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A fire at an LG Chem plant in March has been affecting laptop battery shipments for the past few months, but it looks like the battery shortage of 2008 could end by the third quarter.

Since it’s pretty hard to sell a laptop without a battery, the shortage has already had an impact on computer sales. Asus CEO Jerry Shen says his company would have sold far more than 5 million Eee PCs if not for the battery shortage.

What does this mean for computer shoppers? Well, it’s not like you’re not going to be able to find a laptop in June. You’ll just have an easier time finding the one you want in stock around September or so. And honestly, if you’re interested in a low cost ultraportable, this fall might be the best time to go shopping anyway. We’ve already heard that Intel’s going to have a hard time keeping up with demand for its new low-power Atom chip this summer, but hopefully that problem will also be resolved by fall.