Leaving iPad in hot car

[Pete the Geek]

From the iPad technical specs, Environmental Requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m

This slide show from The Weather Channel shows that the car interior temperature exceeds even the non-operating temperature within just a few minutes. Please note that the car interior heat rise is caused by sun not the ambient temperature. Even on a pleasant 70° F day the car interior can reach well over the 113° F maximum non-operating temperature for the iPad.

The bottom line is: don't store your iPad or other electronics in your car, but if you must, at least power it down.

 

[Sdashiki]

My iPad is my car media center...well it mostly plays music (thanks Flicktunes!) and CoPilot for the GPS. It is attached to my dashboard using a RAM Mount arm and holder sticking out where the radio used to be.

Lucky me, there was a structural metal tube behind the radio inside the dash and attaching a RAM Mount arm here, solid.


Anyway, when I know I am going to leave the car for a long period of time, I just put it under my seat. And it has never been an issue. However, I do take the iPad inside my house when I am not in the car. Its when I am out somewhere, parked, it goes under the seat.

Trust me, Florida in the swamp during the summer months...your car is gonna get hot inside. Shading your stuff can make a world of difference.

 

[dudeabiding]

The iPad (and iPhone) have parameters for operability in both hot and cold temps. In addition, you are dealing with an LCD screen and fairly fragile electronics. Leaving it/them somewhere very hot or very cold is asking for trouble (leaving out the whole break in the car to get it issue). I'd be really careful about a cooler with ice, even with the iPad in a bag, as condensation may not be your friend. Maybe an insulated cooler in the trunk with no ice.

I carry my iPhone at Disneyland in a ziplock back in a secure pocket so it won't get wet on rides. But an iPad? That's not going to work.

As to leaving your kids in the car guarding the iPad, my guess is that they will play games on it, change your settings, and when you come back the battery will be dead. Leave it home.

 

[miamialley]

From the iPad technical specs, Environmental Requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m

This slide show from The Weather Channel shows that the car interior temperature exceeds even the non-operating temperature within just a few minutes. Please note that the car interior heat rise is caused by sun not the ambient temperature. Even on a pleasant 70° F day the car interior can reach well over the 113° F maximum non-operating temperature for the iPad.

The bottom line is: don't store your iPad or other electronics in your car, but if you must, at least power it down.

Subjectively, I think the trunk stays cooler. Haven't seen proof though.

 

[spiderman0616]

Not worried about the phone. I've got cargo shorts that has a zipper pocket. Laugh if you want but I plan to put it in a ziplock bag when I ride the water rides and just put it in that pocket.

I do this. I'm sure I get some weird looks from other people on the metra, but if I'm riding the train into work and it's looking like I'm going to have a rainy walk to the office, I put my iPhone and headphones in a plastic ziploc bag and put them in my backpack. It's not worth the water damage. I also have a cover in the headphone jack and the port to avoid debris and water (errant raindrops) getting in.

Needless to say, I don't think it's weird at all to do that. I've seen a lot of jackasses walk into Apple stores and try to get iPhones/iPods replaced because they just "stopped" working and then find out that there's a lot of water damage in the unit. Either these people are so dumb that they don't realize you need to protect your electronics from water, or they are trying to pull one over on the Apple store. (I think there's more of the former than the latter). Either way, better safe than sorry.

 

[Jeordeon]

It'll probably damage the battery.