iPad Overheats Easily

bigdawg737 · Apr 10, 2010

As most of us, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the iPad. Last night, I went to sleep and the iPad had about a 90% charge. I didn't leave any movies streaming or anything that would cause the battery to drain. When I woke up, the battery level was at 5%. This prompted a quick trip to the Apple Store for an exchange. If there isn't any multi-tasking going on, there isn't any plausible reason for the iPad to drain 85% when in sleep mode.

I took the second iPad, synced it up, then took it outside to catch up on news since it was a sunny 75 degree afternoon. Within 10 minutes, the iPad overheated and shut down. I brought it inside to cool down and once it was functioning, went back outside. Same issue within 10 minutes.

I highly advise people to avoid this product until these issues are resolved. The overheating issue hasn't gotten as much publicity yet, but I am guessing it will.

Great work Apple!

vansmith · Apr 10, 2010

Going outside in the sun didn't help. The fact that you noticed this, let it cool off and then put it back in the same conditions is your fault. If you knew it was overheating, why did you bring it back out?

I'm not an iPad owner and I don't know if there are overheating issues but the fact that you put the iPad back into the same conditions that caused the problem the first time didn't help.

pigoo3 · Apr 10, 2010

Regarding overheating. The demo iPads in the Apple Stores are pretty much on continuously (say 10+ hours/day)...with pretty heavy use at the moment since the iPads are a new product.

So I would think any overheating issues (if a widespread problem)...would show up pretty quickly at the Apple Stores.

As far as outside in the sun...direct sunlight can get pretty hot...which is never good for any electronic equipment. A 75F day outside...could easily be 90F+ in direct sunlight.

It is always possible your first iPad was defective in some way...so hopefully things are better with the replacement.

- Nick

bigdawg737 · Apr 10, 2010

vansmith said:
Going outside in the sun didn't help. The fact that you noticed this, let it cool off and then put it back in the same conditions is your fault. If you knew it was overheating, why did you bring it back out?

I'm not an iPad owner and I don't know if there are overheating issues but the fact that you put the iPad back into the same conditions that caused the problem the first time didn't help.

Thanks for the shot of brilliance Vansmith. Have you ever taken an electronic device outside to do some work on? I imagine you have. Did it shut down in 75 degree weather? I didn't think so. You are right. It was pretty stupid of me to try and duplicate a problem I was having with a mobile device that does not come with a disclaimer of "Do not use this MOBILE device outside in moderate weather." My laptops don't shut down, my iPods don't shut down, nor does my iPhone shut down in such conditions.

pigoo3 said:
Regarding overheating. The demo iPads in the Apple Stores are pretty much on continuously (say 10+ hours/day)...with pretty heavy use at the moment since the iPads are a new product.

So I would think any overheating issues (if a widespread problem)...would show up pretty quickly at the Apple Stores.

As far as outside in the sun...direct sunlight can get pretty hot...which is never good for any electronic equipment. A 75F day outside...could easily be 90F+ in direct sunlight.

It is always possible your first iPad was defective in some way...so hopefully things are better with the replacement.

- Nick

Well noted point Nick. I never thought about the display iPads running continuously and the strain that will put on them. However, if you do a quick Google search, I'm not the only one who experienced this. The editor of PC Magazine had his iPad shut down and resorted to putting it in the refrigerator. Mine may have been defective. I'm just wondering how many people are experiencing this. You are correct with the sun adding heat, but the iPad is supposed to give that error message at 113 degrees Fahrenheit. There is no way it hit close to that threshold. I'm a hot natured person and was wearing jeans and not sweating. I would hope my iPad was built a little tougher!

vansmith · Apr 10, 2010

bigdawg737 said:
Thanks for the shot of brilliance Vansmith.

You're welcome.

bigdawg737 said:
Have you ever taken an electronic device outside to do some work on? I imagine you have.

You would be imaging wrong then.

bigdawg737 said:
Did it shut down in 75 degree weather? I didn't think so.

See above. I only ever use my iPod outside but it is either sheltered from the cold or well-ventilated and not in the direct sun when it's warm outside.

