Is Apple iPhone 3G S Overheating Overblown?
But is the issue getting blown out of proportion?
Thankfully, there have been no reports of iPhone 3G S users getting hurt. No one has reported their Apple iPhone 3G S catching fire or smoking. So far, all that's surfaced are a few tales of the new iPhone getting "warm" or "pretty hot" and one instance of a user in France whose iPhone 3G S turned pinkish after it became hot to the touch.
Several bloggers and reporters, however, are already calling for an iPhone 3G S recall. Really? It appears that we in the media are the ones making a mountain out of a molehill that may or may not be a little warmer than its supposed to be.
Actually, it is the media that's perpetuating the story and advancing it (I get the irony that I'm doing the same thing here, but humor me).
Tech editors like PC World's Melissa J. Perenson and David Coursey wrote their iPhone 3G S smartphones got "very, very hot" and "warm-to-pretty-hot," respectively. Perenson noted her 3G S was so "surprisingly hot" that "it was too hot to even put the phone against my face."
Yikes. That's hot.
The Inquirer then reported that Rapid Repair, which does teardowns of iPhones, is claiming "overheating is likely an issue due to faulty battery cells" and could result in "massive recalls of iPhone 3G S units."
But are everyday iPhone 3G S users experiencing the same heat?
Searches of a host of Apple-focused Web forums prove otherwise. There are a few threads here and there touching on overheating, but not enough to consider it a rampant problem. Meanwhile, Wired reported that the overheating issue affects only a "small number" of iPhone 3G S smartphones.
A search of Twitter also uncovered few, if any, iPhone 3G S users complaining about overheating. Instead, the search returned a host of journalists and bloggers seeking iPhone users with overheating iPhones. But those users aren't there.
Right now, it's still too soon to tell if the iPhone overheating is a limited or isolated problem or if it will be widespread and prompt a recall. But as it stands it appears the issue is being overblown.