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Laptop batteries, are we all screwed?

Brad Wardell   on 19 September 2006 - 18:05 · 58 comments & 33807 views

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You've seen the recalls. Toshiba, Dell, Apple, etc. have all had their own problems with laptop batteries catching on fire. It's relatively rare but it's happening.
 
The problem is that nearly all modern laptop batteries are made by Sony.  Today a user reports that they saw a Lenova ThinkPad catch on fire at LAX.  It's too early to know whether this was caused by the same battery issue or just some freak accident, but the issue is unnerving.
 
With the vast majority of the laptop industry using batteries produced by a single supplier (Sony) it has made itself vulnerable for just this sort of catastrophic problem. A problem where not just some users of the product are affected but potentially every single customer.  As we reported earlier, Toshiba just had to recall 340,000 batteries.  That's just one supplier. 
 
We will provide more reports as this develops.
 
View: Neowin.net - Toshiba recall
View: Sony claims fires only affect Apple and Dell
View: ThinkPad catches on fire at LAX

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#1 GreenApple123 on 09 Nov 2006 - 22:54
Are there any brands that don't use Sony batteries? Are Sony batteries unsafe or is it just the nature of Lithium-ion batteries? I have a Sony laptop and I bought a new battery from Laptops For Less because I was concerned about the Sony battery? Are there other ways to avoid using a Sony battery?

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