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Apple iPod fire probe after Nano shoots sparks while recharging

Last updated at 10:52am on 12th March 2008

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Sparks fly: the iPod Nano model number MA099J/A

An investigation into the safety of the iPod Nano has been ordered after a reported case of one of the popular music players shooting out sparks while recharging.

A Japanese official investigating the possible defect in the Nano said a problem in the lithium-ion battery is suspected in model number MA099J/A (pictured right).

The problem, which surfaced in Kanagawa Prefecture southwest of Tokyo in January, was reported to the by Apple in March.

No one was injured in the small blast but lithium-ion batteries have been blamed for a series of blazes in laptops recently that have resulted in massive global recalls.

The Japanese government has instructed Apple to find out the cause of what it is categorising as a fire linked to the iPod, and ordered the company to report back to the government.

About 425,000 iPods of the same suspected model were shipped into Japan by Apple. It was unclear how many have been sold and how many might still be in stores.

The iPod has been the symbol in recent years of the successful fashionable image of Apple. But its sales momentum may be gradually running out of steam.

Apple sold just 22.1 million iPods during the holiday quarter ending December 31, fewer than the 25 million iPods analysts had expected it to sell.

That's raising fears that the company may suffer as it tries to convince consumers to buy higher-end iPods - a key part of its strategy.

The batteries in Apple products have had some problems in the past, largely about wearing out, not about being prone to fires.

In 2006 Sony apologised for the troubles it had caused consumers through defective lithium-ion batteries that had equipped Sony laptops and products by Dell, Apple, Lenovo and other major manufacturers.

The Tokyo-based company recalled about 10 million batteries following reports of some computers using Sony power packs overheating and bursting into flames.

The lithium-ion battery is considered an overall good technology because of its ability to furnish power in relatively small sizes, although its suspected tendency to catch fire is a major reason Toyota and other automakers are being cautious about using it in ecological cars.

Toyota's Prius gas-electric hybrid uses a different kind of battery, and the switch in future green models to the lithium-ion battery will be seen as a considerable breakthrough.

Shipments of the iPod model began in September 2005 and were discontinued after September 2006.