MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Jul 01, 09 - 12:41 pm Comment from: Bizarro Jeff

Absolutely no heating issues with my 3GS thus far.

Jul 01, 09 - 12:48 pm Comment from: HMCIV

Irresponsible quality assurance. Apple should have specified that we aren't supposed to use iPhones over an open flame.

My Palm Pre works equally well in all operating environments including underwater and inside a jelly donut.

Jul 01, 09 - 12:51 pm Comment from: MacAdvocate

Tangentially related (hey‚ this is "comments"): I propose use of the term "may or may not" as written by any member of the media be punishable by having the author shot in the face.

"These seriously damaging allegations‚ which would certainly destroy person/company x if they were even repeated in half-hearted jest‚ may or may not...."

BOOM! Shot in the face.

I think this would solve a lot of the problems with tech journalism today.

Jul 01, 09 - 12:52 pm Comment from: Snow Leopard

If there is a problem with overheating on a small portion of the iPhone 3GSs then it is what it is. What I don't understand is why people get so upset about how most Apple products get warm to the touch. That is exactly what you want in any electronics design, to dissipate the heat to the surrounding environment. Keep the internal electronics as cool as possible. Duh.

I don't say the iPhone overheating issue is overblown at all.

When mass producing any device, defective batches will somehow get through into consumers hands.

All Apple has to do is what they do in the past.

1: Recognize the problem
2: Find a method to determine which machines are affected.
3: Issue a statement and replacement policy.

It's not going to affect sales any, it never has in the past. Unless of course Apple just says "screw off" and then people will be angry.

We know Apple doesn't do that. At least not yet.

MacAdvocate is right on.

Actually, and to follow up with a small pet peeve . . . "May or may not" is actually a waste of air and print space. "May" automatically implies "may not," does it not? I "may" buy a new iPhone in August, say I. Does that not necessarily imply that I "may not"?

It's just another instance of people TRYING to sound more intelligent and educated than they really are. (Another example: the "way, shape, manner, or form" expression. What a crock of crap that little aphorism is. But it makes one sound so, so, so . . . lawyer-like and precise, doesn't it?

Um... How about the original white Macbook. My Macbook is discolored around the keyboard. Maybe the same thing is happening with the white iPhones.

Jul 01, 09 - 01:04 pm Comment from: breeze

Apple has ruffled a lot of feathers in the past few years ( the telcos, the record labels, the gaming industry, Microfolf,to name just a few...)

Does anyone think that these giants, that have been comfortably milking the consumer for ages with mediocre products and little resistance are going to just accept that Apple spoils their rackets???
hell no, they will pay big bucks to silence and hurt Apple and it's stockholders in any way they can.

The media whore will do anything that serves their interests too, if anyone doubts that look at what they did and continue to do to poor Michael Jackson. Anyone need more reminders.

Ignore and boycott the press - it serves them well that people don't use their brains...

Jul 01, 09 - 01:05 pm Comment from: Mac Daddy

Sounds like BS to me. Mine gets just a touch warmer if I'm on a long call (like 20 minutes +) but that's it.

I only have heat issues with my iPhone 3GS when using the flamethrower app.

Also, I don't go to sleep with my iPhone under my pillow playing music, getting no air circulation and having it wrapped in sheets, and then wonder why it couldn't dissipate heat.

I carry my iPhone (first original model, now 3GS) in my pocket constantly, sometimes with the iPod playing, and have never had any discomfort from the heat.

No overheating here. Two iPhone 3GSs in use in this house and the only heat we've got so far is what I would consider normal for a small electronics device.

It's f-tards that play Real Racing or making an hour long call WHILE plugged into a wall adapter to recharge a dead battery that will feel it get too hot.

Let it f'ing CHARGE, then you can use it.

Don't you guys get it?

It's a feature intentionally put there to warm the hands of those living in colder climates. If you live in a warmer climate it's a drag, sure, but Apple just can't neglect the needs of the cold climate folks and hopes the rest of you can understand that.

As for me, I can stand the heat so long as I have numerous fart sounds in varying degrees of wetness.

This is the kind of BS pushed around the web by bloggers and other 'tards with the sole purpose of trying to manipulate Apple's stock.

No it's not overblown you freakin bunch of mindless fanbois!
If there is a problem then Apple should address it.

Shut up and take your licks MDN!

