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Fresh lawsuit claims iPad overheats in warm weather

updated 12:20 pm EDT, Tue July 27, 2010

Tablet may shut off in minutes


A new lawsuit is accusing Apple of producing defective iPads, Bloomberg reports. Filed through US District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland, the suit alleges that the iPad "does not live up to the reasonable consumer’s expectations created by Apple," because it "overheats so quickly under common weather conditions." Under direct sunlight, the suit suggests, an iPad may shut off in as little as a few minutes.

Class action status is being sought, with the aim of claiming unspecified damages. Apple has yet to respond publicly on the matter. The case is an unusual one, as little legal attention has directed towards the iPad in comparison to the iPhone.

The most significant iPad lawsuit is likely one begun in June, which takes Apple and AT&T to task for quickly abandoning unlimited iPad data plans. The companies "baited" the public into buying 3G iPads, the plaintiffs say, only to take away one of the advertised features in just a few weeks. Apple originally promised that people would be able to opt in and out of an unlimited plan on a month-to-month basis.




by MacNN Staff

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 California, lawsuits, Apple, iPad

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  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -9
    07/27, 12:37pm | report spam | Reply |

    Turns off?

    Is it supposed to turn off when it gets too hot?

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -5
    07/27, 12:38pm | report spam | Reply |

    unusual?

    The case is an unusual one, as little legal attention has directed towards the iPad in comparison to the iPhone.

    So it is a usual thing that legal attention is directed towards any product?

    And shouldn't it be written "The case is an unusual one, as it was not filed in East Texas courts"?

  1. daqman

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

    +10
    07/27, 01:01pm | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    I call BS on this one

    Saturday was 103F and Sunday 105F here in Virginia. My wife took her iPad with her to read at the outdoor pool (by the side not in the pool of course). Absolutely no problems at all. There is a clear range of operating conditions on the box and on the Apple website. As far as I can tell both mine and my wife's have worked perfectly at the top end of the range.

  1. Constable Odo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2007

    +7
    07/27, 01:18pm | report spam | Reply |

    Of course it supposed to shut off on it's own

    because it has a built-in heat sensor. Better than having the iPad burn itself out completely. What's the point of trying to use the iPad in direct sunlight if you can't even see the screen. These people are clearly stupid. They want Apple to put a fan inside it or something? There has to be some compromise for putting all those components in a slim case. No, maybe I'm wrong. Apple should have built the iPad to military standards to operate in all conditions. Since the operating temperature specs were well-defined on most electronic devices, the class-action suit must be because the iPad doesn't operate properly within those specs. Time for a third-party vendor to make an iPad "cooler".

    So what will the next outrage be called? iPadOverheatgate?

  1. climacs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2001

    +6
    07/27, 02:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    FFS

    Coffee is hot, too. I'm going to sue because I could burn myself if I spill it!

  1. DiabloConQueso

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2008

    +5
    07/27, 02:49pm | report spam | Reply |

    My ice cream melted...

    ...and they sold it to me on the street in the middle of Summer, insinuating that I should be able to enjoy it on the street in the Summer. Sue the vendor!

    Or maybe we can all just band together and sue the sun. After all, it was the sun's fault... without it, iPads wouldn't overheat and ice cream wouldn't melt on the cone.

  1. Roger@MacNN

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2008

    -6
    07/27, 02:59pm | report spam | Reply |

    Reasonable

    The complaint seems valid insofar as a device shouldn't shut off in minutes when you're outdoors. Whether that holds up legally, however, is another matter.

  1. malax

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2006

    +7
    07/27, 03:37pm | report spam | Reply |

    Only if

    Hmm. One the publicly available www.apple.com/ipad/specs page it states:

    Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
    Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

    So if you take it outside on a 100 degree day and it shuts down.... it's operating exactly as advertised. RTFM before hiring a lawyer.

    Having said that, I suspect there is significant margin built into those numbers. My dad uses his iPad in AZ outside in the summer and he's never mentioned it shutting down on him and it's consistently over 100 degrees.

  1. wrenchy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2009

    -5
    07/27, 03:40pm | report spam | Reply |

    Maybe...


    They're all holding it wrong?

    I heard you are not supposed to touch the edges of the device while using it or the device will overheat.

  1. dpicardi

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Sep 2006

    +2
    07/27, 07:38pm | report spam | Reply |

    What is it with Class Action Lawsuits

    Lawyers are ridiculous. People, if you have a problem with you iPad, take it to the store or call Apple. I'm sure there are a few bad ipads out there. But do we really need a class action?

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