by , 1:30 PM EDT, September 9th, 2006 - Digg This

Replacement batteries from Apple's PowerBook G4 and iBook G4 battery recall began arriving on Friday. The earlier than expected deliveries signal good news for PowerBook and iBook owners concerned that their current batteries may pose a fire hazard.

A 15-inch PowerBook G4 battery TMO ordered on August 25, the day after Apple announced the recall, arrived on September 8 - about two weeks ahead of the stated four-to-six week delivery time. An iBook G4 battery ordered the same day has not yet arrived.

Apple announced the recall on August 25 after discovering that some of the batteries it shipped with and sold for the 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4, and 15-inch PowerBook G4 could potentially overheat and pose a burning hazard. The batteries were manufactured by Sony and contain microscopic metal fragments that cause some battery cells to short circuit and overheat.

About 1.8 million batteries are included in the recall.

Dell is dealing with an even larger recall. It recalled almost 5 million Sony-made batteries that suffer from the same manufacturing defect.

You can check to see if your PowerBook G4 or iBook G4 is included in the recall by checking Apple's Web site.