm happy.

[blackpeter]

By the way, here's my advice on properly conditioning your new battery.

- install new battery
- leave laptop unplugged and allow battery to completely discharge
- plug laptop into power source and completely charge new battery
- unplug laptop and again allow battery to completely discharge

What many do is immediately charge a new battery without allowing it to completely drain it's initial factory charge. I don't charge a factory battery before first discharging it. This has always worked for me, and I tend to get much better battery performance than many of my colleagues who don't condition their batteries.

[~Shard~]

By the way, here's my advice on properly conditioning your new battery.

- install new battery
- leave laptop unplugged and allow battery to completely discharge
- plug laptop into power source and completely charge new battery
- unplug laptop and again allow battery to completely discharge

This has always worked for me, and I tend to get much better battery performance than many of my colleagues who don't condition their batteries.

Good advice - I usually do variations of this on other electronic equipment as well to help preserve battery life.

[motherfather]

I too got mine. I was so impressed that it completely erased the tiny bit of desire to possibly keep the old one.

Someone else will have to see what happens if you don't send it back.

[makey]

Just got mine. I will be sending my old battery back sometime this week.

[dav]

Mine came today. Pretty amazing considering I ordered the replacement on Friday evening.

Discharging the old one now, then I'll calibrate the new one. I'm pretty excited, beacue the old one wasn't a perfect fit; there was a protruding edge.

Hah, I am the exact same..

Got mine today, currently discharging. Mine, as well, did not fit perfectly :-)

[EJBasile]

I ordered mine Sunday and I got it today. Amazing.

For all you wondering if there is a consequence for not sending back the battery there is, on the back of the reciept (original shipping label that you tear off), it says that if you do not send back the battery they will bill you $201.56.

Darn :(

[ColoJohnBoy]

Just unplugged the new battery to begin calibration. They really must have paid attention; my previos battery salways sat somewhat loose in its bay, even when brand new. This one is prefectly snug. Kickass :)

[OULittlebit]

My new battery came in today and it runs hotter than the old one. I'm practically burning my hand to type. My fan has kicked on too, I didn't even realize I had a fan. :mad:

[karellen]

Just got my replacement battery - delivered by UPS.

Hopefully other UK people will be seeing their new battery soon.

[YS2003]

I did not think my 12" PB's battery was subject to this recall. But, out of curiosity, I checked the battery when my PB was sleeping. Now, I am getting a new battery now. I think this is the first time my Apple product was subject to the recall.

[~Shard~]

I ordered mine Sunday and I got it today. Amazing.

For all you wondering if there is a consequence for not sending back the battery there is, on the back of the reciept (original shipping label that you tear off), it says that if you do not send back the battery they will bill you $201.56.

Darn :(

Why would you want to keep a faulty battery though?

[mhar4]

I got my new battery and it has less life than the old one: 4350mAh vs 4460mAh. I'm totally annoyed.

[dobbin]

Why would you want to keep a faulty battery though?

Because the chances are its not faulty, and would make a very nice spare!

I've had no problems with my battery getting hot in the six months that I've owned it. Athough there is a very small chance its faulty, the recall is just a precaution because some (6) batteries from that batch are bad. The vast majority that are being returned are probably fine.

The first thing I thought when I heard of the recall was "I wonder if I can keep the old one as a spare" but actually I'll be sending it back. I don't want to cause any trouble :-)

My new one arrived yesterday by the way, and appears identical to the old one. It came via UPS (I'm in the UK).

[dobbin]

I got my new battery and it has less life than the old one: 4350mAh vs 4460mAh. I'm totally annoyed.

Less than 1%, I wouldn't get too upset about that.

How did you find out the mAh rating please?


edit: my Maths may be bad - Its actually 2.5% :eek: I guess thats significant. Bad Apple. :mad:

[~Shard~]

Because the chances are its not faulty, and would make a very nice spare!

I've had no problems with my battery getting hot in the six months that I've owned it. Athough there is a very small chance its faulty, the recall is just a precaution because some (6) batteries from that batch are bad. The vast majority that are being returned are probably fine.

The first thing I thought when I heard of the recall was "I wonder if I can keep the old one as a spare" but actually I'll be sending it back. I don't want to cause any trouble :-)

My new one arrived yesterday by the way, and appears identical to the old one. It came via UPS (I'm in the UK).

That's fair enough, but I don't think I'd want a potentially faulty battery, one that has been recalled, still in my precious PowerBook, even if it isn't currently exhibiting any problems. I see your point though...

[mhar4]

How did you find out the mAh rating please?


edit: my Maths may be bad - Its actually 2.5% :eek: I guess thats significant. Bad Apple. :mad:

InforMac

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/13704

[dav]

Sigh...

My old battery exhibited no problems.. The new battery, which was supposed to fix the old problems I never had, causes my iBook to be on FIRE and it doesn't last as long (I think).

