[Bloomberg] "Dell 回收410萬顆電池" Dell Recalls 4.1 Million PC Batteries That May Ignite

死也要拖Sony下水，哈。

以下引述彭博稍早新聞
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=alNlavd_XgXk&refer=home

Dell Recalls 4.1 Million PC Batteries That May Ignite (Update2)
Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Dell Inc., the world's largest maker of personal computers, is recalling 4.1 million notebook PC batteries that may burst into flames in the largest ever recall in the consumer-electronics industry.

The batteries were manufactured by Sony Corp. and used in Latitude, Inspiron and Dell Precision portable PCs sold between April 2004 and July 18, 2006, Jess Blackburn, a spokesman for Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, said today in an interview. The recall will not have a material impact on Dell, he said.

The action is another blow for Dell, following the slowest sales growth in four years after U.S. consumers complained that the company's discounts are confusing and telephone hold times too long for service. Dell in May said it will spend $100 million to improve service and product quality to regain market share lost to rival Hewlett-Packard Co.

``Dell is trying to bolster its image and this is certainly not going to help,'' said Brent Bracelin, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon, who rates the shares ``sector perform'' and doesn't own them. ``Another recall is yet another setback for the company that is struggling to regain share in the market.''

Rick Clancy, a New York-based spokesman for Sony, didn't return calls seeking comment.

Notebook PCs outsell desktop systems at Dell and generated 26 percent of revenue. Notebooks with the faulty batteries accounted for 19 percent of the 22 million portable PCs Dell sold during the affected time period, Blackburn said.

Six Cases

Dell told the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that it learned of six cases since December in the U.S. of notebooks overheating or bursting into flames because of a problem in the fuel cells of the widely used lithium-ion batteries. The recall is the commission's largest ever for consumer electronics, said spokesman Scott Wolfson in Bethesda, Maryland.

No injuries were reported, Blackburn said. The recall affects 2.7 million PCs sold in the U.S. and 1.4 million sold overseas, he said.

Hewlett-Packard, the No. 2 PC maker, said none of its notebooks were affected by the commission's recall notice, according to Ryan Donovan, a spokesman for the Palo Alto, California-based company.

Shares of Dell rose 17 cents to $21.24 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. They've declined 29 percent this year.

Dell customers will be able to check the company's Web site tomorrow for a listing of affected notebooks and information on how to get replacement batteries, Blackburn said. Instructions will be posted at
http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com .

The computers sold for $500 to $2,850, with the batteries selling individually for $60 to $180, Dell said.