Apple laptop catches fire in Japan

TOKYO -- Japanese authorities yesterday reported the first case of an Apple laptop catching fire in Japan and ordered the US company to investigate the trouble involving the faulty Sony batteries and report back within a week.

A laptop made by Apple Computer Inc. overheated and caught fire in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry said. The user sustained minor burns after the the iBook G4 computer caught fire, according to Apple spokeswoman Michiko Matsumoto, who confirmed the case.

Last week, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company told its customers to return 1.8 million iBook G4, and PowerBook G4 batteries worldwide that could cause their laptops to overheat and catch fire -- just 10 days after Dell Inc. recalled 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries for the same reason. It was the largest recall involving electronics in the history of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In both cases, the problematic lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony Energy Devices Corp., a subsidiary of Sony Corp. based in Japan.

Apple has received nine reports in the United States of the lithium-ion batteries battery packs overheating, including two consumers who received minor burns after handling overheated computers. Apple has also received reports of minor property damage, but no serious injuries have been reported.