Fears that the new iPad suffers from an overheating issue look to have been put to rest, thanks to an exhaustive investigation from our US sister site CNET.com, which concludes that while Apple's new tablet does indeed get hotter than its predecessor, it's not too hot.
Our buddies across the Atlantic broke out the infrared thermometer gun, testing both the original iPad and iPad 2's temperature at the four back corners of the casing, as well as the Apple logo in the centre.
Both tablets were examined after powering on, and having played the graphically demanding game Infinity Blade 2 for periods of 15 and 45 minutes. The tablets' temperature after 15 and 45 minutes of Netflix movie streaming over Wi-Fi was also tested, and Netflix over 4G was tested for the new iPad.
All tests were conducted with both iPads' screens cranked up to full brightness.
For the full breakdown with lots of numbers, check out CNET's original post. But here's the key info. The hottest temperature recorded was 36.7C, which is how hot the Apple logo on the new iPad became after 45 minutes of Infinity Blade 2.
Laptops were also measured to put that in perspective -- a Dell Inspiron 14z laptop warmed up to a toasty 45C after 15 minutes of Portal 2 with Wi-Fi switched on and the brightness maxed out.
36C is higher than Apple's listed operating temperature for the new iPad (0 to 35C), but as CNET points out, it's not actually all that hot. It's about the same as your blood temperature. Crucially, CNET states, "The higher temperature generated by the new iPad compared with the iPad 2 was noticeable to the touch but not uncomfortably so."
The most likely culprit for the boost in temperature is the backlight, which packs more transistors due to its higher resolution, and requires more LEDs to generate the same levels of brightness as the iPad 2.
Bad news for anyone hoping to cook sausages on Apple's new toy, but good news for the rest of us. Other sites (including CNET) will be continuing to test the new iPad's heat output, and we'll keep you updated.
Do you own a new iPad? What do you think of it? Or perhaps you'd rather drink a pint of water from the Thames than number yourself among the Apple faithful? Send me feedback by way of the comments, or our Facebook wall.
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Comments 13
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anonymous 23 March, 2012 12:18
Surely if its outside the device's specified operating temperature, that's a bad thing?
anonymous 23 March, 2012 12:48
overheating is always a issue. long term damage can be caused.
whenever i see an "apple product fault doesnt matter/android sucks" article, i know its been written by luke westaway, apple fanboy.
what. are you trying to prove by insiting that every product they make is flawless.
i used to respect cnet.. but apple this apple that. rumors posted that are always wrong.
engadget is where my heart lies now. just the news. just the facts. consistant journalism. no bias. more news. less pointless videos about old gadgets in cupboards... (you know the one im on about!!)
Jason Alexander 23 March, 2012 12:59
increase in weight means I grip the iPad more firmly than the iPad 2 and I am more likely to detach the smart cover rather than fold it back.
The reality for me is that the extra heat causes no issue, it's never too hot to hold, indeed the only time I'd really describe it as warm is when I test it with the back of my hand (in the way you would touch the forehead of a child to test for a temperature), which is not exactly a natural way to hold it.
anonymous 23 March, 2012 13:53
"i used to respect cnet.. but apple this apple that. rumors posted that are always wrong.
engadget is where my heart lies now."
Don't post as anonymous if you want people to take you seriously. Nice try, jack.
-sincerely, another anonymous nobody
anonymous 23 March, 2012 14:50
sorry jack, i cant log in on my phone. although giving you my name makes no difference to the credibility of my statment you may have it.
David
1000105381 23 March, 2012 15:43
are you sure you are not holding it wrong?
Ruffus Stone 23 March, 2012 21:25
This whole overheating affair seems to be a complete non-story, exaggerated by a media hungry for anything that can be made newsworthy.
My neighbour got his new iPad the other day and has been using it heavily since. He says it's a little warmer in one corner, but never hot or to warm to touch. I tried it myself and it was only slightly warm and no way near as hot as a laptop gets.
The other half and I were passing our local Apple Store this afternoon, whilst out shopping. While she went into Dotty P's to look at some clothes I popped back to the Apple Store to have another look at the iPad.
Considering the display models had been running all day (there were quite a few of them too), non of the ones I handled were hot and were only a little warm towards one corner on the back.
It appears the whole story is rubbish and thankfully CNET have blown it out of the water.
anonymous 24 March, 2012 11:30
Huh? First, you guys say that it's above Apple's listed operating temperature and then continue on to say it's a non issue. If it's above the listed operating temp then it is an issue! Btw, it's not only consumerreports, but techradar also found out that the new ipad can reach 45.1 C.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjFU0nkmt_c
It could be that there is just a bad batch and, hence, the different results.
anonymous 24 March, 2012 15:20
Tests or not when I sat outside and read a book on it (no gaming of high processor stuff) with a cool afternoon sun shinning on it (I am in Canada so very cool) it got VERY hot, uncomfortable to hold hot, nothing like my iPad II hot!.As well the battery drained in a few hours (heat = lost energy so that makes sense). Interestingly though, my son in Hong Kong does not have this problem with his one. He tested his gaming in their hot sun - he said that overheated but his New iPad did not - so it may be an issue with some models or there may be a software glitch that can be induced in setup to make something run in the background on some models. There is an issue though.
anonymous 27 March, 2012 21:13
actually I compared the new iPad with the iPad 2 in a shop where both had been on for hours,
and there was an unmistakeable heat build up in the bottom left hand corner of the new iPad.
Any heat in a device like this detracts from the user experience. It wasn't too bad ,but I certainly didn't like it.
Ruffus Stone 28 March, 2012 14:12
There have now been a few more tests published by tech magazines and websites and the general trend is that they're debunking the overheating story, or at least putting it into perspective.
One of the latest was carried out by Wired, who found that the iPad 3 ran much cooler than most competing tablets in controlled tests.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-03/27/new-ipad-heat-test
Presumably this silly story will now die a quick death.
anonymous 29 March, 2012 01:22
The trouble is that tests are not extensive and the test reviewer is as likely to have hold of a non-overheating model as he is an overheating one. Also the reviewer is under pressure of time. Some customers HAVE found their new iPads running hot and it they're experiences cannot be discounted as "silly"
anonymous 30 December, 2012 09:11
I purchased my. New ipad mini celular & wifi about 4 weeks ago had it on charge for about 1hour before I went on holidays overseas. Still will not turn on .
Cliff Perth wa