New 'iPad 3' Release: 3 Issues, 3 Solutions: WiFi, Heat And Battery

It's been just over a week since the third generation iPad made its debut and while most buyers are content with their new tablet, many have flocked to Apple forums to discuss its problems. Here's a roundup of the three most cited issues and proposed solutions:

Overheating

The hottest discussion in Apple forums is the apparent 'overheating' problem some users have found in the lower left-hand corner of their tablet.

The new third-generation iPad gets up to 10°F warmer than the iPad 2, according to tests carried out by Tweakers.net. Their team ran GLBenchmark for five straight minutes on both the iPad 2 and the new iPad, and then performed a thermal image comparison. The lower left side of the new iPad measured up to 92.48°F, which Apple maintains is within normal thermal levels.

Apple has slammed the critique saying the new iPad operates well within the thermal specifications of the tablet.

I have been using the new iPad for almost two weeks -- a week before it was released to the public -- and I've seen no heat issues. I use my iPad every day over LTE and Wi-Fi, holding it my hand and on my lap and the device doesn't get hot, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told The Loop.

The overheating issue has been attributed to the larger battery, which is necessary for the operation of new features such as the 2048 x 1536, 3.1 million pixel display and 4G LTE.

Solution

Apple has advised its customers to contact Apple Care if they have concerns about the temperature of their iPad, but Techno Mike a member of the Apple Discussion Forum posted the following solution:

I highly suggest that once you unbox the iPad. Do not charge it; use all the battery until it reaches 0%, completely dead. Freshly charge the iPad and that should do the trick. Yesterday my iPad was massively over heated, I decided to use up all the battery (I suggest doing some hardcore gaming, takes very long to use up the battery) and recharged. Now today I am using the same applications as yesterday and so far, no sign of excessive heating issue. Just lil bit warm which is normal. I have also noticed the battery charges just a bit quicker.

A genius bar member at Apple told one customer to user the charger that comes with the iPad. Other customers in Apple forums have suggested turning down the brightness and refraining from using the tablet while it is charging.

Battery Charge Time

Many iPad owners have complained about the time it takes to fully charge the new iPad's larger battery. One user on Apple Discussions said it took 15 minutes to charge one percent of the tablet, while another said it took six and a half hours to charge from zero percent to 100 percent.

Solution

There doesn't seem to be an exact solution for this problem. Most people in Apple forums are saying the charge time is normal because the battery is beigger, while others say it will get better over time.

Wi-Fi

iPad users are complaining about having weaker Wi-Fi connectivity on the new iPad than on the iPad 2. Some users are saying they cannot connect to Wi-Fi at all.

My shiny new iPad only works if I sit within six feet of my router. Tried two routers and it's the same. I sold my iPad 1. How I wish I could have it back. This one is no more use than a desktop with an Ethernet connection, one complaint read.

Solution

One solution proposed by OSXDaily comes in five steps:

• Open Settings and tap on General
• Tap Network and tap Wi-Fi
• Tap the blue arrow next to the wireless router you are connected to
• At the next screen, tap Forget this Network
• Go back to Wi-Fi and rejoin the network you just forgot

Other iPad owners who cited a Wi-Fi problem have been advised to contact Apple Care.

The new iPad was released on Friday. Features include:

Processor: A5X quad-core processor touted as twice as fast and four times better performance than Tegra 3 chip.

Camera: 5-megapixel backside illuminated sensor on the back, 5-element lens, IR filter, and ISP built into the A5X chip.

Video: 1080p video recording.

Voice Dictation: Supports U.S. English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese.

4G LTE: New iPad now has 21Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, with LTE taking the cake at 73Mbps. Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T will be the LTE partners.

Battery Life: 10 hours of battery life still! 9 hours on 4G

Size: 9.4mm thin, weighing 1.4lbs.

Price: $499 for 16GB! 32GB is $599 and 64GB for $699.

Release Date: In stores March 16.