New iPad Runs 10°F Hotter than iPad 2; Apple Says It's Cool

By Jane McEntegart
published

If you can't take the heat ... call AppleCare.

Since the iPad's launch four days ago, the tech industry is comparing every aspect of the device to its predecessor, the iPad 2. Aside from the obvious differences (the quad-core graphics, retina display, double the RAM, and massive battery), we've already learned that the iPad 3 is a little bit heavier and a little bit thicker than the iPad 2. Now we also know that it runs a whopping 10 degrees hotter than the last iteration of Apple's tablet.

According to Tweakers.net, after five minutes of running GLBenchmark, an infrared camera showed that the new iPad reached temperatures of 92.5 Fahrenheit. This is compared to the iPad 2's temperature of 82.9 degrees under the same conditions. Now, 10 degrees Fahrenheit is negligible but as far as Apple is concerned, this isn't something people should be worried about. In a statement sent to All Things D, the company said:

"The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications. If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare."

Apple didn't say what its thermal specifications were so we have no way of knowing just how close the iPad 3 is to being 'too hot.' And, while the iPad 3 may still be within the safe zone, we're sure users who have owned both will notice the 10-degree difference.

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Jane McEntegart
51 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Blast from the past....

    "You are holding it wrong!"

    Reply
  • devBunny
    Now we also know that it runs a whopping 10 degrees hotter than the last iteration of Apple's tablet.

    Yeah, 10 degrees!! Burns units to be alerted. :-O

    Now, 10 degrees Fahrenheit is negligible

    Yeah, only a measly 10 degrees. You wouldn't even notice. There's no story here.

    a whopping 10 degrees hotter

    No, you're right. This is major!
    10 degrees Fahrenheit is negligible

    Aaaggh. Make your mind up. :-S
    Reply
  • icepick314
    well...at least it'll make a nice handwarmer during winter...

    too bad it's spring going into summer...

    wonder if there's going to be problems later down the road when there is heat buildup when using various cases with rising temperatures due to weather?
    Reply
  • del35
    Ummm, the article forgot to mention this:

    Users who snapped up the just-released slate are reportedly experiencing an abnormal amount of heat being produced by the device, causing some units to shut down and display the message: “iPad needs to cool down before you can use it”
    Reply
  • sporkimus
    It might only be 10 degrees, but keep in mind that with a system running hotter, it'll be more prone to overheating and shutting down... especially with summer creeping closer.
    Reply
  • ubercake
    What you say doesn't matter. The people that buy this over-priced junk are spoon-fed their thoughts through Apple.
    Reply
  • billybobser
    "It just works", though apparently not when it's transformed into a toaster.

    Though it was obviously coming, just cranking up the tdp of the chip and making everything bigger with no actual component improvement is going to cause that.

    This Ipad is shocking, even compared to Apple's usual tricks.
    Reply
  • g00fysmiley
    without signifigant node shrinks the mroe powerful we want our handheld and portable devices the closer we come to the point where passive cooling isn't going to cut it. that or add alot of copper or other highly conductive matrial to help passivly cool it resulting in a thicker device. dont' know how many people would want a fan on a phone, but on a tablelet as long as its quiet i would actuall want coling to make sure my device lasted
    Reply
  • memadmax
    I would think it was because of the beefier batteries and those same batteries are still being charged atm......

    Will take a few days for them to charge up from all the use.

    ^.^
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    I'm fairly sure someone is going to put a thick rubber protective case over the iPad 3, and then use it when the outside temperature is over 90 F.
    Reply