iPad reportedly overheating in the sun

[Sonist]

From CNET:

"... PC Magazine editor Zach Honig posted on Twitter that he took his brand new iPad out in the sun in New York City (it's been over 70 in New York the last few days) and ten minutes later it shut down with the message, "iPad needs to cool down before you can use it." Honig stuck his iPad in the fridge and it was fine a few minutes later.

More anecdotes about iPad overheating trickled out on Easter Sunday and The Atlantic's blog did a nice round up of the complaints entitled, "Techies Fume over iPad's Hidden Weakness." In fact, the folks over at The Next Web discovered that the iPad's operating temperature is 32 degrees to 95 degrees F (0 to 35 C) when running or up to 113 degrees when off. The same is true for the iPhone, but the iPad, due to its size, appears to attract a lot more heat a lot more quickly. ..."

[Lotus Esprit]

The color and material do heat up in direct sunlight which isn't the best thing for viewing the screen anyways. I am not sure about sticking it in the fridge to cool it down though.

[sfernald]

I posted about this the first day I got the ipad.

It definitely will overheat in direct sunlight.

It happened to me almost immediately when playing a game out by the pool in Vegas.

That's why I'll always keep a kindle around for direct sunlight, outside reading.

I should add that in the shade by the pool, it works wonderfully though.

[HarryT]

I suspect that this is unlikely to be a problem here in England .

[Tamara]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I suspect that this is unlikely to be a problem here in England .

I haven't read any reports of it happening here in FL yet but most people here avoid doing things in direct sun this time of the year .

[cavi]

Interesting, I might be up a creek in aug as it is routinely over 110 every day

[drofgnal]

I wonder if the guy who baked his eyepad in the microwave had it shut down from overheating!1

[Johannes]

Have used my iPad quite extensively outside here in Houston, TX. Always in a shadow spot, of course. No overheating (yet). Having said that the +90's are still to come...

[Fotoman]

More than likely an overly-conservative setting that they will change with an update this summer... not that I expect this to be much of an issue here in BC.

But then, we all know that even the best LCD screens suck in direct sunlight... The shade is our friend in more ways than one.

[WillAdams]

Fotoman, actually, there are LCD designs which work in full sunlight:

http://www.irontech.com/industrial_L..._sunlight.html

William
(who is writing this up in the light of a sunny window)

[scottjl]

just because the display will work in the sun doesn't mean the rest of the electronics aren't going to overheat.

personally, i'd rather have the safety of a device shutting down because it's too hot than one overheating and destroying itself. remember, the ipad has no fan to keep cool with and no ventilation, heat is dissipated through the back panel, hardly an idea mechanism. apple could have added vent slots, which let dust and dirt in, or a fan, which would have made it thicker and loud, not to mention the impact on battery life.

expect this to be an issue on any tablet that is released, they are all going to have to address heat issues somehow. we'll see what manufacturers come up with.

[JMikeD]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

Fotoman, actually, there are LCD designs which work in full sunlight:

My Garmin GPS receiver has a transreflective LCD that works just as well in bright sunlight as indoors in dim light. It would be nice to have that kind of display on the iPad or iPod Touch.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by JMikeD

My Garmin GPS receiver has a transreflective LCD that works just as well in bright sunlight as indoors in dim light. It would be nice to have that kind of display on the iPad or iPod Touch.

Yes, I also have a Garmin and wondered why other devices don't have some of its features, such as:

-- Touch screen, but with glass a lot less shiny and a lot less likely to show fingerprints than, say, an iPad.

-- Touch screen works when I wear gloves, unlike with iPad or iPhone.

-- Able to stay highly readable and functioning no matter the lighting or sunshine. For instance, I've driven through desert with the Garmin baking in the sun. No problems.

Are these features somehow too expensive to implement in computer or tablet form? Are they proprietary? (I've no experience with other GPS devices, so dunno whether they work similarly.)

[scottjl]

well, one thing to keep in mind is the garmin has a resistive touch screen, which requires pressure, the ipad has a capactive touch screen, which works off the electrical charge in your finger. two completely different technologies.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by scottjl

well, one thing to keep in mind is the garmin has a resistive touch screen, which requires pressure, the ipad has a capactive touch screen, which works off the electrical charge in your finger. two completely different technologies.

I read a little about how each works, but I'm not clear why one works better than the other in various applications.