Yes, the new iPad takes longer to charge, but so what???

Sometimes in the computer field, we geeks are so focused on speed and nanoseconds, that we (and yes, I say WE) loose sight of what a hardware device is actually doing.

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Let’s take the case with the newest iPad. As soon as it came out, there were articles popping up with how long the device takes to charge. One web site (which, by the way, was wrong and had to take the article down) even said that their were problems with the iPad’s battery and that it should be recalled.

To the above I say – SO WHAT??? Lets really take a look at what the devices is actually doing to warrant the longer (though, not by much) battery charge:

The Specs:

Let’s take a look at the key component to the iPad 3, the A5X Chip. Unlike the iPad 2, this chip has a Dual-Core processor, which means more power is going to the onboard battery. The more you do on the device, the more power it takes up. While that may seem like its common sense, a lot of other news blogs were trying to tell its readers that “this was not a normal occurrence” and that “Apple should investigate this immediately.” Huh?

Multitasking:

Also, keep in mind that the iPad (as well as other iOS devices) can multitask. Even though Apple claims that the application is suspended when a user exits the app, that’s not entirely true, and here’s why: when you go out of an application, the device “saves” where you exited the app in memory (RAM). In order for the device to suspend the app, it still has to remember where the app is, so when a user goes back into the app, the device can go to the section of the app where the user left off. Saving things in RAM does also take power.

Keep in mind that the processor (again the A5X chip) has to keep that process running so its takes up more battery power.

While it is true that the above worked flawlessly in the iPad 2, the iPad 3 is consuming more power to do what as person needs to do and thus taking up more battery power.

Battery Life:

And yet, with all of the above going on in the background, Apple can still get about 10 hours of a single battery charge.

Yes, we can confirm:

Yes, we have done our own independent tests of the charge time between the iPad 2 and 3, and yes, the iPad 3 does take longer to charge – but not by much:

Charge Times:
(Battery is totally drained of power):

iPad 1:
About 4 – 5 hours.

iPad 2:
About 4 – 5 hours.

iPad 3:
About 12 – 15 hours.

Oh yeah, what about the battery draining while its charging?

Another complaint about the iPad 3 is the device de-charging itself once it reaches the 100% mark. Some articles claim that the device should not do this as – yet again – there may be something wrong with the battery.

So lets think about the above for a second. All batteries that can recharge themselves (even the alkaline ones) do the same thing. This has been a feature of the rechargeable battery since its inception. This is a safety feature that helps the battery not to overcharge itself and catch fire. Even your laptop’s battery does this. Don’t believe me? Put your battery indicator on the percentage indicator and then watch it for a few days (with the laptop plugged in). You’ll soon notice that the battery indicator will go from 100% down to around 98% and then back up.

If your iPad is going to be in the business world, make some time for your employees to recharge the device the right way – maybe even overnight at the end of each work day.

In closing, I know that the above may sound like I’m rambling about nothing. But I do get sick and tired of other news organizations printing something about a good device that is not true. Is the iPad perfect? Hell no. But if you’re holding off buying one of these devices for the – so called – battery issues, don’t be.