The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Computers => Topic started by: Elderberry on August 14, 2019, 12:00:35 pm
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NPR by Richard Gonzales 8/13/2019
The Federal Aviation Administration has banned certain MacBook Pro laptops on flights following an announcement by Apple Inc. that some use batteries that pose a fire or safety risk.
"The FAA is aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops. In early July, we alerted airlines about the recall, and we informed the public," the FAA said in an emailed statement.
"We issued reminders to continue to follow instructions about recalls outlined in the 2016 FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 16011, and provided information provided to the public on FAA's Packsafe website: https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/, (https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/,)" it added.
More: https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750985881/u-s-air-regulators-ban-macbook-pros-with-recalled-batteries-from-flights (https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750985881/u-s-air-regulators-ban-macbook-pros-with-recalled-batteries-from-flights)
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Lithium ion batteries are very unforgiving of impurities and contamination. They have to be made in what amounts to a clean-room environment. The infamous Dell laptop fires of nearly 15 years ago were due to (major brand name) batteries that were contaminated with microscopic metal particles. Lithium batteries also have to be charged very carefully. IIRC, the battery fires that killed off a new line of Samsung cell phones was due to an improper, too aggressive, battery charging profile.
Apple has heretofore had a great combination of designing a good charging profile and battery sources - much more expertise than luck, but it sounds like luck failed them.
Off topic somewhat, if Nissan or Tesla or ... ever have a bad batch of batteries or screw up their battery charging control firmware ... Carbecue Time!
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Apple has a free recall/replacement on the affected MacBook Pro 15" models.
But how will the TSA people know whether or not a particular MBP has been recalled and repaired?
The 2015 MBP's don't look any different from the 2012, 2013, and 2014 models (Apple introduced a new MBP in 2016 that is easily identifiable as "different"). How are the agents going to determine which is which?
I just looked on my own 2015 MBP (which is the 13" size and not affected) and if I go to "About this Mac", it shows the serial number.
Still going to be a hassle at the airport!
(I haven't been on a big jet since 1984)
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But how will the TSA people know whether or not a particular MBP has been recalled and repaired?
That's what I want to know. MacBooks have batteries that can't be removed without disassembling the unit, IIRC.
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Use Vision-Bot to Check for Recalled MacBooks Pros
https://support.forgetcomputers.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032011672-Use-Vision-Bot-to-Check-for-Recalled-MacBooks-Pros (https://support.forgetcomputers.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032011672-Use-Vision-Bot-to-Check-for-Recalled-MacBooks-Pros)