Maine’s new laptops largely unaffected by battery recall

AUGUSTA – Nearly 38,000 newly purchased Apple iBook computers are largely unaffected by a massive battery recall, the state Department of Education said Friday.

Out of 37,961 iBooks that were deployed this month, only four will need to have their batteries replaced, said Bette Manchester, director of special projects. Apple’s project management team will replace the batteries in those units.

Apple Computer Corp. announced Thursday the recall of 1.8 million laptop batteries because of potential overheating. Apple said it has received nine reports of battery packs overheating, including two cases in which users suffered minor burns.

That raised questions about a possible delay in using Maine’s new computers, which already have been distributed to middle schools.

“We’re in good shape,” Manchester said Friday.

Maine was the first state to equip students statewide with laptop computers in 2002, and the $41 million upgrade provides 32,000 seventh- and eighth-graders and 4,000 teachers with newer units as well as updated wireless networks.

There is still some question about more than 30,000 older laptops that are being replaced by the newer models, Manchester said.

Most school districts took the option of buying the older models for a bargain price of $48. Some are using the older laptops in schools, while others gave parents and students the opportunity to buy them.

Many of those older units already had their batteries replaced, so the batteries have a hodgepodge of serial numbers, Manchester said.