On one occasion, while making any calls, my 3GS got unusually warm for about 15 min then slowly returned to normal temperatures. It went from a full charge to 3/4 full charge during that time. No other incidents before or since.

I've noticed the 3GS seems to spend more time on the EDGE network than my 3G did. At the time of the heat-up my phone had moved from a decent 3G signal area to a weak EDGE zone. Perhaps there is a relationship.

Sorry...

Should have been:

On one occasion, while NOT making any calls, my 3GS got unusually warm for about 15 min then slowly returned to normal temperatures. It went from a full charge to 3/4 full charge during that time. No other incidents before or since.

I've noticed the 3GS seems to spend more time on the EDGE network than my 3G did. At the time of the heat-up my phone had moved from a decent 3G signal area to a weak EDGE zone. Perhaps there is a relationship.

My iPhone overheats when I keep it in my hand made wool case.

Jul 01, 09 - 01:20 pm Comment from: nicemac

RE:"Reports began circulating online last week that the latest iteration of the iPhone got noticeably warmer than its predecessors. And photos popped up on a French tech blog of iPhones so hot their white exteriors were glowing pink."

Umm, for an iPhone to glow pink, the temp would be in the HUNDREDS of degrees. Apple put a thermal shutdown in at 113° F. I don't think 113° will glow...

Had iPhone 3GS on dashboard during hot, sunny day to keep GPS in Motion-X tracker app on. Battery discharged into the RED zone and auto charger would not correct it. Discharge continued until screen very dark (icons still visible) and finally died.

Was relieved that I could reboot it.

Jul 01, 09 - 01:21 pm Comment from: LateRegistrant

The iPhone 3GS is a hot product, no doubt about it.

@ MacAdvocate,

"I propose use of the term "may or may not" as written by any member of the media be punishable by having the author shot in the face."

That is too harsh. How about a hunting trip with Dick Cheney instead?

Jul 01, 09 - 01:32 pm Comment from: theloniousMac

I haven't experienced any heat issue with my iPhone 3G s. I've had it get warm when charging from my mophie battery back, but not what I would call "overheating." It wasn't even uncomfortable to hold.

I've noticed over the years that there are people who will scream overheating the second they sense a temperature increase of any sort. When you go to examine the device, it's warm but nothing requiring alarm.

I am able to fry an egg on mine after a long call. I find the new oleophobic coating to be better than Teflon.

Jul 01, 09 - 01:38 pm Comment from: Demon

And if someone does have a heating issue run it into Apple and let them exchange the phone for you. I'm sure Apple will love to get at one so they can make sure it doesn't happen again.

Jul 01, 09 - 01:52 pm Comment from: KingMel

Apple has had some limited thermal issues with supplier batteries (laptops). Apple has also addressed some minor thermal issues with firmware updates (e.g., Mac Pro fan management, etc.). Apple has also occasionally had to deal with manufacturing quality conrol issues.

I would be surprised if there were a widespread design flaw in the iPhone that is resulting in excessive heating. I am occasionally surprised, however ;-p

Jul 01, 09 - 02:01 pm Comment from: qka

@ MacAdvocate

How about they are bound and placed on top of an ant hill?

Right between Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford.

If I recall correctly, the reports were based on individuals making heavy use of games and phoning. I'm not going to say that a potential problem does not exist. But I'd like to offer some thoughts:

1. Game developers in general have a terrible track record for following developer guidelines. This is true on the iPhone, on Macs as well as PCs. It's a big reason why game applications are big cause of system crashes. The reason is that game developers, in their quest for performance, or because of the nature of their programmers, show disdain and disregard for developer guidelines, and try to work around them. That's a thrill for developers and hackers, who think they've outsmarted the OS maker. But by doing so, they often cause damage.

For example: in the quest to maximize frame rates of polygons on a game, the programmer may be using workarounds that push a CPU or GPU beyond what it was either designed to do acceptably and reliably, or beyond what the OS developer allows. This might sound like a company such as Apple is being a stick-in-the mud. But instead, Apple applies limits so as not to overtax the processor and cause problems like those reported. I won't preclude that this could be a cause of the problem.

2. Have the apps been updated to work correctly with the new hardware configuration on the iPhone 3GS? I've had problems with apps like WiFinder that caused me to throw it out after updating to iPhone OS 3.0. It's possible that a conflict exists that needs to be addressed by the app or game developer for the new iPhone.

