(U-WIRE) MANHATTAN, Kan. – Apple is recalling almost 2 million battery packs made for Apple’s PowerBook and iBook, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday.

The recall could affect any student who has purchased an iBook or Powerbook since October 2003. Apple said the lithium-ion batteries in these computers pose a risk of overheating and are a potential fire hazard.

The battery cells were produced by Sony Energy Devices of Japan, which also produced the battery cells that caused Dell’s 4 million battery recall Aug. 15.

Employees of the Kansas State University Student Union Computer Store estimated that they have sold about 200 of the affected computers since February 2006.

“We haven’t had any complaints yet. Students can get their battery exchanged only through Apple, not the store they bought it from,” said John Wallisch, senior in psychology and pre-med and Computer Store employee.

Apple has an exchange program in place for the recalled batteries. Students can fill out an online form with their computer’s information, and Apple will mail a replacement battery pack. Students then must send the recalled battery from their computer back to Apple. The process could take four to six weeks.

Until they receive a new battery, Apple advises consumers to remove the affected one from their computer and run the computer on AC power alone.

One student expressed some frustration with Apple’s recall process.

“Apple has everyone’s e-mail from when they registered their computers. I think you should get an e-mail sent to you so you can check on the status of your computer,” Nick Robinson, senior in theater, said. “I don’t always have time to check Apple news to find out if there’s something wrong.”

Another student said he experienced some problems with his Apple laptop before the recall was announced.

“It gets hot very quickly, and programs crash sometimes. It’s been kind of annoying,” Ben Cochrane, junior in graphic design, said. “But as long as they can get the awareness out there — let people know what’s going on — it’s OK.”

K-State’s Computing and Network Services employees are determining which of the university’s computers could be affected by the recall. Thus far, the Information Technology Assistance Center has not been made aware of any problems with K-State computers.

Copyright ©2006 Kansas State Collegian via CSTV U-Wire