Consumer Reports Finds New iPad Gets Warm, Can't Charge Under Heavy Loads

[Lindsford]

Omg! My iPad is going straight back. Now that CR has posted this exposing it's flaws! How could I have been so stupid


/sarcasm

When I was in Sales I hated people that would come into the store with their CR Magazines... I actually tried avoiding those ones.

 

[tigres]

It's so very odd that I've been able to use my new iPad while plugged in and it charges perfectly fine. Perhaps those who are having issues are not following Apple's instructions by using the CHARGER and instead are plugged into a PC's USB port?

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Some idiot comes in here acting like he has inside information, proclaims that the A5x is "desperate" without any justification for his comments, and I have to explain what exactly?

Read this...http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/20/new-ipads-a5x-processor-holds-few-surprises-despite-enormous-size/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

How many of you whiners actually own an iPad 3 and find its warmth under heavy use objectionable? To those same people, if there are any actual owners in here, have you used your iPad 3 while plugged into a WALL SOCKET and found that it did not charge during use?

 

[haysoos123]

warm at most

Strange. I was playing one of those gameloft rip-offs for two hours or so, I think it was Modern Combat 3. At most, it got warm. I was on wifi at the time, but I do have the 4G 64GB model, and the 4G radio was on. Could it be that only some units have this problem? I suppose I'm used to laptops at load, which can get pretty hot. We'll see how good these batteries will be in the long run, but I haven't had any problems at all.

 

[polee]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Following up on reports from earlier today that the outer shell of the iPad 3 gets warmer than the iPad 2, Consumer Reports found that their iPad 3 reached temperatures up to 116 degrees after running Infinity Blade II for 45 minutes.

The piece did note that the iPad felt "very warm but not especially uncomfortable if held for a brief period" during the testing process. In a statement earlier today, Apple said that the iPad was "operating well within our thermal specifications."

Image

Potentially more interesting is Consumer Reports' note that their new iPad didn't charge at all when the game was running. In fact, the battery continued to drain slightly under the extremely heavy CPU and GPU load from Infinity Blade II.

It seems that under extremely heavy processor usage, the iPad is unable to draw sufficient power from its USB connection to both power the device and charge the battery simultaneously.

Article Link: Consumer Reports Finds New iPad Gets Warm, Can't Charge Under Heavy Loads

CR needs to show that it is "working hard" and always looking out for consumers' interests. I have no complaints with the new iPad. Heat? Barely noticeable. The new iPad is simply awesome!

 

[Lindsford]

How many of you whiners actually own an iPad 3 and find its warmth under heavy use objectionable? To those same people, if there are any actual owners in here, have you used your iPad 3 while plugged into a WALL SOCKET and found that it did not charge during use?

Honestly the only time mine got warmish was when i was playing MC3 with the brightness cranked on max for about an hour. Now that i have the brightness at half I never feel it get hot. even after having it run netflix 4-5hrs nonstop (not as graphic intense) but still.

 

[AppleScruff1]

USB 3 is slower than FireWire and still provides less power. Also, more importantly, barely anything uses it. FireWire is actually more common than USB 3.0 (not a fact, but just from experience). So once 2.0 is no longer possible to use, would the companies go to USB 3.0? By then, I'm thinking that Apple will have taken over even more, and they already oppose and do not support USB 3.0.

Besides, all versions of USB use computer resources, where FireWire is true peer-to-peer.

Intel's Ivy Bridge processors will offer native USB 3 support and they will be available soon on the new Macs along with the rest of the manufacturers. It's backwards compatible with USB 2. Just about every external drive offers USB 3 at affordable prices. Thunderbolt has a way to go before it is affordable for the mainstream user. Everything I have read states that USB 3 is faster than Firewire 800. There are billions of USB 2 devices in use. They can still be used with USB 3. Firewire really doesn't make sense for most people.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Read this...http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/20/new-ipads-a5x-processor-holds-few-surprises-despite-enormous-size/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Okay... It says that it's a very big chip because they bumped up the number of graphics cores. But we knew that since the day it was announced. The rest of it is nothing but verbal masturbation about what Apple could have and should have done. More useless opinions about the guts of a product that beats the pants off competing products - oh wait there aren't any.

 

[faroZ06]

You can no longer top off your battery while using the iPad.

Pretty simple.

Yes you can. You just can't do it while playing some graphic game.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

CR needs to show that it is "working hard" and always looking out for consumers' interests. I have no complaints with the new iPad. Heat? Barely noticeable. The new iPad is simply awesome!

No, CR wants to capitalize on Apple's biggest launch in history while it's fresh so it can get a lot of free publicity in a dying attempt to remain relevant.

 

[JAT]

USB 3 is slower than FireWire

What? You may have confused your 2s and 3s.

