[gjolund]

Im not talking about defects, but malicious tampering.

I may not be able to get a bomb on board, but I sure as shit can short circuit a laptop battery and start a fire.

[izacus]

And then the flight attendant will pull a fire extinguisher from storage, spray it over your laptop and life will go on.

Seriously, no need to overblow the issue to add more security theater.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

Starting a fire is a manageable problem (the fire can be contained and put out). I doubt you can stage an effective terrorist attack with a laptop battery.