I think the "Dude, you're getting a Dell!" guy stole the stick of dynamite and zoomed off on a scooter.

Word has it that Sony is trying their best to get more quarters to make more Insta-Martians. (Just add water!)

Well, uh, lets see. Sony makes the batteries, and they, uh, blow up.
That would be Sony's fault.

2 major companies have problems with Sonys batterys yet sony is not at the fault here. Yeah... common sence please?

Maybe Dell and Apple are buying lower end batteries instead of buying what their laptops require in order to make more profit ? After all Sonys laptops are not having this problem .

They said they're using the same battery.

The only weird thing is that the Vaios use the exact same battery that's blowing up for Apple and Dell, but they've had no problems.

Sorry , I did not say that right . I meant to say they bought batteries that were not suited for their purpose (or there laptops requirements)in order to save money ? or something like that . My brain if failing me today .

The batteries that are being used to replace them are Dell Branded. But the blame was put on sony for the faulty batteries, for using improper combos for their Li-Ion batteries.
~Brandon Price
Dell Inc

Well seeing as how we've got conspiracy theories flying left, right and centre around here....here's another:

Sony deliberately shipped faulty batteries to Dell, Apple and others, with the view that consumers would turn to the Sony Vaio when their Dell/Apple laptops caught fire ....or when they heard of the fire risk and were not prepared to chance it.

The second part of this elaborate scheme was to lower the prices on Sony laptops to well below those of their competitors....yet still not below an acceptable/handsome profitability level.

The Motive: to recoup lost sales and boost marketshare after the rootkit debacle...to recover lost trust/faith in Sony products, given the Sony Vaio does not suffer the same spontaneous combustion fate as Dell/Apple laptops.....

Sony deliberately shipped faulty batteries to Dell, Apple and others, with the view that consumers would turn to the Sony Vaio when their Dell/Apple laptops caught fire ....or when they heard of the fire risk and were not prepared to chance it.

I think this theory makes the most sense so far

But in the end it doesn't really matter whose fault it is as long as batteries are replaced

Like Dude Sony is going down. Last Time it was psp's umd's not selling to much of them. Now batteries c'mon Sony has major issues.

Everyone keeps talking about Sony going down, when ? the rootkit has been and gone, the battery problems will only hurt their OEM battery sales and if anyone thinks the PS3 is going to sink then you obviously have yet to see the price difference between PS3s and HD-DVD players , in the UK its like £50 (around $100) small price for HD games as well as HD movies on your new HD-TV

Everyone keeps talking about Sony going down, when ?

Exactly....When??? Okay, Sony has had its problems, but IT will bounce back and remain a serious competitor in the electronics industry.

Besides, Sony make some great products that are reliable performers. I have several Sony products (audio, video and gaming) and have been quite happy with them all...and no doubt there are millions of similarly satisfied consumers who will continue to support Sony products, irrespective of the rootkit debacle and more recent battery issue. When PSP3 hits the shelves, neither of these things will get a second thought and Sony will have lost very little. looking at the bigger picture.

If we were talking about Acme, the company which sold various devices to Wile Coyote in in his numerous attempts to ensnare Roadrunner, I could see a major collapse, but Sony is too big an entity to succumb to a couple of bad press issues. Nobody would genuinely think of a total demise if this were MS in the limelight....same thing with Sony, too big and well established to buckle under over what is essentially a miniscule thing in the greater scheme of things.

That's my tuppence ha'pennies worth.