They�re hot and they�re catching fire, literally! News came out the other day that Dell was recalling 4.1 million laptop batteries made by Sony. The reason for this? Because of the chances that they would overheat and then burst into flames. While the pyrotechnics may be cool, it definitely would not be nice to see your precious laptop burn up in front of you. Even worse, to have it burn while on your lap! Imagine playing your favorite game when your laptop suddenly gets fried�oww!
Anyhow, this recall has certainly had a negative effect on Sony�s shares. In fairness to Dell, Michael Dell announced recently that they will continue to use Sony�s batteries and that they are ensuring better quality this time.
I got a question though. Aren�t they making too big of a fuss? A Dell representative said that in RARE cases, a short circuit may occur and cause the battery to overheat. I guess they are just avoiding bigger costs if that DOES happen and someone sues them.
One of the repercussions of this event is that the US government is now having all sorts of inquiries into Sony batteries. Sony batteries are also used by other laptop brands as well as other consumer electronics. If you think you�re off free because you�re using Apple, HP, and Lenovo, think again! They use Sony batteries too.
By the way, this is just like history repeating itself. Some years ago, Sony had to face similar problems with its products.