Some early purchasers of U.S. company Apple Inc.'s new iPad tablet computer are reporting the unit is generating too much heat.

Several users have posted on Apple support forums about their experience with heating on the third-generation tablets, USA Today reported Tuesday.

"Mine seems to get very warm ... much more so than my original or my iPad 2," user Grandparr wrote.

"Mine does get warm on the lower left side," user Paranoid-Android posted. "Not super hot, but uncomfortably warm."

Consumer Reports has run some tests using a thermal imaging camera and found the new iPad does indeed run much hotter than its predecessor, reaching temperatures as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit while running processor-intensive games, slashgear.com reported.

That's about 12 degrees hotter than the iPad 2 under the identical testing conditions, Consumer Reports said.

Apple has responded by saying, "The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications.

"If customers have any concerns, they should contact AppleCare," the company said.

Apple has sold 3 million of the new iPads since its introduction Friday, the report said.