Looking at the iPad 2’s specifications, I note that it has a ‘maximum operating altitude’ of only ‘3000 m (10,000 feet)’. Why?
I’m surprised that the maximum is that low. I’m fairly sure that we have at least one Doper here living at higher altitude. And there’s that railway in Tibet at 5000 m. And what’s the equivalent air-pressure altitude in commercial planes?
But what happens to the iPad above 3000 m? Does it have any pressure-sensitive components?
Does it get hot? At higher elevations, a fan blowing low pressure air won’t cool as efficiently as it will at sea level.
Does the iPad have a fan?
No, but I would think airflow could still be a problem?
It’s the hard drive, and it isn’t just an issue on Apple products. The issue is that the drives depend on an “air bearing” effect whereby a cushion of air allows the reader head to pass by the discs very close with little friction but without colliding. In a lower-pressure environment, this effect is lessened making crashes more likely. Considering that they have computers in places like Quito and Leadville, it’s clearly not an absolute restriction. I would guess that some combination of altitude and bouncing the thing around could cause problems. So you might want to shut the iPad off on the gravel portion of the Pike’s Peak Highway!
But iPads use SSDs, thus no reader head.
I’d venture heat dissapation myself. I know the scientific instruments I deal with are designed to operate at fairly standard atmospheric conditions. purging them with something other than nitrogen or air can cause unknown things to happen with the electronics…heat build up…static charges
So, even if there isn’t a fan, I would guess lower pressure air doesn’t transfer heat away from critical components as efficiently.
Either that; or your battery will blow up due to the reduced pressure
Commercial aircraft have a maximum cabin altitude of 8000’ or about 2400m, so the maximum operating altitude for the iPad is only an issue for people at high elevation on the ground.
And for private pilots who sometimes operate above 10000’ without pressurization. I know a number of general aviation guys who have begun using iPads for their charts. There is some excellent software for it, and I had a great time using it for the first time on a cross country flight last month. But I was unaware of the altitude thing - thanks for the heads up!
Oh yeah, I forgot about unpressurised aircraft :D.
I doubt that it is much to do with the iPad as an individual device. It is pretty unlikely that Apple will want to bother with qualifying the device for operation outside that of normal consumer items. The operation envelope will be determined by the lowest spec’ed parts. Which are probably the electrolytic capacitors. For these the manufactures will probably say 3000m, as much to cover themselves as anything else. There is little to no incentive to go to the effort of guaranteeing the part to a higher spec, and given the massive quanities the iPad is made in, no easy way for Apple to track and ensure that the many equivalent parts used to manufacture the iPad from batch to batch are all spec’ed to a higher than normal domestic component rating.
Creating a device that is qualified and guaranteed to operate outside of these ranges is going to add cost quickly. If Apple say it operates to 10000m they will need to test that it does, and ensure that the production continues to only use parts that meet the tighter spec. There is just no useful reason for them to bother. (Especially as it will operate within spec in a pressurised aircraft. Pilots who operate above 10,000 feet in an unpressurised aircraft are required to use an oxygen supply. Apple probably reasonably say that if you are this out of the ordinary, they are not really required to help.)