Overheating was primary reason behind HP Chromebook 11 recall

Sales of the recently released Chromebook 11 computer has been halted by Google and Hewlett-Packard after receiving several reports from users complaining of overheating device chargers.

The Chromebook 11 laptop which was released last month has been manufactured by HP and features Google’s Chrome OS. The laptop was available with a price of £229.

Google and Hewlett-Packard have confirmed that the product had been taken off the shelves after receiving reports from users about Chromebook 11 chargers being damaged because of overheating. Chromebook 11 has been removed from stores as well as online stores of Amazon, HP and others.

Consumers with Chromebook 11 laptops have been advised to purchase a new charger instead of using charger offered with the laptop.

In an interview with The Verge, a spokesperson from HP said “Customers who have purchased an HP Chromebook 11 should not use the original charger provided with the product. In the interim they may continue using their HP Chromebook 11 with any other Underwriters Laboratories-listed micro-USB charger, for example one provided with a tablet or smartphone. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“We are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to identify the appropriate corrective action, and will provide additional information and instructions as soon as we can,” said Caesar Sengupta, vice-president Google product management.

In addition to advising users not to use the original laptop charger, Sengupta added saying that “In the interim, they may continue using their HP Chromebook 11 with any other Underwriters Laboratories-listed micro-USB charger, for example one provided with a tablet or smartphone”.

After the recall news broke out, HP’s stock fell more than 5% while Google shares seemed almost unaffected.

Megha