The probable cause of new iPad owners facing some real heat from the gadget can be the use of more LED backlights as compared to its predecessor. The device employs a Retina screen and displays visuals in a resolution of 2048 x 1536p, which leads to the use of almost double the number of LED backlights as compared to the iPad 2.
Reports about the recently released gadget heating up have been doing rounds of the web for a few days now. User comments about the issue were also seen on the Apple Support Communities Discussions page. Apparently, this problem might have been caused due to the employment of more backlights plus more power needed to drive them.
“The LED power at maximum brightness is 2.5 times that of the iPad 2. They had to jack up the number of LEDs so the peak brightness is the same as on the iPad 2. That absolutely makes it warmer. So, not only do the LEDs need two and a half times more power but the battery is going to run warmer…. Look at it this way, the [power draw of the] LEDs is 2.5X compared to the iPad 2, and the battery is 1.7X [larger]…so what happens is that if you run your new iPad at full brightness, the battery run time is less because you only put in 70 percent more battery but you’re using 150 percent more power,” said Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies in a phone interview with CNET.
Soneira has also highlighted a few reasons for the warming up of the new Apple slate. While double the number of LEDs and 2.5X the power are cited to be some of the primary concerns, another addition to the list is the inclusion of traditional amorphous silicon technology instead of IGZO from Sharp, which is more power efficient. Apparently, this was done because the latter was not ready for the new iPad. Furthermore, the battery has to deliver more energy to meet the higher spec requirements, which should make it get warmer easily.
Apple has not released any clear statement about the new iPad heat issues, its causes or solutions.