Apple Japan offers to replace overheating iPod nano
TOKYO — Apple's Japanese unit has offered to replace its first-generation iPod nano music player in the event of it overheating after reports of fires led to criticism from the government in Tokyo.
Apple confirmed "very rare cases of overheating" in the battery of the iPod nano sold between September 2005 and December 2006, which distorted the shape of the device or made it unusable, the company said on its Japanese website.
It offered to replace affected units, adding that concerned customers using the first-generation iPod nano can now get the battery replaced, it said.
The company noted the fault had been traced to a particular battery supplier, adding that other iPod nano models had no such recharging problems.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has said the recharging problems caused 27 overheating incidents, including six fires, which left four people with minor burns.
The ministry last week said Apple had separately notified it of 34 other "non-serious" overheating accidents related to the device. The ministry called Apple's delay in doing so "truly regrettable."
The Japanese unit had put information on its website about the problems, including recommending battery replacements. However, the lack of prominence given to the warnings provoked criticism.
The company has since promised to improve its website.
On Wednesday, the ministry said it was "aware of the amendment" on the Apple site.
"But we have yet to receive any formal report from the company about it. So we cannot make any comment at this stage," said Naotake Fujushiro, a product safety official at the ministry.
Apple has sold about 1.8 million units of the 2005 iPod nano in Japan since September 2005.
The latest setback for Apple follows the launch of its iPhone 4, which has been dogged by reception problems linked to its new design and manufacturing issues that have led to the delay of the white version.
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The first-generation iPod Nano
In an online statement, the Japanese unit of Apple Inc. said that it will replace overheating first-generation . Apple had originally only offered to replace the defective batteries, not the whole device. The change came after Apple received criticism from the Japanese government over the defective batteries in the portable music players.

The affected iPod model is the first-generation iPod Nano, about 1.8 million of which were sold in Japan from September 2005–December 2006. Apple stated that the "very rare cases of overheating"  were caused by faulty batteries traced back to a single supplier, whose name was not given. According to Apple, other iPod Nanos did not have the issue, which occurs during the recharging process..

Around 60 cases of malfunctioning iPods overheating have been reported, causing a total of six fires and leaving four people with minor burns. Japan's  (METI) said that it had been aware of 27 accidents related to the devices. Last week, METI announced that Apple had informed it of 34 additional overheating incidents, which the company called "non-serious." The ministry responded by calling Apple's postponement of the report "truly regrettable."

Earlier, Apple Japan had posted information about the faulty devices on their website, but was criticized for not displaying the warnings in a place where they could be easily found. Apple was told to put an "easy to understand" notice on their website detailing how consumers could get replacement batteries for their iPods. METI later reported that Apple appeared to have complied with the order.