 

[faroZ06]

Intel's Ivy Bridge processors will offer native USB 3 support and they will be available soon on the new Macs along with the rest of the manufacturers. It's backwards compatible with USB 2. Just about every external drive offers USB 3 at affordable prices. Thunderbolt has a way to go before it is affordable for the mainstream user. Everything I have read states that USB 3 is faster than Firewire 800. There are billions of USB 2 devices in use. They can still be used with USB 3. Firewire really doesn't make sense for most people.

USB 3.0 has a faster rate than FireWire 800, but it never achieves that. Besides, the interface is just better overall, using less computer resources and acting as an ethernet cable. Also, I have never seen anyone ever use USB 3.0, and on a lot of sites offering hard drives, I only see a few USB 3.0 drives. I'm sure FireWire just costs more than USB 2.0 because it is less common (and USB is supported by Intel and MS).

It's hard to find any good comparisons in speed between FireWire 800 and USB 3.0, but since USB relies on the computer so much, I'm pretty sure FireWire 800 would be faster in real life. I'll try it once I get my hands on a USB 3.0 machine to test.

But is it an actual strong rumor that Apple is going to support USB 3.0? I haven't heard about it, but I may have missed it. If Apple ever takes over, I'm hoping they'll continue to use the best standard (unlike MS, which promoted USB 2.0 and countless other garbage). Thunderbolt kills the competition, but it's hard to tell whether or not it would be cheap enough even if mass produced like USB.

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What? You may have confused your 2s and 3s.

Technically, USB 3.0 is faster than FireWire 800, and USB 2.0 is faster than FireWire 400, but those promised speeds are even more BS than the promised speeds of other wires. I'm pretty sure that in real life, FW 800 beats USB 3.0.

 

[sha4000]

Can apple do no wrong?????? This is one of the only forums that i have joined where fans bash another fan for saying anything negative about the home team. Right now I prefer apple computers over anything else out there but I have not bought into the whole Iphone/Ipad craze so I guess I really don't understand.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

My god. I actually said, "pretty bad power supply". That is what I said. My post has not been altered, feel free to read it again to find these words. My use of "supply" instead of "brick" really should not disturb you this much.

Desktop computer: has power supply. Laptop computer: has power supply. If your power supply is not providing the laptop with enough power, that is a bad design. My examples were 2 devices that do not have battery "backup" for the power supply, yet draw MORE power than any laptop without troubles. (assuming THEY are designed well) Here is my next example:

Any floor heater, draw: 1500w, I forget the amps, maybe 7-10? NO battery. Same original power source: 15a, 120v outlet.

Therefore, your power supply sucks. Scientific method.

I would saw you should learned to read because instead you going insulting.

You know full out and well I was referring to the power brick not the over all PSU.
If you did not understand that then you might want to question logical reason. You should of known I was talking about the power brick not the over all PSU of the laptop.

edit: Oh wait I went back and read your quote. It pretty clear you did not understand it at all as you are confusing the max power the brick can supply. The next part.

 

[Roy G Biv]

116 is considered room temperature in various parts of the Middle East. I don't see a problem.

 

[diazj3]

Can apple do no wrong?????? This is one of the only forums that i have joined where fans bash another fan for saying anything negative about the home team. Right now I prefer apple computers over anything else out there but I have not bought into the whole Iphone/Ipad craze so I guess I really don't understand.

I agree... this fanaticism blows my mind as well.

 

[faroZ06]

Can apple do no wrong?????? This is one of the only forums that i have joined where fans bash another fan for saying anything negative about the home team. Right now I prefer apple computers over anything else out there but I have not bought into the whole Iphone/Ipad craze so I guess I really don't understand.

I recognize Apple's failures, but there are none in the iDevices. Nobody noticed the problems with pretty much every Apple computer 2007 and before that was bought near the release date. I now have a lemon iMac from 2006 with a faulty GPU that those @#$%s NVIDIA put in. It happened to a lot of models, but NVIDIA did not recall, and Apple did nothing, because it was not made into a big story. Apple also put a design flaw in the earlier 2006 MacBooks that caused the hard drive to fail from overheating.

This iPad problem is mostly USB's fault, and Apple couldn't really work around it. You can't support a computer that big on just USB for power supply. It can't supply enough current. Really, it's not a big issue. The last time I even maxed out the CPU on my iDevice was when I accidentally left a Minecraft server running on my jailbroken, Java-installed iPod touch.

 

[sikkinixx]

I picked up a demo unit at Bestbuy tonight and noticed right away how warm it was. I have NEVER felt my OG iPad get even slightly warm before so it was a bit unnerving. I'll wait till the kinks get worked out k thanks.

 

[flybius]

I went to an Apple store today...

