Just when Apple should be basking in the light of approval for ushering in a bevy of new tablet computers, magical mice and smartphones, the Silicon Valley company is being brought to court over claims the acclaimed iPad overheats and switches off when left in direct sunlight.
According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California seeking class-action status and unspecified damages and alleging the iPad overheats quickly under common weather conditions.
Users who have complained of the ailment say the device has been prone to shutting down after around 10 minutes in the sun with the message: “iPad needs to cool down before you can use it.”
The iPad represents one of Apple’s most successful product launches to date, with sales of 3.2 million of the devices representing revenues of US$2.1bn in the most recent quarter, outpacing the popular iPod music device, which brought in revenues of US$1.5bn. Tech analyst iSuppli has revised its predictions of iPad sales upwards from 7 million this year to more than 12 million.
The Next Web blog says that according to Apple’s specs, the iPad has an operating temperature of 0C to 35C, and a non-operating temperature of between -20C to 45C.
The only problem I have with any of this is because of the shiny screen, it’s hard to read the iPad’s screen in direct sunlight anyhow. And besides, Ireland’s climate rarely puts us in the path of such extremes.
