Apple in trouble with Japan over Sony's exploding batteries

On Thursday, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry reported the first flaming Apple laptop in Japan -- and has thusly begun its official smackdown on Apple. The Associated Press is reporting that Japan's trade ministry has ordered Apple's Japan branch to figure out what the hell is going on with those batteries of theirs by September 5th, or the company could face a fine of up to ¥300,000 ($2,570) under local consumer safety laws -- a make-or-break amount of cash for small-time upstart Apple (unless they're referring to ¥300,000 per day per Apple laptop sold in Japan, which would be, uh, bad). It's still a mystery to us why the trade ministry is going after Apple and Dell directly though, instead of focusing its efforts squarely on the source. Sony and Dell have, of course, been previously dinged in Japan due to Sony's little error (which, as you might recall, affects a combined total of nearly six million batteries worldwide, and don't forget those exploding Vaio batteries, either), so remember Apple, you wouldn't like the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry when it's angry.

[Thanks, zo]

[akijikan @ Aug 29th 2006 4:13PM]

pretty obvious why they're not targeting sony...its a japanese company!

[jpxdude @ Aug 29th 2006 4:29PM]

^^ What he said above...

Basically Sony are heroes of Japan ever since WW2, there is definately a bias somewhere, as the defect is with Sony batteries. Its a shame that both Apple and Dell should get in trouble for something they shouldn't be liable for.

[Andrew Wood @ Aug 29th 2006 4:35PM]

Typical protectionist approach from Japan. And don't forget that Apple manufactures most of its kit in China - not Japan's favourite place either these days.

[page @ Aug 29th 2006 4:39PM]

I don't think Sony Apple Dell or any company should be irresponsible. They are all responsible for the things they do.

[Dignan17 @ Aug 29th 2006 4:41PM]

It might as well be the Ministry of Silly Walks. Clearly the Japanese government is far behind us Americans in learning how to shift blame. The trick: you can't be horribly obvious like this.

[blah @ Aug 29th 2006 4:42PM]

Um, I thought Sony said that the defective batteries were distributed *only* in North America. So, what the hell is going on here?

[Robotron @ Aug 29th 2006 5:02PM]

Apple and Dell should find another battery supplier.
Maybe an American or European one.

[David Lazarus @ Aug 29th 2006 5:02PM]

They are going after the wrong target, the target should be Sony, though they could say that Apple and Dell incorrectly specified the batteries and therefore would be liable, but Sony should have warned Apple and Dell of any problems if the specs had drawbacks.

Targeting the customer may be a solution in the short term for METI but in the long run it will push customers away from Japanese companies. Why buy a japanese component product if you get fined by a Japanese Ministry if something goes wrong?

[Qriz @ Aug 29th 2006 5:09PM]

If you use a part as a component of your finished product and something goes wrong with the part, you are liable in addition to (obviously) the supplier of the part. They made the decision to use the part instead of others.

Sony's batteries are still being used in countless consumer products (including those of Apple and Dell) in seemingly direct contradiction to the facts in this article. There's a reason for that. Maybe Sony sells their batteries for a low price compared to others, or there is some other benefit.

Remember, companies are squeezing every penny out of their products but trying to maintain sales and "reputation for quality", blah blah blah at the same time. If something goes wrong with their product, it's the ass of whoever within the company chose to include that part/product (these deffective batteries) in their own.

[Berto @ Aug 29th 2006 5:21PM]

Apple or Dell aren't being irresponsible about it, the argument is that Apple shouldn't be liable for it. Haven't both of them already set up battery exchange programs? Haven't they both already informed the public? And isn't it the battery rather than the computer itself?

[watch @ Aug 29th 2006 5:47PM]

Killed by a Battery - now that is way to go for a real Apple soldier :)

[Jason Tsongas @ Aug 29th 2006 6:13PM]

Just because Sony makes the battery, Apple is no less to blame in this matter. If only the manufacturer were to blame then it would make sense for every company producing a product to make a separate company to manufacture and take the fall if anything goes wrong.

BTW, Sony and Dell were given the same instructions. They also have to report the direction taken with this or face the same fine. We blame the Japanese for not hitting the Japanese company but in reality should blame the American press for not properly conveying the facts.

As for where the Apple batteries are, Apple announced 1.1 million in the US and 700,000 in other countries.

And for those that want to beat up on Sony, yes this is a huge number of batteries and surely they are taking a big hit on this. This is not the first time a company recalled a battery and will surely not be the last.