Is this hot? Because it sure does feel like it, and my fan hasn't turned on for a LONG time...

http://img213.echo.cx/img213/8062/picture16wp.th.png (http://img213.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture16wp.png)

[dav]

My new battery doesn't last very long.. sigh

[Mord]

yeah, these new batteries suck, 10 mins after putting it in to calibrate my fan comes on and now from full charge it says it'll only do 4:33 with AP and full brightness, my old one did about that when it was 6 months old, and did 5:30 when new 7 dimmed with no AP.

[cynikal]

its good to run the battery down to nothing every few days then plug it back in for a full charge.

NO!!!!!!!!!!! don't do this ever!! modern lithium-ion batteries don't suffer from "memory effect", and by doing this, you're actually lowering the overall capacity of the battery.. mine used to be 4400 mAH now it's down to 4025 mAH when i have no choice but to run out of battery (if you don't believe me, run this in the terminal, /usr/sbin/ioreg -p IODeviceTree -n battery -w 0|grep Cap )

[Mord]

mine says 4562Ma, suppose i was just spoilt with my previous battery.

[gcarswell]

Mine showed up with 3 lights on it..,..this is obviously a refurb:(

[Mord]

they all do, if you leave a battery either fully charged or completely drained it damages it so apple them all at about 60% charge.

[fistful]

I sure wish my battery was in this recall. Pretty well overnight it went from having a 2 hour charge to now at about an hour. :(

[john_satc]

By the way, here's my advice on properly conditioning your new battery.

- install new battery
- leave laptop unplugged and allow battery to completely discharge
- plug laptop into power source and completely charge new battery
- unplug laptop and again allow battery to completely discharge

What many do is immediately charge a new battery without allowing it to completely drain it's initial factory charge. I don't charge a factory battery before first discharging it. This has always worked for me, and I tend to get much better battery performance than many of my colleagues who don't condition their batteries.

This is true. My first ever mac, my iBook, i plugged in the power cord but not far enough in (didn't no a light was supposed to come one). I didn't realise till the low battery warning came on. After fully charging it i got around 5 hours battery life at my settings.
This replacement battery I charged up straight away and only getting around 4 hours battery on same settings. Not happy.

[dobbin]

I phoned UPS and arranged for them to come today to collect my old (faulty?) battery to return it to Apple.

They said they'd come between 10am and 5pm. I stayed in all day (at work).

At 5.00 pm I called them to ask where they were. The operator told me that the driver had called at 15.06 and been told that the parcel was not ready. What a load of cr&p. I was there all day waiting for him.

How do they get away with lies like that? Why do Apple pay them?

What shall I do now?

In answer to my last question - nothing! If Apple want the old battery back, they can come and get it themselves. I'm not going to any more trouble on their behalf.

[rinseout]

Good advice - I usually do variations of this on other electronic equipment as well to help preserve battery life.
Apple's advice is to charge up first, then fully discharge. Now I'm not sure who to believe.

[rryan]

I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of whether or not Apple will really charge you if you do not return the battery. Has anyone participated in a similar recall with Apple? I personally would love to keep my old battery as a backup.

[jung_offender]

I have a problem that someone here (given all the talk of apple UK support here) may be able to help with.

Long story short, I want to write a letter of complaint regarding the service I have received from apple UK on a recent warranty claim but when I call apple, the people are only able to give me the generic uk.consumer@euro.apple.com email address or a postal address that would have the people I am complaining about answering their own complaint (ie: conflict of interest). Does anyone have the name of someone higher up at customer service that I can direct my letter to directly or an alternative route?

Thanks in advance.

Brad Martin

jung [underscore] offender [at] hotmail.com

[jung_offender]

I sure wish my battery was in this recall. Pretty well overnight it went from having a 2 hour charge to now at about an hour. :(

My understanding of this problem (common to MANY [most?] 12" PB's including mine) is that this means a cell (or several cells) in the battery has failed. Mine now gets about 20 minutes and goes from 86% to shutdown with no warning. Still, it doesn't catch fire so...

[ohcrap]

I have a 15" Powerbook that I bought about 2.5-3 months ago, definitely after May of this year. Does this affect me? Is the only way to know to open the panel and get the model number of the battery?

[ohcrap]

Ah, crap. Its a 3X448. I think that means I have some sending back to do, huh..? :rolleyes:

[ohcrap]

OK, I'm filling out the form for a new battery and it asks for the battery serial number THREE times. Anyways, where can I go on my system to find the serial number? I am dyslexic so I prefer to copy and paste into that field rather than write it down and type it back in. Thanks.

[powerbook911]

OK, I'm filling out the form for a new battery and it asks for the battery serial number THREE times. Anyways, where can I go on my system to find the serial number? I am dyslexic so I prefer to copy and paste into that field rather than write it down and type it back in. Thanks.

Don't you have to turn off the computer, and look at the underside of the batterY?

[DeSnousa]

Don't you have to turn off the computer, and look at the underside of the batterY?

I can't remember very well but yes its under the battery, but i think there is a way to check it in system profiler.

[ohcrap]

I got it all set now. Yes, it is on the backside of the battery, and no, it cannot be found in System Profiler, according to my Apple Tech Support.