It might be Apple's fault, stealing all the limelight with their MacBook Air, that is causing Dell laptops to fight back and retrieve their owner's attention in the form of electric shocks.

CNET reporters have commented on their own laptops giving them a nasty shock or two, according to them it feels like a "gentle tingle to a sudden jolt" and is caused by touching the aluminium casing when plugging in peripherals like printers and PDAs.

The problem lies with the 2-pin power connector that is found between the mains lead and power adapter not being correctly earthed.

The Dell forums are also "live" with numerous owners preaching their nasty experiences with the aluminium XPS M1330 and XPS M1530 laptops. Dell is yet to comment on the issue.

CNET