All of the New iPad's Problems So Far and Their Solutions

This article is from the archive of our partner .

With a weekend to play around with their new toy, early iPad owners have discovered some issues with the tablet. The problems are nothing major and have some solutions. But, some good things to know before going out and dropping between $499 and $829 for the gadget. 

Overheating

Problem: The new iPad gets "rather warm," as one commenter described the issue on Apple's forums. "Significantly warm, almost too warm to hold warm," added another. "So hot I couldn't let my 6 year old touch it," wrote another. The longer the tablet is on, the hotter it gets even with moderate to mild usage, the posters report. "I was just surfing FB and Pinterest. I'm kinda freakin cause it's uncomfortable to hold on that side!" explained another concerned iPad owner. 

Solutions: With the heat concentrated in the lower left hand corner, according to many of the 132 commenters on the 10 page long thread, many suspect either a battery or processor issue. Some have found that turning the brightness down helps as does refraining from using the machine while it's charging. A Genius Bar member told one complainer to only use the charger that comes with the iPad. Also, if you have yet to take the iPad out of the box, using up all the battery before charging the iPad might help. "Do not charge it, use all the battery until it reach 0%, completely dead. Freshly charge the iPad and that should do the trick," writes TechnoMike on the Apple forums. If all of that fails, just take it back. "I took mine back to Apple and they replaced it no questions asked," explains commenter Barbaroonie. 

Battery

Problem: The new iPad takes a very long time to charge. Having left it charging overnight, the iPad only registers 39 percent battery, reports one angry owner on the forums.  "The battery drains at a rate of about 5% every half hour.... WITH THE CHARGER PLUGGED IN!" adds another. 

Solutions: Some suggest that this is just how the new iPad operates, since it has a new powerful battery and the same old charger. So, just get used to very long, painful charging times? Others say it will get better over time and that the battery percentage display is about as accurate as a gas tank guage . But Apple Support told another user it should not take 10 hours to charge. And, in that case, we say: take it back. 

WiFi

Problem: The new iPad does not connect to WiFi. "The WiFi is driving me nuts. My wheel keeps spinning waiting for pages to connect while lying on my bed," writes one complainer, explaining a problem that has been mentioned frequently. They say their shiny new iPads won't connect if they're too far away from the router. "I got the New iPad on Friday 3/16/12 and noticed the WiFi was cutting in and out no matter my distance from the router," writes another. "Returned the New iPad to Best Buy later that day and they were able to replicate the problem using their WiFi signal." 

Solution: Unless it's a router problem, the only solution for this one is to take the tablet back to the store for a new model. 

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.