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Apple Faces Lawsuit Over iPad Overheating

muchadoaboutnot said:
The argument isn't that the protection is a bad thing, but that the device is fundamentally defective to the point where said protection is triggered under common conditions, to the point where it is unfit for the advertised purpose (both as a multitouch tablet in general and how Apple shows people using it outside in their commercials).

What will happen:
  1. Gains class action
  2. Apple will settle the lawsuit without admitting fault, as it's cheaper than fighting it out, and safer
  3. Most won't care. Most of those that do will forget to opt in for the benefit, or opt out of the class (so they can sue individually)
  4. The lawyers will get mllions, while those who opted in for a settlement will get a $10 off a new iPad coupon

This isn't a slam on Apple either. Class actions always end up in crappy settlements for the consumer. The greater hope is that the company takes the cost into account for the redesign.
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It would be faulty if it didn't display that warning and died on you. By displaying that warning Apple is preventing the failure to happen. I'd like to see Apple take this case through and prove the idiots wrong. Apple has always stated an appropriate temperature range for all of their devices and has these warnings to ensure that your device doesn't fail. There is no basis for this lawsuit other than lawyers wanting cash.
 
mauree said:
10000 feet? Why? What happens when you exceed that (every time you're on a long flight)?
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That is the standard environmental testing limit that many companies only test up to, the device likely can far exceed that but they only validate it up to 10k feet. It is the standard cabin pressure for commercial aircraft.
 
mauree said:
10000 feet? Why? What happens when you exceed that (every time you're on a long flight)?
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When you're on a flight, the cabin is pressurized so the air is exactly like it is on the ground, so no need to worry there. Beyond 10,000ft in the open air, however, is a different story. Everything operates differently.
 
With mostly every device that has an LCD such as digital still and video cameras, in the user manual, there's always a warning telling you not to turn the LCD towards direct sunlight. I'm not sure why, but I guess the LCD absorbs a lot of heat and can overheat. I'm pretty sure this is totally normal!

By the way, looking at a glossy screen in direct sunlight will make it hard to see the screen and will reflect the sun into your eyes, so, there isn't really a point!
 
muchadoaboutnot said:
As much as you jest, you can't use it in many of the sunny environments that Apple depicts happy iPad users using their devices in when they advertise.
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I use it outside pretty regularly, both in LA and muggy, heat-wave-stricken Ohio. No issues. Frivolous lawsuit alert. The operating temperature is clearly indicated.
 
Warbrain said:
It would be faulty if it didn't display that warning and died on you.
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Very much so, the lawsuit over that would be even more justified.

Warbrain said:
By displaying that warning Apple is preventing the failure to happen.
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Indeed, but Apple shows the very conditions that trigger these warnings in their adverisement. Apple preventing the device from frying itself does not absolve Apple for having a device that is unfit for use as advertised.

Warbrain said:
I'd like to see Apple take this case through and prove the idiots wrong. Apple has always stated an appropriate temperature range for all of their devices and has these warnings to ensure that your device doesn't fail. There is no basis for this lawsuit other than lawyers wanting cash.
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I have a herbal supplement. My commercial shows a woman being told she has a month to live due to her cancer, she is crying. She buys Muchadoaboutnothing's magic pills, made with all natural ingredients. We see her doctor comment on her miraculous recovery and lack of cancer.

On the side of the bottle I warn that the pill doesn't cure cancer and no claims have been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

I'd still be open to a lawsuit because my product was deceptively advertised.

The argument is not that Apple disclaims the operating temperature ratings in an inaccurate fashion. The argument is that the device cannot be used in a manner consistent with its advertising; thus, the advertising is defective and the device is not fit for the advertised purpose.
 
baryon said:
With mostly every device that has an LCD such as digital still and video cameras, in the user manual, there's always a warning telling you not to turn the LCD towards direct sunlight. I'm not sure why, but I guess the LCD absorbs a lot of heat and can overheat. I'm pretty sure this is totally normal!

By the way, looking at a glossy screen in direct sunlight will make it hard to see the screen and will reflect the sun into your eyes, so, there isn't really a point!
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Black LCD screens do absorb heat, which can cause problems, but it's also true that extremely bright light can damage the display. As I found out recently when I accidentally shined a 200mW laser at my roommate's TV. :(
 
Why are lawsuits almost always filed in California? Is it because Apple is based in California?
 
That means I can use it to defrost meat like that item that was sold on TV. A little more expensive but it does play music.
 
daddywags214 said:
I use it outside pretty regularly, both in LA and muggy, heat-wave-stricken Ohio. No issues. Frivolous lawsuit alert. The operating temperature is clearly indicated.
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There have been multiple reports on that. PC Mag's editor got it in 10 minutes in 70 degree weather in New York (link), so I wouldn't just dismiss the lawsuit as invalid.

If it's happening to some people very often it could be a manufacturing defect, or just a difference in conditions. It's hard to say.
 
LaDirection said:
Apple = the new Microsoft.

If a lawsuit is mounting against Apple, it means it's not a case of a battery-operated device warming up normally under the sun. Stop defending these people blindly, they've been careless, now they'll suffer the backlash.
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FAIL.

It's listed in the specs operating conditions.

Any reasonable intelligent person knows that anything under the sunlight will have a pretty high temperature, beyond the temperature listed in specs.
 
omg apple..

when i leave my kids in the car in direct sunlight with the windows up i need them to keep occupied with the ipad..

I bet an android tablet wouldnt overheat in direct sunlight.. it would also taste like strawberries.

Orr..

I heard on the news that every iPad is catching on fire... I am NOT buying one.
 
I'd never use any device out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, hell, my iPhone was scorching hot after sitting in the sun, and it was in my pocket, and off...

This lawsuit is ridiculous, if the device didn't turn off the heat would lead to instability in the battery and possible an explosion.

PS. Can you even see anything on the screen in direct sunlight? I constantly have to squint and hold my hand over the screen to see anything...
 
aristotle said:
I say that we begin sterilizing people who are too stupid to use some common sense. They cannot be allowed to reproduce. If you file a stupid lawsuit like this and you lose then you get your gonads cut off.

Some common sense:
1. Do not put hot coffee between your legs when when you are driving a vehicle. Put it in the damn coffee cup holder or stop being such a lazy bastard and get out of your car to drink your coffee in the restaurant or get a travel mug and an attachable coffee cup holder if your vehicle does not have one.
2. Using electronics with no visible ventilation holes in direct sunlight will cause the device to overheat and shut down to prevent damage. This is a better alternative to having the device overheat and burn you or the surface you have it on.

Who wants to start a proposition to get people to vote on it for forced sterilization of litigious people with no common sense?
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I'm in as long as it starts with Pro Apple Mac Rumors fanbois...
 
If the customer just wants to return it and get their money back - okay, understandable. If they want to keep the iPad and sue for $5000 in "damages" because they couldn't use it - they're a douche.
 
Lawyers...they never cease to amaze me.

The lawyers will end up with millions (for all that hard work) and we will end up with a coupon for 5% off a future Apple purchase (for items that cost less than $10).

Thanks for representing our best interests.

If I really had an issue, I would return the product.
 
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