“The teenage daughter of a top foreign affairs department official was being treated in a Pretoria hospital for second degree burns suffered when her laptop computer’s battery pack exploded,” iafrica.com reports. “Fifteen-year-old Nikita Sooklal is the youngest child of the department’s deputy director-general responsible for the Middle East and Asia, Dr Anil Sooklal.”
“‘My daughter had switched on the laptop and was looking for a website about Macbeth, her school set-work, and my wife was upstairs. Suddenly there was a very loud bang and my daughter began screaming. My wife rushed downstairs and found Nikita’s shirt was on fire. It would appear the battery pack had exploded and disintegrated and set fire to the room,'” iafrica.com reports. “The computer, a Dell ‘Inspiron’ issued to Dr Sooklal by the foreign affairs department some 18 months ago has been removed for forensic testing by a specially appointed police task team and the results are expected before the weekend.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. We’re “inspironed” by Dell quality.
No wonder their laptops have a 28% return rate. But for most people, even if they explode, they are “good enough.”
“Macbeth” I love it.
Dell is a company known for its innovative production methods… i.e. they slap together whatever crap is cheapest at the time you order a computer and ship it to you. Dell is also known for providing cost effective technical support … i.e. they shipped the whole thing to India and if you call for assistance someone who sounds like Apoo on the Simpsons argues with you about whether or not your computer is plugged in.
Well now Dell is known for building the worlds most dangerous computers…
is the girl allright? Doesn’t anyone care about that? i hope dell recalls other computers or something…. As much as i don’t like Dell, i wouldn’t want this happening to anyone else.. Well atleast all her medical bills will be paid for, her college education and everything else she has
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />.. because you know they are going to get a lot of them!!!!
hey!
Don’t worry about Giga This and Mega That, order a Dell and call 911.
Mac Twain…..actually Dell’s call center is in Manila, as cost overrides having a population base for a call centre that knows anything at all about computers…
Thank you and please come again!
I feel for the kid. Dell should rename it the “Inferno”.
Parent’s! What about the parent’s?
DId they get jail sentence yet?
Buying Dell Explosive’s is illegal! Not to mention giving it to a child!
Right
dood. you’re gettin’ a Dell… and some first aid.
AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
Dude. You’re getting Dell or Else..
Did they try to copy that G5 ad????
I feel for the girl and her family. Oddly enough I also feel for the IT person who order the laptop to be assigned to this diplomat. If ever there was a single article that justified the many times, I’ve told our Windows users who want to purchase a home or work laptop and are looking at the Inspiron because they are cheap, that “they’re cheap because the parts of cheap. Dell makes the Inspiron and Dimension product lines targeting the home users, and they are filled with parts that will fail you. If your paying $800 for a Windows-based, new laptop, your wasting your money.” The clients always look at me like, well my friend David, he’s into computers says that the Inspiron is good, and its much more inline with my budget.”
I’m not a great fan of Windows, but the Dell Latitude and Dell Optiplex lines are much more dependable, and have better parts. But, I’m no longer amazed at peoples justification for getting the Inspiron or Dimension or other cheap PCs. People (mostly PC users, as it relates to computers) want to get over, they want to find an absolute steal. You offer them a deal, and they focus so much of the price, that they overlook the return.
I have one doctor client, who against my recommendation, has purchased three Inspirons in as many years. Each of the prior ones basically unusable, despite any warranty on them. Part of the reason is the guy just treats computers badly (I’ve often considered taking him back to pen and paper); but the other reason is the machines are just crap. Hard drive replacements, floppy drive replacements, broken dvd players, keyboard keys falling off, battery replacements, etc.
Then the guy always comes back to me like, can’t you do something. Sure, knock you upside the head until you listen. You get what you paid for. Good news he finally purchased a Dell Latitude D600. Almost six months with nary a problem to date. Wow. If he actually starts listening to me, I may have him using an Apple laptop within five to ten years from now.
I reckon Dell will have to preload instructions on their machines how to provide emergency medical treatment for burns and shrapnel.
Let’s see. I got my coffee, CD, medical supplies, notepad, cell phone.
OK, honey, you can turn the computer on now.
this isn’t the first time that dell have toasted their users… see http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0COW/2000_Oct_19/66528950/p1/article.jhtml and http://slashdot.org/articles/01/05/03/1617211.shtml – but where is the uproar in the press? remember how much flak apple took for the recall of the 5300 powerbook which was only a potential problem… ooh it makes me so cross!
This is no laughing matter. If a Dell supplied battery is at fault, a product recall should be issued.
My brother had an inspiron 8000 that actually melted. the air intake vents melted through because of some problem on the mother board. he sent it in, they fixed it, and it happened agian. finally they sent him a refurbished laptop.
dustybin:
Me: I guess it is OK to use a Dell as long as there is no battery installed. Right?
Dell: If you do wanna use a battery it’s not really a Dell battery. It is some battery made by somebody else and we’re not responsible for what happens to the battery cause we really didn’t make the battery, like, its something that happens but it really isn’t, you know, like, dude, why are you asking me all these questions? Why don’t you buy a Mac or something before I call my supervisor or whatever. OK?
dude… your getting dead
I Love it! This is great, I can’t wait to spread this around!
Sailfish
Folding@home Team Mac OS X #1971 � join us!
http://teammacosx.homeunix.com/
Before you all applaud Dell’s ONE battery problem, and while you are all hopefully wishing for the girl’s speedy recovery – MAYBE you should go read Apple’s message boards on the PB Firewire (Pismo).
While looking for info. on mine, I discovered that quite a few people have had that powerbook go up in smoke, and in some cases catch fire. So, don’t believe that it can’t happen to an Apple.
ilene
Police task team will take all of 5 minutes to work out that Dell computers need the bomb squad at hand at all times.
Ilene:
Ouch. The term firewire has taken on a whole new meaning to me.
You smokin’, girl.
1. I’m sure everyone here wishes the girl a speedy recovery. To imply otherwise is yet another example of ‘some people’ – and you know who you are – trying AGAIN to paint Mac users as a bunch of rabid freaks. Nice Try.
2. ‘Some people’ can’t read or avoid reading earlier posts regarding Dell’s burning issues. Here again for you:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0COW/2000_Oct_19/66528950/p1/article.jhtml and http://slashdot.org/articles/01/05/03/1617211.shtml
3. ‘Some people’ rejoice at every ‘failure’ of Apple’s, and kindly remind everyone of the story on page one.
4. ‘Some people’ NEVER acknowledge ANY acheivements of Apple, and always manage to find some insignificant fault to PROVE that Macs are worthless.
5. ‘Some people’ insult their MacLoonie friends, then mooch free ‘Windows’ tech support in the same breath.
6. ‘Some people’ have such an irrational hatred for such an insignificant company and its ‘cultish’ users, that it’s mystifying why they spend SO much of their time at ‘MAC’ forums. (I venture to guess that they’re trying to teach ‘the MacOlytes’ the ‘One and Only, True Way, to Compute’.)
At my workplace the lithium-ion batteries used in test and flight equipment must be serviced by a special group per procedure. While I admit that I consider that overkill, I have always been amazed at the contrast of my workplace and the real world in which Li-ion batteries are all over the place and handled by people who have no idea of their potential failure modes. Every time that you ride on an airplane there are probably dozens of Li-ion batteries on board with you.
Earth to thread posters:
The story was posted one year ago — dated FRIDAY JAN. 17, 2003 , not January 17, 2004. Info courtesy of an AtAT appleturns.com forum member.