LG batteries about to get expensive
A fire this month at an LG chemical plant in South Korea is expected to raise the price of LG batteries used in computers. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports the shortage could have far-reaching consequences.
A laptop user typing (Dean Treml/AFP/Getty Images)
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Doug Krizner: You may think computer batteries have a short life, but it looks like they are going to be in short supply. A fire this month at an LG chemical plant in South Korea could leave laptop makers scrambling. Stacey Vanek-Smith has more.
Stacey Vanek-Smith: The LG battery shortage is expected to affect laptop supplies and prices for the next several months. But it will hit the lower end of the market especially hard, says tech writer Om Malik.
Om Malik: I don't think it impacts the higher end laptops, because those guys are buying stuff from some of the higher-end battery makers like Sony and Panasonic.
There are lots of battery makers, but demand is higher than ever. And not just for computer batteries.
A possible shortage could have far-reaching consequences, says tech consultant Tim Bajarin.
Tim Bajarin: Those kind of batteries are being used, you know, in a lot of hybrids, and the crossover of incredible demand all of a sudden for this type of battery technology has taken its toll.
HP and Dell are reportedly bracing for shortages. Supplies aren't likely to get back to normal until the summer. Dell has already announced higher prices for replacement battery packs.
I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace.