3. There is a logical way to use any computer or device. In my time, I've seen people do things with apps and OS's that make me cringe. It is possible that users who have reported problems are worst-case users of the iPhone, and are simply pushing the hardware beyond what its reasonable use might be.

4. We probably won't see this in print, but it's possible that the problems reported indicate that the developer environment for the iPhone does not accurately simulate heat issues that could develop from how apps are programmed, particularly games. In fact, on another site (I think it was Daring Fireball), there was a brief comment snagged by them that indicated this was being addressed by Apple. Being the fanboy that I am, I hate to admit that. But it's frankly not a perfect world, and as humans, we all make mistakes. If the issue is one that falls in Apple's court, I have a hunch that they're at work on addressing this.

4. As another poster stated, it could be a bad batch of hardware. It is why I avoid being the first to buy batch of anything, including cars, jet aircraft, nuclear reactors, computers, iPhones, etc. Often, fixes are made based on real-world experience of early adopters. Just look at the quality control complaints on the early batches of Palm Pre phones as a good example.

5. Hardware is typically in a race to keep up with the demands of software. This has been true as long as computers have existed. The more power we put in any computer, the more that programmers and users make demands that push the hardware to its limits. The result of high use is heat. In a handheld, that's not desirable. Based on design specs for the next generation ARM processor, the designers of this CPU chip used in the iPhone are at work to address this. In addition, this could be a big reason why Apple has made acquisitions of chip manufacturers in the past year.

We take for granted how far we've come with the iPhone and how quickly. When you stop to consider how much computing power lives inside an iPhone, it's astonishing. When I played with a 3GS, I was blown away at how much faster it is than even a 1st generation iPhone. We take that for granted. For any handset maker, be it Apple, Palm, RIM, Nokia, etc., the challenge of managing energy use, heat and battery life in the face of increasing demand for performance by software developers and users will be huge. I wish Apple the best in confronting this fundamental problem of physics.

As for me, I'd rather get stuff done than spend all my time playing games. And maybe that's why my iPhone stays happy.

My iPhone 3GS did get unusually hot for the first few days of use. But now it is cool and no warmer than my 1st gen iPhone. If the "overheating issue" is only temporary, will the journalists and bloggers acknowledge it?

I. Doubt. It.

I noticed just once when I put my phone in my pocket that it felt very warm. But other than that one time I've had no issues whatsoever.

Jul 01, 09 - 02:33 pm Comment from: Hg Wells

Other Thoughts, thanks for the thoughts. Food for them for some.

TOTALLY OVERBLOWN!

My iPhone 3GS is on 24/7 and it doesnt overheat.

Jul 01, 09 - 03:16 pm Comment from: thethirdshoe

I have only seen pics of this with the white version of the phone.
Was this happening with the black ones also?

Jul 01, 09 - 03:17 pm Comment from: jjjj

I have an original iPod touch, and some apps do cause more warmness than others. The MLB app, for example, seems to keep a connection live pulling in data and gets very warm. The mp3 player seems to use almost no energy, in comparison...

Jul 01, 09 - 03:19 pm Comment from: MacDave

Jeff Van Gundy? Talking about stock manipulation on MDN? He'd be better off hanging onto Alonzo's leg during a fight. Oh wait....

I know a guy at Raytheon, who's sole job is engineering heat dissipation. Heat is one of the biggest challenges in microelectronics. My 3GS is fine. My suggestion is don't buy white, and don't leave the iPhone on top of the car dashboard in summertime.

Jul 01, 09 - 03:25 pm Comment from: LeftCoastDude

It's BS as is usual about these things. I have been monitoring the 3GS discussion section of the Apple website, and many of the complaints come from users with 1 posting. Look, I don't dismiss everything, but it is kind of ridiculous.

Jul 01, 09 - 03:30 pm Comment from: Jersey_Trader

My iPhone 3GS is fine. Could it be that someone deliberately ran the iPhone in a hot environment to get it to over heat? I could do that with any device that does not shut itself down when it is hot. Maybe someone scratched or damaged the iPhone and was hoping to get Apple to replace it by overheating it?

