The batteries, as in the Dell recall, were made by Sony Corp.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said yesterday that the lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

The rechargeable lithium-ion batteries were fitted in certain 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4.  About 700,000 of those machines were sold outside the U.S.

Consumers are urged to remove the battery from the computer to view the model and serial numbers labelled on the underside of the unit.

The notebooks were sold from October 2003 through August 2006, for between US$900 and US$2,300.  In some cases the batteries were sold separately for approximately US$130.

Overheating reports

A CPSC release said Apple has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property damage.  No serious injuries were reported.

Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge.  After removing the recalled battery from their iBook or PowerBook, consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.

The latest recall has pushed the total number of affected Sony batteries to almost six million.

Contact Apple at (800) 275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday or log on to Apple's website at http://support.apple.com /batteryprogram to check the battery's serial number and request a replacement.

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