SAN DIEGO, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in conjunction with the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Apple Computer announced a voluntary
recall of lithium ion battery packs used in certain Apple notebook
computers. The recalled packs contain battery cells originally manufactured
by Sony.
    Sony is committed to the safety of consumers and supports this recall
by our customer Apple.
    At this time, Sony anticipates no further recalls of battery packs
using these particular battery cells.
    The recall arises because, on rare occasions, microscopic metal
particles in the recalled battery cells may come into contact with other
parts of the battery cell, leading to a short circuit within the cell.
Typically, a battery pack will simply power off when a cell short circuit
occurs. However, under certain rare conditions, an internal short circuit
may lead to cell overheating and potentially flames. The potential for this
to occur can be affected by variations in the system configurations found
in different notebook computers.
    Sony has introduced a number of additional safeguards into its battery
manufacturing process to address this condition and to provide a greater
level of safety and security. We believe the issue has been addressed to
the satisfaction of our customers.
    Sony currently estimates that the overall cost to Sony in supporting
the recall programs of Apple and Dell will amount to between 20 billion yen
and 30 billion yen. This overall cost is an estimate based on the costs of
replacement battery packs and any other related costs to be incurred by
Sony.
    Contacts:  In the U.S.:
               Rick Clancy
               Sony Electronics Inc.
               rick.clancy@am.sony.com

               In Japan:
               Yoshikazu Ochiai
               Sony Corporation
               yoshikazua.ochiai@jp.sony.com

               Takashi Uehara
               Sony Corporation
               Takashia.uehara@jp.sony.com

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