Apple is recalling a batch of its first generation iPod nano music players due to safety concerns over a "rare" battery overheating issue.
Users have been asked to stop using them and take them to an Apple store for replacement.
Apple said on its official website over the weekend that it had launched a worldwide replacement program for Nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006.
The devices will be replaced by a new nano free of charge.
"This (overheating) issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages," the company said.
It added: "This battery issue is specific to the iPod nano (1st gen) and does not affect any other iPod."
An official surnamed Zhang with the Apple store in the Pudong New Area told Shanghai Daily yesterday that users may preorder replacements and go to the store directly or to other Apple retailers in Shanghai with their devices to get a free unit.
The replacement unit would be a brand new first generation nano, not a nano of the latest generation as some technology websites have predicted, Zhang said.
She said users should first check the serial number on their devices to make sure they are eligible for the replacement program. The number can then be verified on Apple's official website.
A replacement unit will be delivered approximately six weeks after users send the stores their current devices, she said.
According to news.cn, the overheating battery issue has been known for years.
In 2008, Japanese officials launched investigations into the company after receiving more than 60 reports of iPods overheating. Some were said to have even caught fire, causing minor burns to users, the website said.
In August last year, a train in Japan was forced to halt operations during rush hour after a nano ignited, the website said.
In 2009, Apple paid US$22.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit launched in California which alleged that the iPod nano was prone to scratches.
