Notebook Batteries in Short Supply

Notebook batteries are hard to come by these days, thanks to a fire at an LG Chem factory. Orders for HP and Dell are being severely delayed, and Asustek is warning that 40% of  second quarter notebook shipments could be affected.

We’re now facing a global battery shortage, which could mean waiting longer for your new notebook and replacement batteries. A friend of mine said orders for a battery  for the HP Compaq nc6000 series notebooks are delayed through the end of April. He also said Apple MacBook Pro batteries are impossible to find for his clients.

Prices for Dell batteries have gone up and I wouldn’t be surprised if other manufacturers followed suit. LG Chem is Korea’s second largest producer of notebook batteries, behind Samsung.

via Reuters (thanks Ken)