G4 AI PowerBook Battery Recall

[MacBytes]

Category: Apple Hardware
Link: G4 AI PowerBook Battery Recall
Posted on MacBytes.com

Approved by Mudbug

[nacl99]

A recall and no one has anything to say about it?

hmm... wierd

Well I for one hope mine is in the recall, so I can get a fresh battery, maybe one that runs cooler too.

[Nspace]

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

I saw this here.

Doh.. I guess I will have to do this battery exchange thing.

Although I find it humerous, just sitting there doing work and poof! Up in flames haha.

Crappy that this had to happen, maybe the replacements will better. Fresh new battery for everyone.

*edit* whoo I have a Hq42 battery, and I just got mine this month. whoo no need to replace.

[Savage Henry]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3581024.stm

Batteries Schmatteries! Laptop owners should just buy proper computers and stop moaning!!



In all fairness it is a bummer, but I think the news is acting more public informationally rather than sensationalistic [please note that I don't think that 1 of those words actually exists]. It's good to hear that no users have actually been harmed.

[musicpyrite]

"Apple is voluntarily recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable batteries"

I guess voluntarily is better than being force to by the law or a law suit.

[ALoLA]

Well, that's one battery supplier that's not going to get any repeat business from Apple. I wonder if they sell their stuff to other computer manufacturers, or as replacement/spare batteries on the open market?

[denm316]

Originally Posted by musicpyrite

"Apple is voluntarily recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable batteries"

I guess voluntarily is better than being force to by the law or a law suit.

exactly what I was thinking

[Cannibal]

suddenly my having joked about getting second degree burns on your lap from a G5 powerbook doesn't seem that funny...

this does make those old ads about the heat that used to come off of old wintel boxes seem pretty funny though...

-Cannibal-

[swissmann]

Getting a new battery is nice. Just hope that it has as much capacity or more as the ones they are replacing.

[nagromme]

My 15" AlBook exploded, and I was tossed onto the roof of a Pizza Hut 15 miles away. I was unconscious for the next four months, and only just woke up today. I climbed down from the roof and discovered this recall news on the front page of all the papers.

Shame on LG Chem.

[macsrus]

Originally Posted by nagromme

My 15" AlBook exploded, and I was tossed onto the roof of a Pizza Hut 15 miles away. I was unconscious for the next four months, and only just woke up today. I climbed down from the roof and discovered this recall news on the front page of all the papers.

Shame on LG Chem.

So basically thats what happened to your brain and caused your political signature....

Hope you recover from the brain damage

[~Shard~]

Glad to see Apple's doing the right thing here.

[starcrossed]

Luckily, and suprisingly my battery wasn't one that was recalled. My new 15" Powerbook arrived from Apple at the end of June, but the model and serials don't match the ones Apple is targeting so looks like I won't have to exchange batteries or anything. I had a feeling about that since I had never notice the battery or the Powerbook getting extremly hot or anything. Anyways way to go Apple for taking the move voluntarily before they get some lawsuit from a bunch of pissed off customers and recieve a court order to do the recall.

[quackattack]

Gotta admit I was worried when I got that e-mail. My powerbook fit the exact descripion of what they were looking for. My serial is different so I'm ok.

But I will think twice next time I use my powerbook on my lap. Come to think of it, it is getting awfully warm....

[spinko]

Great, I might just get a little more than 2h30 of battery life with the new battery

[MetallicPenguin]

Yeah I got mine about noon today, I told them about it about noon the day before so I am very impressed, I posted info about the arrival of it and some other stuff on my site: http://macsight.com

PS: Thanks shawnce

[mouchoir]

hmm... this would explain the 3rd degree burns I keep receiving on my thighs every time I log on to macrumors!

glad they mentioned it and are doing a free switch.

[Bendit]

I like how some Apple users put a positive spin on everything. Apple has some serious quality issues they have to deal with. It's getting ridiculous how many Apple products have problems. When you pay a premium for a product you don't expect this kind of crap.

[nagromme]

Originally Posted by Bendit

I like how some Apple users put a positive spin on everything. Apple has some serious quality issues they have to deal with. It's getting ridiculous how many Apple products have problems. When you pay a premium for a product you don't expect this kind of crap.

