Friday, August 18, 2006

Dell's debacle gets interesting

Dell made its vast fortune by copying other companies, and was famously reluctant to employ R&D people. I think of that when I read about their battery charging design. If this is correct then Dell's problems are only beginning; their legal liability may dwarf the cost of the battery recall.

Good Morning Silicon Valley: Dell Built-To-Order now includes "fire blanket" option:
...Most Japanese makers don't allow high voltage to flow from their AC adapters to the computer battery, out of safety concerns.' Computer maker Lenovo had a similar message: 'Our management software makes sure no such overheating occurs, and we are confident that the computers are safe,' he said. Interesting, eh? Makes you wonder what's going on over in Dell's design department, doesn't it...
OTOH, "management software" is not something I'd trust for device safety ... I do wonder what Apple does ...

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