Apple U.S. Battery Recalls
--------------------------
2004 - 28,000 - LG Chemical
2005 - 128,000 - LG Chemical
2006 - 1,100,000 - Sony Energy Devices Corp.

Dell U.S. Battery Recalls
-------------------------
2000 - 27,000 - Dell, Inc.
2001 - 284,000 - Dell, Inc.
2005 - 22,000 - Dell, Inc.
2006 - 2,700,000 - Sony Energy Devices Corp.
(Note, Dell did not identify a third party manufacturer for the 2000, 2001 and 2005 recalls.)

[Semi @ Aug 29th 2006 6:15PM]

what a bunch of stupid comments about protectionism..

with apple laptops, its not sony who sold the batteries, its apple who sold laptops with dodgy batteries.

so its common sense to put the blame on the company/apple which sold the batteries to the public.

now that apple's wrist has been slapped by japanese government, now apple will slap sony's wrist, then sony will slap its production manager/designer, etc..

some people...jeez!

[Perrey Z. @ Aug 29th 2006 6:21PM]

What the hell?! This is Sony's fault., they are the ones who manufacture the defective battery packs and kept their yellow mouths shut even after they knew about it. Dell and Apple are completely innocent in this case. Eventually Dell and Apple will fight these racially motivated AND false accusations and hopefully blame the right party. Is not like those Japs are the only ones making good quality battery packs for U.S. based computer companies.

[josh @ Aug 29th 2006 6:28PM]

FTA "...and has thusly begun..."

Thusly - Usage Note (from about.com): "thusly" was originally coined by educated writers to make fun of uneducated persons trying to sound genteel. "Thusly", however, diffused into popular usage. Some people accept it as an adverb in its own right, while others believe thus should be used in all cases.

[Jason Tsongas @ Aug 29th 2006 6:32PM]

Perrey Z - How can Dell and Apple be blameless in this when the problem is tied to the method they are using of packaging and charging the batteries? The same batteries in other laptops using a superior method of packaging and charging do not have this problem. Far too many people seem to think Sony is sending a readymade battery to these companies. They are selling the cells and not the actual "battery packs" as you so eloquently explain in your post. Also, how is Dell not to blame when they were warned of this by Sony in 2005 and took no action because the numbers were too low at the time?

[Torontoguy @ Aug 29th 2006 6:43PM]

I still don't believe that this is a Sony problem. It is much more likely that Dell and Apple have defective charging systems which is why onoy they are having trouble. I have used SONY Lithium-Ion batteries for more than 10 years in various devices without a problem. Not only don't the batteries catch fire...they don't even get warm in the charger.
I think the problem lies with Dell and Apple and they are trying to shift the blame.

[TC @ Aug 29th 2006 7:11PM]

Just for the record, The Japanese Government instigated a snap audit of Sony's production line and gave Sony a deadline to explain the battery problems, or face a huge fine for not cooperating.
The reason they investigated Dell/Apple is that it appeared that the charging circuits of Fujitsu, Toshiba, HP and Lenovo do not cause the batteries to ignite (despite the inherent fault with metal particles in the battery) which insinuates that Dell and Apple are using lower quality charging components that attribute to the actual 'exploding' of the battery. The batteries on their own do not ignite (so far) unless on charge.
The Japanese government is actually just requesting Dell and Apple check their components and use better quality parts accordingly. Interestingly both Dell and Apple use FoxConn components extensively on their laptop system boards.

[AJH @ Aug 29th 2006 7:27PM]

In response to the 'comments' of Jerry Z.

'Yellow mouths'? 'Japs'...WTF?
You are a redneck that needs some 'educating'

jeez.

[keith waddington @ Aug 29th 2006 8:42PM]

AJH us correct

Also there is no evidence that either Dell nor Apple "parts" are partly to blame. This was an initial theory when the whole story began and only Dell seemed to be involved. This idea was later rejected.

Still, Sony, Dell and Apple have all been asked by the Japanese government to investigate further. Which makes sense.

And of course there is favouritism in Japan. And protectionism. I live in Japan, unlike some of the "experts" in this thread. However, for the time being the government seems to be acting responsibly.

These are the facts as I understand them so far. I admit they are not so interesting as wild opinion and racist fantasies. If any one can bring to light alternative facts I would be happy to read the links they provide.

cheers
waddo
http://www.waddo.net/

[Joe @ Aug 29th 2006 9:33PM]

Didn't Apple already recall these batteries and why isn't Sony being held accountable? Homefield advantage?

