Apple has responded to another recent criticism of its new iPad.
Last week, DisplayMate analyst Raymond Soneira published a lengthy review of the iPad and noted that, while charging the device, the battery indicator prematurely read 100% but continued charging if left plugged in. Soneira also claimed that letting the iPad charge longer could add over an hour to the battery life.
On Tuesday, Apple VP Michael Tchao confirmed to AllThingsD's Ina Fried that the iPad battery does indeed register as "full" before it has reached its full charge.
“That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like,” Tchao said, per AllThingsD. “It’s a great feature that’s always been in iOS.”
Apparently, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices can all do this. When the battery finally hits a full charge, it will then "discharge a bit and charge back up to 100 percent, repeating that process until the device is unplugged," according to AllThingsD.
Tchao's statement debunks an earlier report by CNBC claiming that an Apple rep had said users might "harm the longevity of the battery" by leaving the iPad plugged in after the battery indicator had reached 100%.
"[I]t is actually more than I expected Apple would admit to," Soneira said in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post. However, he went on to argue the following:
My essential point is simply that if the new iPad is fully charged overnight then my tests show it will run 11.6 hours, which is 1.2 hours longer than if it just charged to 100% (10.4 hours). This will matter to some users. If the iPad has cell and WiFi and background tasks running then I agree with Apple that it will cycle down and up. My lab tests were in Airplane Mode so that did not happen and I measured the true battery state.
iFixit's teardown of the new iPad revealed a beefier battery than the one found in the iPad 2. 9to5Mac notes that the new tablet sports a "42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with 70 percent more capacity compared to the iPad 2′s 25-watt-hour battery." This upgrade was necessary to deliver on Apple's promise of a 10-hour battery life while supporting the new iPad's power-sucking features like the pixel-rich Retina Display and 4G LTE connectivity.
Some users and reviewers previously reported that the new iPad becomes slightly warmer during use than the iPad 2, especially in the lower lefthand corner of the device. The battery was pegged as one of the culprits of this so-called "heatgate." While a few said that the device was overheating and at times became unresponsive as a result, many (including Consumer Reports) said the iPad's temperature was a non-issue for them.
Apple's official response to the would-be controversy: "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."
On the whole, though, customers and reviewers have taken a shine to the new iPad. Take a look at the slideshow (below) to see reviewers' favorite things about Apple's new tablet.
