MacBook Battery Fire

[MacRumors]

Apple's laptop batteries are once again feeling heat after one MacBook owner's laptop caught fire, apparently stemming from the battery.

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As I was running I saw a fire. At first I thought that the lamp had fallen and set fire to the curtain. As I got closer I realised it was my mac book .... burning! I picked it up and blew on it and swung it around to put the flames out. The book shelf it was sitting on was burnt and there were a couple of magazines that were on fire too.
According to the user, the laptop was charging at the time but not in use (asleep with lid shut). Last summer, multiple PC vendors (including Apple) issued massive battery recalls due to defective Sony-made batteries. The recalls prompted Apple, Dell, and Lenovo to hold a summit to develop Li-Ion battery standards.

Apple has historically used Li-Ion batteries in its iBook and PowerBook laptops, but has opted for Lithium Polymer batteries (Li-Poly) in its MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. One of the supposed advantages of Li-Poly batteries is reduced combustibility.

While the incident is certainly disturbing, it is unknown how widespread the issue is. Currently, there are no safety recalls affecting the MacBook or MacBook Pro, and Apple has yet to respond to the incident.

Article Link: MacBook Battery Fire

 

[Jesus]

Oh no, here we go again. It can't be sony again, it would be ludicrous. It would be great if the mavbook user, or for that matter, Apple could find out who manufactured those cells. I hope no one was hurt.

 

[shabbasuraj]

YAY lawsuits!!!!!

 

[e12a]

you know Apple's gonna send PR reps like mad to his service..

i see a brand new C2D Macbook Pro for him...maybe more.

 

[acearchie]

yikes! Luxcky he wasnt using it at the time!!!!

p.s how do these things happen??? Do they just go pop or does it happen gradually?

!

 

[50548]

Sorry, but ONE case of battery fire published on the Net means nothing to me. The recall is completed and Apple has dealt with the problem in the most transparent manner.

This is simply irrelevant in statistical terms...problems will always occur, but to say that one case of fire means a "return of the haunted batteries" is just silly...move along, citizens...

 

[epicwelshman]

Who voted this positive? Batteries that caught fire... oh yay, time for partying. Stupid.

 

[xli_ne]

man that looks nasty

 

[ppnkg]

now that's scary. I'm sorry for the guy's macbook and furniture. Let's see how apple is going to respond to this.

By the way, I always leave my hp laptop connected to the charger and mains. Is that a bad practice? Or are we dealing here with a problem which is specific to these batteries?

 

[Darkroom]

RIP little MacBook

 

[4God]

Sorry, but ONE case of battery fire published on the Net means nothing to me. The recall is completed and Apple has dealt with the problem in the most transparent manner.

This is simply irrelevant in statistical terms...problems will always occur, but to say that one case of fire means a "return of the haunted batteries" is just silly...move along, citizens...

Would you still say that if it were your Macbook?

 

[72930]

I don't know why people hate recalls; my dad's vaio lasts 30 minutes on a charge, and he was really irritated when he found it wasn't on the recall list...

 

[aricher]

The recent photos below are from a co-worker's MacBook Pro. His was asleep on a desk - he said he heard a loud "pop" and the found this:

He took it into the Apple Store and they replaced it right away.

 

[bm9703a]

Look Closer

Look at where it started burning... by the connector between the battery and the logic board. This is an electrical fire, but it is NOT an exploding battery. Something caused a short circuit at the connection, possibly even user error. Don't rush to sensationalist judgement over these pictures.

 

[andiwm2003]

imagine that happens on an airplane over the atlantic. my guess in a few month we won't be allowed to use any laptop in flight anymore.

also makes me nervous knowing that my notebook is sitting at home alone plugged to the outlet..........

 

[xli_ne]

Look at where it started burning... by the connector between the battery and the logic board. This is an electrical fire, but it is NOT an exploding battery. Something caused a short circuit at the connection, possibly even user error. Don't rush to sensationalist judgement over these pictures.

O NOES don't blame our dear Apple. God forbid.

 

[richdun]

Please leave your Mac at the door.

As I got closer I realised it was my mac book .... burning! I picked it up and blew on it and swung it around to put the flames out.

Not quite a Darwin award, but not the brightest LED in the bundle.

 

[nagromme]

O NOES don't blame our dear Apple. God forbid.

And NEVER discuss for a moment the possibility that the fire was caused by a different component

 

[anim8or]

The recent photos below are from a co-worker's MacBook Pro. His was asleep on a desk - he said he heard a loud "pop" and the found this:

He took it into the Apple Store and they replaced it right away.

Any chance you could ask if he has ever noticed a black mark on his macbook pro between the battery and the battery release buttons, right where his has popped!

Iv noticed a few times that i get this black sort of charcoal mark that wipes clean in that area and first thot it ws my carry case rubbing off against the hot battery... i have since stopped using the carry case and the mark is still appearing!!!

I cannot afford to have anything happen to my laptop or send it for repair/replacement as it has all of my degree work on it.

Also did the was the battery replaced or the whole macbook pro???

 

[rockthecasbah]

It sucks that happened, but i think this is just an isolated incident. A shame that it happened but very unlikely to recall. Things go wrong but it doesn't mean its the manufacturer's fault or the fault of the actual equipment. It may be just as bm9703a stated, an electrical fire or something to that effect

 

[mi5moav]

if you shorted the stock then this may be a positve vote...WEEHOO. Especially if you own Dell or HP stock...there is never a single point of view.

 

[anoopmj]

this is really scary... i have to admit i do get a little worried every time the fan comes on!!

 

[iSee]

The recent photos below are from a co-worker's MacBook Pro. His was asleep on a desk - he said he heard a loud "pop" and the found this:
...

...

I suddenly noticed mine looked like that a few weeks ago, although I didn't notice when it happened. Apple replaced it (the battery that is--it was the only thing affected). It makes you think, though. That basically should never happen.

 

[Bob Knob]

This wasn't some fire that just happened out of the blue... According to his story he had been having power/battery issues for three weeks. If your car had been having the power go on and off you would have taken it to the shop and you would not have been using it.
He didn't even have a good battery in his smoke detector.
The article doesn't say if this was a new battery or one that was on the recall list.

 

[Bob Knob]

Any chance you could ask if he has ever noticed a black mark on his macbook pro between the battery and the battery release buttons, right where his has popped!

Iv noticed a few times that i get this black sort of charcoal mark that wipes clean in that area and first thot it ws my carry case rubbing off against the hot battery... i have since stopped using the carry case and the mark is still appearing!!!

I cannot afford to have anything happen to my laptop or send it for repair/replacement as it has all of my degree work on it.

Also did the was the battery replaced or the whole macbook pro???

Let me make sure I get this right... You have clear signs of electrical arcing and you can't afford to lose all your data... so you aren't going to send it in for repair because you can't be without it? You've got to be kidding.