[5ftassassin @ Aug 30th 2006 1:31AM]

There was an article in TWICE magazine this week it stated that less than .0001% of the batteries shipped to Dell have caught on fire. I'm no statistician but that seems like an acceptable level of risk but we don’t have all of the numbers to compute the probability of one of these batteries exploding. (maybe some one can I’m not great with stats)

All companies involved are doing the right thing, it’s not like the auto companies haven’t been slow to act on known issues in the past where people actually have died as a result of their actions. This is getting spun out of control by the same idiots who hate Sony no matter what and will blindly hate things they don’t like with out the facts.

[CJ @ Aug 30th 2006 7:48AM]

I can't look at my laptop without thinking it is ploting an attack on my netter regions :(

[Ari @ Aug 30th 2006 10:04AM]

Ummm...that iBook has burn damage on the LEFT side as opposed to the battery location which is on the RIGHT side. 'splain that!

[Perrey Z. @ Aug 30th 2006 10:29AM]

Jason Tsongas; These battery packs are outsourced from Sony. Sony is the only responsible party here. If Sony know all along about this why they didn't issue warnings or recalls?, Why Should Dell and Apple and/or any other computer manufacturer be fined and investigated by the Japanese government for this? Why they must be singled out? Sony is the manufacturer So this is Sony's own fault and responsibility.

When Apple had that similar problem with one of their iPods back in 2005, LG Electronics, the Supplier of their battery packs took the heat, not Apple! Why should this be an exception?

And for the record before you or any other one in here shouts out that I'm neither a Dell or Apple "fanboy"., iam a neutral observer with a clear mind that can see the many years of injustice committed by the Japanese government with foreign enterprises marketing their products in Japan.

[Perrey Z. @ Aug 30th 2006 10:30AM]

AJH; First of all is not "JerryZ" re-read is Perrey Z and not, I'm not a racist nor a redneck, you might be one since you can't spell sh!t correctly or made an intelligent argument of what i just wrote. You only dissected it and took what you wanted and stared your little J/) party based on those two words. Why don't you get the hell back to your little trailer and get back to your NASCAR or whatever the hell you people do for fun.

Fact#1: they are Japanese and their skin tend to be Yellow.

Fact#2: They are racist humans which tend to have mouths.

Hence the words "Yellow" and "Mouth". Do you get that or do i need to brake my chalkboard and s-p-e-l-l it more great details to you? I hope not, cause i don't have time for your kind and i DO have a life outside this blog and a good paying job.

[TC @ Aug 30th 2006 2:06PM]

"...do i need to brake my chalkboard and s-p-e-l-l it more great details to you? "

That's just brilliant! It's good news that you've confirmed to everyone that you are not racist by any stretch of the imagination.

Deyv Tookn Arr Jawbs!

[Arcygenical @ Aug 30th 2006 5:16PM]

Nuke them.

[Eric @ Sep 14th 2006 6:43AM]

you can't spell sh!t correctly or made an intelligent argument of what i just wrote.
Actually kind of hard to made anything out of what you just wrote.

...what you wanted and stared your little...
Started has two T's.

Why don't you get the hell back to your little trailer and get back to your NASCAR or whatever the hell you people do for fun.
If it is a trailer, then that's probably where he's posting from.

Fact#1: they are Japanese and
Who are? You mean that Japanese are Japanese? I would also argue that French are French, Americans are Americans and English are English - but I have no basis of proof.

Fact#2: They are racist humans...
Does anyone else see the irony here? By using "They" in generalizing a demographic to having ratial tendencies?

or do i need to brake my chalkboard and s-p-e-l-l it more great details to you?
You mean greater detail?

i DO have a life outside this blog and a good paying job.
Capitalize the 'I' and tone down the 'do'. A good paying job, eh? Please tell me its in literature - man, I would love to buy your book.

[Eric @ Sep 14th 2006 6:45AM]

ratial = racial ;.)

[Mark @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:27PM]

"It's still a mystery to us why the trade ministry is going after Apple and Dell directly though"

It's a shame we only had Fat Man and Little Boy lo those many years ago...

[Eddie Kelly, VI @ Jul 26th 2007 1:47AM]

Heck I remember when 2,000,000.00 In Japan,In 1975.
Was, 20,000.00 In USA.. WTG USA.