Apple offers fix for issues with some notebook batteries

Apple Inc said batteries in some of its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have performance issues and is offering users a software fix.

The problem doesn't pose a safety risk so customers can continue using their notebooks, Lynn Fox, a spokeswoman for Apple, said on Friday.

It affects machines sold worldwide between February last year and this month.

Notebooks are Apple's best-selling Macs and the company last year updated the MacBook line with faster processors from Intel Corp to win more users. If the performance problem continues even after downloading a software update from Apple's Web site, customers may receive a new battery free of charge even if their computer's warranty has expired, the company said.

The battery update won't have a material impact on Apple's earnings, Fox said. The update is available at www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/.