Perhaps you should re-read the operating temperature for the iPad. The operating temperature is 32F - 95F and as pigoo3 pointed out, direct sunlight can easily add to the perceived temperature. And to be fair to me and Apple, the iPad isn't an iPod, an iPhone or a Mac. Sure, they may have similar operating temperatures (or the same) but that doesn't take into account what you're doing with the device and their ventilation abilities. The operating temperature, as mentioned earlier, also doesn't take into account the conditions within which you're using it. It could be 30C outside but if it's next to a giant fan in the shade, it's not really in 30C weather. You using it in direct sunlight and using it (which itself will cause it to generate heat) doesn't help.

bigdawg737 · Apr 10, 2010

vansmith said:
You're welcome.
You would be imaging wrong then.
See above. I only ever use my iPod outside but it is either sheltered from the cold or well-ventilated and not in the direct sun when it's warm outside.

Perhaps you should re-read the operating temperature for the iPad. The operating temperature is 32F - 95F and as pigoo3 pointed out, direct sunlight can easily add to the perceived temperature. And to be fair to me and Apple, the iPad isn't an iPod, an iPhone or a Mac. Sure, they may have similar operating temperatures (or the same) but that doesn't take into account what you're doing with the device and their ventilation abilities. The operating temperature, as mentioned earlier, also doesn't take into account the conditions within which you're using it. It could be 30C outside but if it's next to a giant fan in the shade, it's not really in 30C weather. You using it in direct sunlight and using it (which itself will cause it to generate heat) doesn't help.

I bet it gets real toasty in Ottawa. Perhaps you should get outside more. I read the operating temperatures and was well within bounds. The error message I received is supposed to appear and shut the device down at 113F to prevent damage, which is well beyond the 95F operating temperature in the guide. 75F + sun doesn't equal 95F, certainly not 113. If I was sitting inside a car or greenhouse, it would. I never said I was in direct sunlight.

Do a Google search on iPad Overheating. Thanks again for your brilliance and explanation of sunlight, shade, fans, temperature, etc. You are wise beyond your years. If you aren't already, you should become the first meteorologist / technician. I'd hire you and put you on retainer immediately.

BadApple · Apr 10, 2010

Had mine out all day in my car doing a bit of reprogramming and it was with me all day sorry no overheating at all.............Oh I am in Florida so yea.......

the8thark · Apr 10, 2010

Anf Florida is nothing when compared to sunny Queensland so when I get my ipad I'll be able to tell you how it really fares out in the sun. And just cause your ipad works in the sun does not mean anyothers will or will not fare well in the sun.

0 to 35 degrees Celsius is nothing in Queensland where I live. I live in Temperatures outside and inside my house of 35-45 C for 3-4 months a year. If not a little more. And my body copes just fine. It seems the ipad just might not cope. That'd be a shame. Cause my imac works in 40C just fine. And the imacs are rated for 10-35C operating temperature. Maybe it's the direct sunlight on the ipad that creates the extra heat that makes it too hot. And lack of cool air running through the ipad to keep in cooler.

I think we need more information on this topic to see if it's an isolated issue or if this is a problem to all ipads.

************

[edit]

Rumors of overheating iPads pop up on the net
iPad overheating issue surfaces
iPad users report problems with overheating, shutdown
Techies Fume Over iPad's Hidden Weakness
iPad overheating problems?
Overheating issue plagues iPad; irked customers nickname the device iBurn!
Apple iPad Problems Surfacing – Power Issues and Overheating Problems
Beware the overheating Apple iPad!

And all those links are from a couple of pages of a google search and I'm sure I could find many more links if I tried harder. So it does seem this overheating issue is an ipad as a whole issue. And really needs to be addressed by Apple.

But this quote sums it all up in a really smart way.

But, for the sake of fairness, we’d rather have our iPad refuse to boot due to high temps than recklessly allow us to run the processor so hot that it bakes itself into oblivion. $500 is cheap for an Apple computing device, but it’s not that cheap.

Still I'd like Apple to comment on the issue.

And yes this is a big factor in whether I get an ipad or not. Cause I need my electronic gizmos to be able to work in the hot sun as well as the cool shade.

bigdawg737 · Apr 10, 2010

BadApple said:
Had mine out all day in my car doing a bit of reprogramming and it was with me all day sorry no overheating at all.............Oh I am in Florida so yea.......

