My original iPad and iPad 2 have always been remarkably cool, even when playing graphically intensive games or high definition video, but my new iPad is getting a little warm to the touch. It's by no means as hot as my iPhone 4s gets, which can be really hot if there's bad reception or I'm tethering. It's also nothing like how hot a MacBook gets when playing Adobe Flash. But hotter than my old iPads which were absolutely cool all the time. Since other devices routinely get warm or hot without issue, it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about -- if anything it might just be a sign we're finally pushing iPads as hard as we've been pushing our other gear for years.
The heat seems to be along the left hand side (if you're holding it in portrait mode with the home button at the bottom. I don't think it's the LTE radio because it feels the same on Wi-Fi. According to the pictures iFixit posted during their teardown, the iPad's board, including its A5X system-on-a-chip appear to be along the left hand side. (The gigantic battery is on the right.) The A5X includes a quad-core GPU, but I'm not doing anything particularly intense when the iPad is warm (just downloading apps right now).
We're talking about this now in our [iPad 3 forums] and have a couple of great threads going:
If you haven't already, jump in there and let us know your experience with heat on your new iPad.
Reader comments
Is your new iPad getting a little hot under the corner?
this new generation 3 I pad get to ho to touch, is this a flaw in it and should I take it back?
Yes.not only is getting hot, but the screen blinks. It goes from high really high bright to really low. It's really annoying, thereby I'll take it to the apple store to see
This is where we all need to go and report this problem https://expresslane.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.do?PRKEYS=PL220
I have an 32 white Verizon and it gets really hot , not we should stop writing about getting hot now we need to talk about what we are going to do , I am planing to go tomorrow to my apple store And what they have to say about it , pls report if u did this already , even if it is apple and they a mistake on this table we need to let them know we all love apple products but is the screw up we going to let them know , I am ready to go back to my Ipad 2 if they don't give me a solution with this hot thing.
It's normal warm, you use all day, every day, every moment.
This is not normal. I have an iPad 1 which is cool at all times. I just bought the new iPad yesterday, 32Gb WiFi only, it is getting hot as described here. No heavy use, just browsing and email. The screen is great, but I can't hold the device for long. Serial number starts with DLX. Not cool, no pun intended. :(
My new iPad has the serial numbers starting with DLX and after reading these posts on the heat issues, I feel the warmth in the left corner but it is not hot to the touch (will be monitoring, however as I have just received it recently).
dall'ultima volta che l'ho visto, migliorato molota mio avviso graficamente si potrebbe fare ancora qualcosina di pi ad ogni modo, anke cos direi ke siamo ad un buon livello
Mine gets a little warm, but no where near as warm as my iPhone 4 got the other day after a 9 hour gaming session of Galaxy on Fire 2. That was hot!
No, not a bit warm. I never charged the thing when I got it Friday morning (it came about 70% charged) and didn't have to plug it in again till early this morning. I'm flabbergasted. I swear mine is sipping the battery like a dainty little teetotaler. Better than advertised battery life. Whoda thunk it.
Is there a way to more scientifically track usage data (like on the iPhone)?
I wonder how many who commented on your fishing expedition really own the latest iPad?
I don't think many do.
I love how you had to throw that bull in there about Adobe Flash.. Must just be an Apple hardware/software issue as it never happens on my Windows laptop.
I noticed it two times, both while syncing over WIFI. So it might be the combination of WIFI plus stressing the Flash Storage. I have the 64GB model + LTE. I notice the same quick heating up on my Vaio X11 while downloading large files to the 128GB SSD. There I fixed it by always downloading to a MicroSD, later copying it to the SSD. But with the iPad I'll have to accept it...
Same here.. Warmish-hot along the backside, lower left corner - starting just an inch above the top of where the on-screen keyboard ends, and downward.
My new iPad is warm to the touch. It's the bottom left-hand corner just as reported. Just got off the phone with Apple support and they have no record of this issue. We shall see what happens.
iPad 32G WiFi only. It does get hot at the bottom left if charging, and I am using it. In sleep mode it cools off fairly quickly, and does not get hot if not charging. This should be normal when you consider the size of the battery in it.
Not yet for me. Actually my iPad 2 would get ridiculously hot, especially during the Summer months (Jailbreak?). So far the iPad 3 hasn't gotten a bit hot, but that will probably change during the Summer months.
Nada. No issues here. And nothing but beautiful screen for me to write my music about Jah!
this is interesting as i've had no problem with it getting warm.
What model du u have ?
It did for a little while maybe within the first 6 hours I had it on but not today.
