Japan satisfied by Apple moves on overheating iPods

Japan's trade ministry said on Thursday that Apple Inc's Japan unit has satisfied its demands for improved safety notifications about overheating iPod nano portable music players.

Japan's trade ministry said on Thursday that Apple Inc's Japan unit has satisfied its demands for improved safety notifications about overheating iPod nano portable music players.

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The ministry in a statement confirmed that the US company, which it had chided for failing to provide timely warnings, has complied with its July order to publish visible safety advice on its Japan website and improve disclosure of incidents involving its equipment.

Apple has also complied with a request to send safety information by email to iPod nano customers who had registered with the company, according to the ministry.

Apple said on Tuesday that it would replace any first-generation iPod nano that overheats. The company had earlier offered only to replace faulty batteries in the music players, which were sold between September 2005 and December 2006.

There have been around 60 cases of overheating, including four cases of minor burns, according to the Japanese ministry. Apple has described the incidents as very rare, blaming the problem on a single battery supplier which it has declined to identify.