Glad to hear yours is working well and congrats! Not sure if you were actually using it outside and in the sun, as your post says you had it out all day in your car, but didn't say you were using it outside.

the8thark said:
Anf Florida is nothing when compared to sunny Queensland so when I get my ipad I'll be able to tell you how it really fares out in the sun. And just cause your ipad works in the sun does not mean anyothers will or will not fare well in the sun.

0 to 35 degrees Celsius is nothing in Queensland where I live. I live in Temperatures outside and inside my house of 35-45 C for 3-4 months a year. If not a little more. And my body copes just fine. It seems the ipad just might not cope. That'd be a shame. Cause my imac works in 40C just fine. And the imacs are rated for 10-35C operating temperature. Maybe it's the direct sunlight on the ipad that creates the extra heat that makes it too hot. And lack of cool air running through the ipad to keep in cooler.

I think we need more information on this topic to see if it's an isolated issue or if this is a problem to all ipads.

************

[edit]

Rumors of overheating iPads pop up on the net
iPad overheating issue surfaces
iPad users report problems with overheating, shutdown
Techies Fume Over iPad's Hidden Weakness
iPad overheating problems?
Overheating issue plagues iPad; irked customers nickname the device iBurn!
Apple iPad Problems Surfacing – Power Issues and Overheating Problems
Beware the overheating Apple iPad!

And all those links are from a couple of pages of a google search and I'm sure I could find many more links if I tried harder. So it does seem this overheating issue is an ipad as a whole issue. And really needs to be addressed by Apple.

But this quote sums it all up in a really smart way.

Still I'd like Apple to comment on the issue.

And yes this is a big factor in whether I get an ipad or not. Cause I need my electronic gizmos to be able to work in the hot sun as well as the cool shade.

Thanks for the confirmation the8thark. This is indeed a real problem. I would highly advise against picking one up till this is properly covered in the media and forces Apple to fix the issue. You should be able to use your electronics outdoors. I used my iPhone outside in direct sunlight in much hotter temperatures last week and didn't have any issue.

BadApple · Apr 10, 2010

Yep it was in the sun and most times it was on the hood, I bought it for trips not really in the sun but so far so good.

dtravis7 · Apr 10, 2010

A interesting point is that the temp build up inside a car on a HOT day can get much higher than outside the car a lot of times. I have seen things totally damaged inside of the car when it was not really that hot on the outside.

vansmith · Apr 10, 2010

the8thark said:
0 to 35 degrees Celsius is nothing in Queensland where I live. I live in Temperatures outside and inside my house of 35-45 C for 3-4 months a year. If not a little more. And my body copes just fine. It seems the ipad just might not cope. That'd be a shame. Cause my imac works in 40C just fine. And the imacs are rated for 10-35C operating temperature. Maybe it's the direct sunlight on the ipad that creates the extra heat that makes it too hot. And lack of cool air running through the ipad to keep in cooler.

That's my guess. Your iMac probably handles the heat well (or at least better) because it has much more ventilation than an iPad which has no fans or anywhere for air to flow in. On top of this, the A4 looks like a fairly powerful processor (relatively speaking) and in such a small package, it probably generates a lot of heat. My guess is that using it in environments that add to the temperature of the device make the problem worse. Now, as for why the device gives you no warning...

bigdawg737 · Apr 11, 2010

vansmith said:
That's my guess. Your iMac probably handles the heat well (or at least better) because it has much more ventilation than an iPad which has no fans or anywhere for air to flow in. On top of this, the A4 looks like a fairly powerful processor (relatively speaking) and in such a small package, it probably generates a lot of heat. My guess is that using it in environments that add to the temperature of the device make the problem worse. Now, as for why the device gives you no warning...

This is without a doubt a design flaw that is most likely caused by ventilation/heat dissipation from the processor. This makes perfect sense. If you design a powerful tiny processor that generates heat, you should take the appropriate measures to find a handle that issue. Other phones use similar processors and don't have this problem. Despite the Apple hype, the A4 processor is no where near a revolutionary or custom designed processor. They used the same A8 and tweaked it a little.

vansmith · Apr 11, 2010

bigdawg737 said:
Other phones use similar processors and don't have this problem.

I can't speak for all phones here so I'll use the iPhone as my comparison.