Went to pc world after work yesterday to pick up my first ever tablet computer, actually had the sales assistant go to fetch my 16gb wifi from the stock room. Then picked up the display model with both hands, found it to be quite warm. No, not hot, as everyone points out, but warm enough that I felt it would bother me, since it is a hand held device after all. The back and the sides were warm and i found the screen also radiated a lot of warmth. The ipad 2 next to it was much much much cooler, the apple guy tried to claim it was because the new I pad had been handled more that day than the old news ipad 2, but I wasnt buying that one. Some people I suspect wouldn't be bothered by the extra heat, but, I love the way the i pad 2 and other tablets stay cool. Personally I would sacrifice the high res screen etc to a tablet that stayed cool. Was disappointed because I really wanted to get one and was by no means trying to find faukt with the product, but for my taste the new ipad was too thermostatically challenged. Saved myself 120 pounds sterling and went for the Motorola XOOM instead. Maybe its the 2013 new new ipad for me.
Mine is definitely running hot, which my iPad 2 never did. I have the wifi only 32 gb version and am just surfing on it. No idea what a game might do to it. It isn't terrible, but certainly noticeable and worrisome. Anyone have answers from Apple?
After i activated the verizon account, i watched a one hour video over wifi with the cellular radio still on. Suddenly, my whole screen changed to "temperature warning...ipad must cooldown before you can continue using it." it chocked me because that is a first, never had that ever on the ipad 2. Then the screen went black. I immediately pressed the home button, and slid to unlock, and it came right back on. It stayed warm, i left it in the cover it is in. And so far it hasnt happened again. But apparently Apple knows this can get hot because there is a warning that can show up.
This I believe is in every iOS device. I know it happened to my iPad 2 when I was doing an event. I had it running demo loops outside in the sun and someone pointed out that same message. But my new iPad runs hot even when I am doing nothing most of the time.
I noticed my new iPad getting hot almost immediately yesterday morning. Also warm on the left side of the glass but warm all over on the back. If I use it while plugged in, it gets downright hot.
Great product watch how it holds up in a drop test
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP45yDzQiYM&feature=youtubegdataplayer
Tool.
Can frikking make an omelet on the back of the NEW iPad
Ha ha ha. I see what you did there.
Not funny.
I was holding my new iPad and the left side was getting really hot and I was viewing one of my favorite web sites I go to everyday. I then noticed my my right hand starting getting extremely hot to, I started going up and down to see if I could find a hot spot but it seemed to be along the length very hot. I thought maybe if i went up and down a lil faster maybe it would cool down but no it did not. My palm was getting very sweaty from the heat and then all of a sudden it was more than I could handle and I had to release and let out a groan. I then noticed I had some sort of oil or creamy substance running down my screen.. I don't know what happen?
You should go ahead and fish this novel! LOL! Just kidding. But I haven't experienced any such problems. I've actually drained the battery playing games and using GarageBand. No problems over here.
You had got to sare the site u were surfing, would like to test out if the ipad 1 would have the same heat and oil/cream substance.. ROTFLMFAO!
Mine got a little warm after loading everything from the cloud that I had on my iPad 2. But since then with normal use of video, gaming, internet and photo editing it has been cool to the touch.
16g wifi only. Hot!Hot!Hot! Not 3rd degree burn but when it heats up like that I have to put it down. Very uncomfortable to hold. Might have to get a case or return it.
How can yu not expect the device to get how all that hardware packed in the little frame it's gonnna get hot just the nature of the beast
Don't act like an oriental scientist! If it could be natural, it won't be an issue for the most of the users!
My iPad 2 has done this since I got it, and the heat causes the backlight bleed to be more noticeable.
I haven't noticed any heat at all on my new iPad. (64gb LTE version). I've been running on Wi-Fi only though, so not sure if that makes any difference. But I've been playing with it almost non-stop since yesterday.
It stays pretty cool unless you're taxing the hardware. I was browsing the web on mine for hours last night and it wasn't any different than the iPad 2, but after just 15-20 mins of Infinity Blade 2 and the lower left corner/back on the case was noticeably warm. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Every iPhone has done this when you start pushing it's hardware and they've all been fine.
New display looks good but demo iPad in the Apple Store was really warm to pick up. Maybe because it was charging?
New iPad is cool to the touch just like that iPad 2.
I've noticed the heat on the left side. First noticed it after just little use on wifi.
One of the things I like the most on myiPad (1st gen) is the fact that its aluminum back is very nice to the touch, specially because it's always cold. It makes the experience smooth and pleasant. Doesn't feel like you're "operating a machine", like it does when you have a hot laptop over your lap. Heating devices do bother me a lot. I hope iPad 4 will be cold as the 1...
I think it's important to note which iPad one has since things like LTE probably make a difference. My new iPad is a 64 gig wifi model. During the initial setup, as it imported gig after gig of apps, music and data, it got warm enough that I was really surprised, but it hasn't happened since. I should add that it never got hot. Just warm enough that I noticed. If I hadn't previously owned an iPad 2, it wouldn't have even been noteworthy. It definitely didn't get laptop-hot. Just warm.
Time to put it down and walk away
LOL
My new iPad get hot in the bottom left hand corner