It's interesting to hear people say that since their iPhone isn't over-heating, that the problem doesn't exist. It just doesn't exist for them. For the first few days that all of my friends and I (4 people total) that bought a 3GS had the phones, they ran disturbingly warm. We were running them to the max though, based on the fact that we wanted to test out all of the new features.

Is that a problem? Well, our conditions certainly shouldn't qualify as normal usage, but it's within the realm of probable usage, and as such, there probably should be a firmware update to resolve the issue. But, as was stated previously, that could just be an odd coincidence that everyone I know that bought a new iPhone had an issue with over-heating.

To dismiss it as non-existent straight-away though does seem a bit conspiracy theory-esque without a large enough sample to poll. Perhaps there's a problem, and perhaps it's small. who knows yet?

Bloggers terrify me. Anyone can rant online without having a clue about what they're talking about, without any editorial oversight, without any facts. And what does the drive-by media do? Use them as "informed sources." Chris Anderson of Wired recently was busted for taking postings from Twitter and re-purposing this as "expert information." This is raw and often unsubstantiated news!

If you want to cause a media wildfire, or set off a wave of false rumors, I know of no better way of doing so than starting a blog.

In fact, bloggers are often on the take. Large corporations like Microsoft often bribe bloggers with free hardware or software, which they're all to glad to accept. In the world of journalism, this is called a conflict of interest. But given that many bloggers run their publishing empire from the bedroom of their parents' house, different rules (if they're rules at all) apply.

Not all bloggers are this way. But you need only read ValleyWag, Gizmodo or Engadget carefully to see how larger bloggers can play fast and loose with the truth.

That's not to say that the overheating problems of the new iPhone didn't happen. But I would take anything from a typical blogger with a huge dose of salt. If only pundits and the media would do the same.

Of course, one could replace "iPhone 3 GS" with "Palm Pre" and "overheats" with "falls apart" and the story would be just as accurate. Does that matter here? No.

It's most likely a few real incidents of someone running a resource-hungry app (like AIM, for some reason my iPhone never goes into power-saving mode while that app is active), and the thing got hot. Then I think we had the copycats leaping up to say "me too!" afterwards, with the vested interests astroturfing accordingly.

MW: thinking - oh, if only more people were

Overblown = more reports of complaints than actual complaints.

@ "Reality"

Funny how people who feel compelled to put "real" in their handles always have an agenda that doesn't match reality.

The Palm Pre issues are being reported - not just posted, reported - on PreCentral. The iPhone issue sounds more like a bad app left running + vested interest astroturfing. (After all, what better way for them to distract from the Pre's problems, than by drumming up a non-issue and shouting "see? it's not just us!")

RE magikpants: "since their iPhone isn't over-heating, that the problem doesn't exist"

The opposite is just as true as well. That's the argument here. A handful of complaints does not make it a widespread issue.

In my two weeks of experience, my 3GS runs cooler than my original iPhone if anything

... and I just got off an hour long conference call I can't say I even noticed it getting warm. If it did, it wasn't enough for me to take notice.

“Apple knows all about thermal dissipation in small handheld devices”

Ahhhh....... like Sony batteries in MacBooks?

@me

Do you know what "small handheld devices" mean?

@Jim of D

"me" doesn't even know what "Sony" means, so probably not.

Average electronic devices may have problems colder than 30-40°F or hotter than 85-90°F. A great example is my Linksys router that keeps crapping out now that the weather is hot.

Apple's temperature range spec for the iPod Touch
"Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)"

I would say this is better than many devices because this device is portable, subject to abuse, etc. That's impressive to manufacture a product that is portable, does so much for the user, yet can be used in such a large temperature range. (My inner engineer is probably showing.)

A second point: Periodically a manufacturer ends up with a bad batch of batteries that are installed in new products. The problem usually rears its ugly head after the first discharge or two, thus it is not caught at the factory. I have heard of numerous brand new devices, like men's shavers, that simply will not hold their charge, and we all know of the infamous notebook batteries that burn up. There seems to be some disconnect between the real world and these battery companies, who many times cannot produce a consistent and high quality product. I do not know, perhaps the demand for batteries just keeps the battery factories on constant edge. Or combine that with the fact that technology is moving ahead so fast. Let us hope we do not end up with 2 gigawatt electric car batteries that occasionally burn up and melt our cars to the ground. But I certainly would not worry about the design of Apple's products.
_____________________________
http://www.joroto.com/products.htm