A few points:

1. Apple didn't make the batteries.

2. The company that DID make them had a problem during only a part of December 2003.

3. That company (LG Chem) doesn't just make stuff for Apple.

4. The problem is being fixed free of course--and you don't even have to be without your 'Book for a moment.

5. Year after year, Consumer Reports does a mass survey comparing computer makers. Every time (including the one that just came out), Apple is THE top computer maker in terms of hardware reliability (and in effective tech support and customer service as well). They won--as always--in ALL subcategories of these surveys. Including for laptops specifically.

6. A tiny fraction of people with a problem will (understandably) complain a lot on forums where people GO to complain and seek help. People without problems are FAR less likely to post. So you see a higher percent of complaints than really happen, by far. Look at a Dell forum and you'll see the same.

7. A huge number of forum complaints you see about Apple products are cosmetic issues and irregularities that you wouldn't even NOTICE on a less elegantly-designed machine with such clean and perfect lines. Nor are users of those machines even necessarily looking for them.

8. But yes, I wish Apple (and all their suppliers) were perfect instead of just the best. Ah, well

9. Find me a laptop with ALL (not one or two) of the features and benefits and portability of a 15" PowerBook for less money, so I can understand about this "premium"

[MetallicPenguin]

I am getting a new one. I had a kernel panic the night before Apple posted the info, I don't care if it is related or not, I'm eligible so I am getting a replacement.

And I am in no way mad whatsoever. I am actually pretty happy. It was really easy to ask for a replacement, just put in your name and address, and they send you one. Free shipping, put your old battery in, free return shipping. It's kind of like Netflix, except free, and it powers my laptop. :P

And it's not like I can't use my laptop, it runs without the battery. You just have to have it plugged in, which I always do anyway. So I am happy.

[shawnce]

Originally Posted by MetallicPenguin

I am getting a new one. I had a kernel panic the night before Apple posted the info, I don't care if it is related or not, I'm eligible so I am getting a replacement.

Likely not related... but if you ever have a kernel panic report it to Apple. They want to know about them so that they can prevent them since they should never happen (as an ideal of OS design).

To report run Console.app (/Applications/Utilities/Console.app) and then click on the "Logs" toolbar button (assuming you are running Panther) then in the Logs listing on the left look for "/Library/Logs" and open that item. Look for "panic.log" under it and click on it. Hopefully you will have kernel panic information logs in this file and you can copy and paste that into Apple Mac OS X feedback page or report it via Apple developer bug reporter (Radar).

A kernel panic log will look something like the following...

Unresolved kernel trap(cpu 0): 0x400 - Inst access DAR=0x00000000BFFFCEC0 PC=0x0000000000000000
Latest crash info for cpu 0:
   Exception state (sv=0x2E8DDA00)
      PC=0x00000000; MSR=0x40009030; DAR=0xBFFFCEC0; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00035590; R1=0x1C4D3E10; XCP=0x00000010 (0x400 - Inst access)
      Backtrace:
         0x00035590 0x00035664 
Proceeding back via exception chain:
   Exception state (sv=0x2E8DDA00)
      previously dumped as "Latest" state. skipping...
   Exception state (sv=0x2D245C80)
      PC=0x00000000; MSR=0x0000D030; DAR=0x00000000; DSISR=0x00000000; LR=0x00000000; R1=0x00000000; XCP=0x00000000 (Unknown)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 7.3.0:
Fri Mar  5 14:22:55 PST 2004; root:xnu/xnu-517.3.15.obj~4/RELEASE_PPC

[IBSNOWEDIN]

that was close i just checked my PB the serial is HQ409 for a sec i thought it was HQ408 hehe. The weird thing is that my PB still gets very hot...

[nagromme]

Hot is normal. Flames are not

[DesignBook]

Filled out the online form yesterday afternoon, got the battery this morning, it was approx. one half business day to process, ship, and receive my new battery. Apple Rocks!

And I'm keeping my old battery.. now I have 3! (I already had one spare)

Out of 3 possible batteries (including my father-in-law's pbook) that were all bought around the right time, only one battery qualified for recall.