Japan orders Apple to probe laptops, batteries
Japanese authorities reported Tuesday the first case of an Apple laptop catching fire in Japan and ordered the U.S. company to investigate the trouble involving the faulty Sony batteries and report back within a week.
An iBook G4 laptop made by Apple Computer Inc. overheated and caught fire in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.
The user sustained minor burns after the computer caught fire, according to Apple spokeswoman Michiko Matsumoto, who confirmed the case.
Japan's trade ministry ordered Apple's Japan branch to report on its findings and measures to prevent future troubles by Sept. 5 or it could face a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,570) under Japan's consumer safety laws.
Sony and Dell also have been ordered to report on their findings after the recall was announced by the ministry.
Last week, ministry officials reported that batteries in Dell laptops imported to Japan caught fire in at least two separate instances in October and June. No one was injured in those incidents, but the fires destroyed the machines.
Battery packs contain cells of rolled up metal strips. Sony has said that during production, crimping the rolls left tiny shards of metal loose in the cells, and some of those shards can cause batteries to short-circuit, or in extreme cases, catch fire.
Apple's Matsumoto declined to say the number of batteries the recall involves in Japan and how many have been recalled.
The trade ministry has also instructed other Japanese electronic makers to check the safety of their laptop batteries.
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