Shares in the electronic giant Sony have fallen after a second computer manufacturer decided to recall more than a million Sony batteries used in their laptops. Apple's decision followed Dell last week and experts believe other firms might follow. Guto Harri reports.

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Fujitsu, Toshiba, HP and Lennovo all insist that their designs are sufficiently different to Dell and Apple, that there is no abnormal risk of fire: and Sony have issued a statement saying they do not expect any further recalls.

But investors in the company are anxious and many have been selling shares. If some laptops overheat and others do not, it suggests that the fault is not necessarily with the batteries and Sony say that variations in system configurations are relevant.

But, on rare occasions, in their words, microscopic metal particles can lead to a short circuit within the cell, causing overheating and potentially flames and that is a sober statement for anyone using a Sony-powered computer.

Listen to the words

batteries
metal objects which provide electricity

laptops
small computers which can be carried around

recalled
a product is recalled if the maker tells people that they have to bring it back to the company because there is a problem with it

issued a statement
made a formal written announcement

investors
people who have put money into the firm hoping they will make more money from it

anxious
worried

variations in system configurations
differences in the way the technical parts of the computers work

a short circuit
an electrical failure

potentially
possibly

a sober statement
a serious announcement