Yesterday we reported that a number of new iPad adopters are taking to Apple’s Support Communities forum to voice their concerns about its operating temperature. Many feel the new slate gets a little too warm during prolonged use, and they’re concerned it’s a serious issue.
Thermal imaging has now confirmed that the third-generation iPad does indeed get around 10° Fahrenheit warmer than the iPad 2, but it’s really nothing to worry about.
Dutch site Tweakers.net ran the GLBenchmark test for five minutes on the new iPad and the iPad 2 to ensure both devices were operating at peak performance, then they used an infrared camera to measure the temperature differences.
They discovered that the hottest part of the new iPad reached 92.5° Fahrenheit while in use, which the iPad 2 only reached 83° Fahrenheit.
However, it’s important to note that even with that increase of 10°, the new iPad still operates well within Apple’s specified operating temperatures for the device, which are 32° to 95° Fahrenheit.
It is though that the new iPad’s A5X chip, which features a quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4 graphics processing unit, is the cause of that additional heat. So your device is likely to become warmer when you use it for things like 3D gaming. But don’t worry — it won’t melt your palms.
[via AppleInsider]
