SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP):

Ten days after Dell's record-setting notebook battery recall, Apple Computer Inc. told its customers to return 1.8 million batteries that could cause their Mac laptops to overheat and catch fire.

Both recalls involve lithium-ion batteries made by a Sony Corp. subsidiary in Japan, where the manufacturing process introduced metal particles into battery cells.

Makers of battery cells strive to minimise or eliminate the presence of such particles, which can cause computers to short circuit, or, in extreme situations, catch fire.

In its recall announcement Thursday, Apple said it had received nine reports of lithium-ion battery packs overheating, including two cases in which users suffered minor burns and some involving minor property damage.

The Apple recall only applies to older notebooks, not the just-released MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

On August 14, Dell Inc. recalled 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries, the largest involving electronics in the history of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Sony Energy Devices Corp. said the Dell and Apple batteries were configured in slightly different ways. In a statement, Sony said the problems arise "on rare occasions" when microscopic metal particles hit other parts of the battery cell and lead to a short circuit.

Sony said the recalls will cost it between US$172 million and US$278 million (euro134 million and euro217 million).