I happened to be in the vicinity of an Apple store today so I thought I would pop in and check out the new iPad. What I found was that every new demo iPad on display was noticeably warmer than the iPad2 demo units (that were still on display for the sake of comparison.) While I would not say that the new iPads were uncomfortable to handle, the increase in temperature was a little surprising and a tad disappointing (not really sure why and I'm not complaining about it.)

What was even more of a surprise to me was that the Apple Store had every new iPad model in stock and the store was uncharacteristically empty, with only a few folks browsing around...

Hmmm...

 

[faroZ06]

116 is considered room temperature in various parts of the Middle East. I don't see a problem.

lol
But I think there are other obstacles to getting an iPad there. Does Apple even sell in the Middle East?

I think the real problem is the charging, not the heat.

 

[kirk26]

I've barely noticed any heat issues with my new iPad.

 

[faroZ06]

I picked up a demo unit at Bestbuy tonight and noticed right away how warm it was. I have NEVER felt my OG iPad get even slightly warm before so it was a bit unnerving. I'll wait till the kinks get worked out k thanks.

Always wait a few days. It's better to be a little bit more patient and not get stuck with a semi-lemon product. The new GPUS and CPUs and other hardware in the products tend to be a bit faulty at first until the suppliers find the problems (tested on Apple and the consumers, of course) and fix them.

Let the beta devices be tested on the impatient ones first. I was a victim (my dad got an iMac and eventually gave it to me, then the GPU later broke because it had a factory defect thanks to NVIDIA).

 

[redman042]

While this is a little bit of a bummer, I'd probably be willing to tow a nuclear reactor behind me if that was what was needed to power this retina display. I just love this display.

Also, I'd like to know what brightness setting they ran it at. This is key, and it surprises me that CR would leave out this important bit of info. According to DisplayMate:

"... the display normally consumes about 50-60 percent of the total Tablet power"

"...the running time at Maximum brightness in our tests was 5.8 hours, 20 percent less than the iPad 2's 7.2 hours. But at the Middle brightness slider setting, which is closer to typical user settings, the running time was 11.6 hours..."

It's likely that CR cranked the brightness to max and then ran the most intensive game they could to evaluate worst-case conditions. That's fine, but they should have stated it outright.

They may just find that an intensive game at 50% brightness still allows for charging, or at least maintaining battery levels.
See here: http://gizmodo.com/5894445/the-best-tablet-display-guess-who

 

[AppleScruff1]

USB 3.0 has a faster rate than FireWire 800, but it never achieves that. Besides, the interface is just better overall, using less computer resources and acting as an ethernet cable. Also, I have never seen anyone ever use USB 3.0, and on a lot of sites offering hard drives, I only see a few USB 3.0 drives. I'm sure FireWire just costs more than USB 2.0 because it is less common (and USB is supported by Intel and MS).

It's hard to find any good comparisons in speed between FireWire 800 and USB 3.0, but since USB relies on the computer so much, I'm pretty sure FireWire 800 would be faster in real life. I'll try it once I get my hands on a USB 3.0 machine to test.

But is it an actual strong rumor that Apple is going to support USB 3.0? I haven't heard about it, but I may have missed it. If Apple ever takes over, I'm hoping they'll continue to use the best standard (unlike MS, which promoted USB 2.0 and countless other garbage). Thunderbolt kills the competition, but it's hard to tell whether or not it would be cheap enough even if mass produced like USB.

If you look outside of the Mac world, you will see plenty of USB 3 external storage devices. Literally every new drive made by Western Digital and Seagate support USB 3. If Apple uses the new Ivy Bridge chips, there is native USB 3 support. Why would they exclude it when it is built into the chipset. I don't think your going to see Apple take over the pc market. They are probably moving away from it considering their iOS devices account for over 70% of their revenue. They preach the post pc world, which is iOS. And they currently rule the mobile device market. Firewire is a thing of the past. USB 3 and Thunderbolt are the future. A 2TB Thunderbolt drive is in the $500 range, a USB 3 drive can be had for $130.

 

[faroZ06]

No, CR wants to capitalize on Apple's biggest launch in history while it's fresh so it can get a lot of free publicity in a dying attempt to remain relevant.

I'm pretty sure this one is more realistic than the antenna issues. The antenna issues were total BS, and I lost all of my respect for CR at that point, but I think they're actually right here as long as they don't overinflate the story like before. If it turns out to be a big issue, they can make a big deal about it. Still, I don't recommend Consumer Reports yet, and I'm a more honest source

CR actually unrecommended the iPhone 3GS because of antenna issues along with the iPhone 4. Of course, I went to the Apple Store ASAP and tested the "death grip"... no problem. My mom got the iPhone 4... no problem. Apple gave out free cases... not even possible to have a problem.