Apple admits laptop battery issue

  First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Apple has said that "some Compaq Presario 1700 Battery" in its range of MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops have "performance issues".


The company has issued a software update to fix the issue and has offered to replace defective batteries.

"The factors causing the performance issues do not present a safety risk. You may continue to use your current battery," the company said.

Reports of problems, including swollen batteries, have been circulating since the laptops were launched in 2006.

In its support notes to users, Apple says battery packs which are "visibly deformed" are among the symptoms of battery problems.

The company advises users to install the update on all "MacBook and MacBook Pro computers and extra batteries that were purchased between February 2006 and April 2007".


If battery problems persist after the update, Apple has said users should contact their local Apple A1175 Battery store or retailer and the firm will arrange replacement batteries free of charge.


Other symptoms of battery problems include:

The battery is not recognised

The battery will not charge and runs down quickly

In July last year the BBC News website was contacted by Apple owners who reported problems with their new laptops.

Technology professional Dave Verwer said: "I noticed my MacBook Pro would get down to 30% battery left and then shut off without warning.

"It had done this for a couple of weeks before I noticed that the battery case was swollen and coming away from the laptop casing."

Despite the issues, the MacBook range of laptops has been very successful for Apple.


Strong sales of the machines recently helped Apple Laptop Battery sales soar to $5.2bn in the first three months of 2007.


Apple has released a new line-up of laptop computers

Apple Computer has one of the strongest brands in the world. But are reported problems with some of its newest products in danger of damaging that reputation?

Dave Verwer is a technology professional in the UK who made the decision to switch to Apple Macs after years of using machines which run Microsoft Windows.

He spent in excess of £1,000 to buy a MacBook Pro from the US, the latest laptop released by Apple, but after three months he encountered unexpected problems.

"It is an expensive product and I did not make the choice to buy it lightly.

"I knew that new products have teething problems and friends had warned me that Apple's first revision hardware have had some problems in the past."

Have you had problems using Apple products? Send us your views


He said: "I noticed my MacBook Pro Laptop Battery would get down to 30% battery left and then shut off without warning.


I noticed that the battery case was swollen and coming away from the laptop casing

Dave Verwer

"It had done this for a couple of weeks before I noticed that the battery case was swollen and coming away from the laptop casing."

A search online reveals that the swollen battery problem is not unique to Mr Verwer.

Other users have similar issues - there are also complaints about the heat generated by Apple's new range of laptops, a whining noise emitted by the early models and stains appearing on the MacBook - as opposed to the MacBook Pro - laptops.

"It seems to be affecting a very small percentage of products," said Nate Elliott, a digital home analyst with Jupiter Research.

"Apple has always done things so well and asked customers to pay more for products that work well. Any problems that do exist are going to be reported."


While news of problems has leapt across blogs, online forums and even pictures Compaq Armada E500 Battery posted online to Flickr, the photo sharing site, the scale of the problem is not known.


Apple was asked about the problems by BBC News and said in a statement that it was "aware of this input and is looking into it".

The statement added: "If a customer has any technical issues, they should contact AppleCare."

Apple are a victim of their own success. Everything they do is reported

Graham Barlow, Editor MacFormat

Experienced Apple watcher Leander Kahney, who runs the Cult of Mac blog and writes for Wired, said the issues were most likely teething problems.

"There is something of an echo chamber quality about the internet," he said.

"For individual consumers the customer experience is always good."

Graham Barlow, editor of Mac Format magazine, agreed: "Every time Apple produces a new product there is always going to be teething problems.

"They push the boundaries. Inevitably some of the first products to market need a bit of tweaking."

But with the internet arguably distorting the scale of the problem, what impact could this have on Apple's brand?

"The reports of problems do not seem to have affected Apple's brand so far," said Mr Elliott.


"Apple are a victim of their own success. Everything they do Apple M9324 Battery is reported," said Mr Barlow.


Mr Verwer's battery was lifting out of the case

He added: "But a lot of people do not have these problems. With the internet we do not know if these are problems experienced by a lot of people or whether this is out of proportion."

Apple is in the process of replacing its line-up of computers that used IBM chips with ones made with Intel chips. As the new machines are rolled out the company is also taking the opportunity to re-design many of the machines with new hardware and features.

Apple may be the dominant force in the digital music world but in terms of computer hardware sales it remains a modest player.

The firm sold around 1.2m Macs in each of the last four quarters while a PC manufacturer like Dell can sell around 37 million in a year.

Mr Kahney said: "There have been a few problems with the move to Intel. But there could have been a lot more.

"When they have completed the switch and ironed out the problems they will be looking for big increases in market share."


Mr Elliott believes that the Apple A1185 Battery reported problems will not have an impact in the medium to long term.


"I suspect that if you ask Apple users who have experienced problems whether they would continue to buy Apple products the answer will be a resounding yes," he said.

But what of Mr Verwer? has the experienced affected his impression of Apple?

"I would buy another Apple product. But I might not buy it so closely to it coming out, however."