There hasn't been a large-scale notebook recall since November, but an incident in London illustrates the importance of switching batteries subject to earlier warnings.
An older-model PowerBook burst into flames at a London marketing company on Wednesday, according to the Inquirer.
The notebook in question began to smolder with smoke coming from the machine and soon after "basically exploded," said an IT manager interviewed by the British tech tabloid. "Flames were flying six foot in the air, and sparks."
"There was a popping sound and more smoke," Steven said. "I hit the fire alarm." After emptying a fire extinguisher on the machine, the PowerBook was "still hot and glowing and the battery was all molten inside and glowing red."
"We decided to wait for the fire brigade to turn up."
PowerBooks with bad batteries have exploded before, though we've never gotten quite so many impressive pictures.
Either way, if you've got an older PowerBook it's probably a good idea to double-check your serial number against the recall list published by Apple.
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