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iPad Rattling Noise...Accelerometer?

My iPad 3G makes the same noise. I also assumed it was the SIM card. I was going to test them out in the Apple Store, but its too noisy to hear any possible rattles in the floor models. Let me know if you find anything out.
 
Lartymarf said:
I need to stay away from this forum cuz all of you are just crazy.

I shoke my 64gig 3G and yes I hear it too. But this type of rattling is
inperceptable from regular usage. But, if you hold it nest to your year
and place your ear near the backside apple logo and shake it violently yes
you will hear something.. must like how one of the posters described as
a grain knocking against something.. but only when you shake it violently
and put your ear up against it. And you can only recreate this sound if
you use both hands and shake rapidly since the ipad has a decent heft.
If you only hold it using one hand, you can't hear anything really. There is
also no physical cluncking that you can feel through your hands when you
shake it.
Click to expand...
If I hold mine in one hand and move it slightly, I can hear a rattling.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. Most of these reports of similar problems didn't come in until after last Friday, which was the last of my 14 day return period. Since the Apple store is a considerable distance from my house I went ahead and called AppleCare and just processed a full return. I am on vacation out of state this week and don't really have any time to mess with it. With these other reports of the same problem and the fact that I have had two in a row with this "issue" it seems like this is a commonality and just perhaps a design flaw. I am guessing it is just an antenna wire or something similar hitting the back of the case.

At this point with WWDC nearing I think I will wait to purchase another. There have been multiple reports of AT&T finally allowing tethering in iPhone OS 4.0. If this is the case I will just go ahead and buy the WiFi only model and tether as I won't be using cellular data very often. If I do end up with another 3G model that has the same "rattle" I will just be writing it off as "normal". Let me know if anyone finds anything else out.
 
klmckenzie03 said:
Thanks for all of the replies. Most of these reports of similar problems didn't come in until after last Friday, which was the last of my 14 day return period. Since the Apple store is a considerable distance from my house I went ahead and called AppleCare and just processed a full return. I am on vacation out of state this week and don't really have any time to mess with it. With these other reports of the same problem and the fact that I have had two in a row with this "issue" it seems like this is a commonality and just perhaps a design flaw. I am guessing it is just an antenna wire or something similar hitting the back of the case.

At this point with WWDC nearing I think I will wait to purchase another. There have been multiple reports of AT&T finally allowing tethering in iPhone OS 4.0. If this is the case I will just go ahead and buy the WiFi only model and tether as I won't be using cellular data very often. If I do end up with another 3G model that has the same "rattle" I will just be writing it off as "normal". Let me know if anyone finds anything else out.
Click to expand...

So you're returning it for an issue that isn't really an issue, that you can't hear unless you hold it up to your head and shake it hard. Perhaps you held it too close to your head and shook it too hard?? 😕
 
I finally got in touch with apple and they are sending me a new one....it's crazy that this many ppl have noticed this...how many ppl haven't...this was why I hesitated to buy a first gen iPad, but I do love it...we'll see if my new one rattles when it gets here..........................June 8th!...nothing should be rattling on a brand new iPad...quality control is a problem for apple as they are growing...these factories all over the place are obviously lacking in quality control...
 
I don't have a iPad (yet, it's in the mail), but my Iphone makes the same rattling noise. I've always assumed it was the SIM 😕
 
Mine Too

The other day I was fiddling around with the unit and also heard the sound. It sounds like a distinct clicking which at first sounded like the SIM card moving around abit. I took out the SIM card and the sound was still there whilst securing the other external buttons. My first impression was an internal mechanical orientation lock working in conjunction with the ST's MEMs accelerometer but could not find any references in iFixit or chipworks.

You don't have to shake it violently to hear it, just a tilt to either left or right whilst in portrait mode will suffice. I did a google search regarding the issue and was led to this part of the forum. So we are definitely not alone on this one. I am in Melbourne Australia with a US 64GB 3G unit.
 
funny, it seems as though all the people having this issue have the 3G model. i have the wifi modeling with no rattling at all
 
im wondering if its something in the 3G bar at the top?

maybe a wire or something i heard it when i was picking it up and it was slight. i didnt shake it or anything but i did hear it.

i doubt im going to bother returning it with the amount of people having similar occurrences
 
I managed to get a hold of my mate's iPad and had a good play with it. It exhibits the same issue with the exact clicking/ticking/rattling noise internally. I have no idea where this sound comes from but it is surely there. I won't bother replacing it but Apple should at least be made aware of this issue.
 
JKCT said:
I managed to get a hold of my mate's iPad and had a good play with it. It exhibits the same issue with the exact clicking/ticking/rattling noise internally. I have no idea where this sound comes from but it is surely there. I won't bother replacing it but Apple should at least be made aware of this issue.
Click to expand...

Was it the 3G model as well? if yes then i think thats pretty much a confirmation that this issue is isolated to 3g ipads and is probably just a wire hitting the back of the case. if apple is made aware of the issue, they can just open it up and tape the wire down, no biggie.
 
Well for anyone who is curious as I was when I googled this page I have found out what is making the rattling noise in the 3G iPad. It's not the actual sim card tray but the mechanism that allows you to remove the tray. The way it works is a metal slider that freely moves along a track so the the metal plunger has something hard to push on. And there for makes noise when it is moved abruptly from one side to the other. Not really a big deal especially if you have a case that muffles the already low noise. And I also doubt any longterm problems arising from that noise. And im almost 100% sure that this is a design flaw and all of the 3G iPads do this.
 
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