The A4 runs at 1GHz while the 3GS (the fastest of the iPhones) runs at 600MHz. They are both about the same depth as well (iPad is 1.3cm and the iPhone is 1.23cm for the 3G(S)). In this case, even if the processors are similar, the iPad runs a lot faster and there is little room for it to "breath" so to speak. So, similar in make but definitely not in performance.

bigdawg737 said:
If you design a powerful tiny processor that generates heat, you should take the appropriate measures to find a handle that issue.

Agreed. Perhaps then they should underclock the processor much like they do with the one in the 3GS (which is actually an 833MHz A8).

cwa107 · Apr 11, 2010

I have deleted a number of extraneous posts in this thread. Just because someone has a low post count and has a gripe about an Apple product, doesn't make them a troll.

I'm going to open this thread as I believe it provides value to the community. Keep it civil and on-topic. Any more jabs at the credibility of the OP (particularly since there are quite a few documented cases of this problem) will not be tolerated.

Nighthawk4 · Apr 11, 2010

I think we need to take things like this seriously until we can get more reports - overheating, WiFi issues, easy to dent, etc.

I am not suggesting all of these (or maybe any of them) are real problems - just that this is a new device and even though it is from Apple is not necessarily perfect and trouble-free.

This is one of the advantages of a Forum like this - lots of like-minded people able to test and compare results, all of whom know what they are talking about - which means they are likely to be using the device correctly. This makes their reports valid and comparable.

This is also why we chose to allow the users in USA to test the iPad before we start spending our money in the UK. In return we get ripped off on the dollar-pound price conversion. (Just joking guys - no offence) O:)

Doug b · Apr 11, 2010

I'm sure that everybody appreciates that CWA. It's very important that we discuss things as they happen, and not as we'd like them to be, just because we all like Apple for whatever reasons.

This thread could be an outlet for iPad owners, should any similar issues be discovered. If there are indeed a significant number of user's whom experience problems of this nature, then it would be good to make this thread a sticky for quick references to possible solutions and such.

It would be great if it was just a fluke, but given the nature of the processor and the lack of proper ventilation on the iPad, it could be bad news for a large percentage of people whom are using it exactly as it was intended to be used. On the go, outside etc...

I for one appreciate the OP's information, as I was actually considering getting one (after swearing that I wouldn't) for the purpose of displaying my photo portfolio to potential clients and such. So, thanks to him, and to CWA.

Doug

bigdawg737 · Apr 11, 2010

unpop ortelero

vansmith said:
I can't speak for all phones here so I'll use the iPhone as my comparison.

The A4 runs at 1GHz while the 3GS (the fastest of the iPhones) runs at 600MHz. They are both about the same depth as well (iPad is 1.3cm and the iPhone is 1.23cm for the 3G(S)). In this case, even if the processors are similar, the iPad runs a lot faster and there is little room for it to "breath" so to speak. So, similar in make but definitely not in performance.

Agreed. Perhaps then they should underclock the processor much like they do with the one in the 3GS (which is actually an 833MHz A8).

I am not comparing this processor to the 3GS processor. The HTC HD2 uses a similar processor clocked at 1GHz as do a few other phones and devices. I haven't read any reports of those devices overheating.

the8thark · Apr 11, 2010

YouTube - Problems facing with HTC HD2, Part 10 (Overheating issue it took me several hours to re-store).
YouTube - HTC HD2 music player stop after a few seconds
htc hd2 overheating problem
HTC Touch HD heating problem..... - FixYa

Without even trying I found that about the HTC HD2 having overheating issues. I'm sure if I looked further I'd find more. So if you have not found reports, look harder. And secondly this is not an Apple vs other tablet thread. So do not troll here ok.

bobtomay · Apr 11, 2010

Plan to take mine out and experiment. This is something I'd like to know.

At the same time, thus far I have only found two (2), what I would call legitimate reports of this. Both of those merely tweets by a couple of respected folks in the industry.

Neither of them have yet written anything I've found and all the rumor mongering going on on every site I've seen thus far, including PC Mag and others are all based on those two tweets.

While we're having 80 degree temps here, it is currently overcast and is forecast to be for the next couple of days.

iPad Overheats Easily

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