Apple: Users Can Exchange MacBook Batteries

Apple is offering to exchange certain rechargeable batteries in its 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks that were sold between February and May.

In an announcement on its Web site, the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker said these batteries do not cause a safety risk but are not meeting the companys performance standards.

"We recently discovered that some 15-inch MacBook Pro batteries supplied to Apple do not meet our high standards for battery performance," the company said. "To give our users the best experience possible, we will replace these batteries for customers free of charge."

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Notebook users can continue to use the batteries until the replacement arrives, the company said.

The affected batteries are Model A1175 and have a 12-digit serial number that ends with U7SA, U7SB or U7SC. Users have to remove the battery from the notebook to check the model and serial number. The numbers are located above the bar code.

No other MacBook Pro or MacBook batteries are part of the exchange program.

On Aug. 19, 2004, Apple announced it was cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall about 28,000 rechargeable batteries used in its 15-inch PowerBook G4 notebooks. Those batteries were prone to overheating and posed a possible fire hazard.

Click here to read more about Apples 2004 battery recall.

In the July 31 announcement on its Web site, Apple made no mention of the CPSC, and there was no announcement by the federal agency.

On Dec. 16, Dell announced it was recalling about 35,000 notebook PC battery packs. The batteries, which were bundled with Dell notebooks and also sold as add-ons, could overheat and cause a fire, the company said at the time.

Click here to read the full story about Dells battery recall.

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