To Sleep or To Power Off?

Hello All!

I went to my Apple Tech Support people and they got my I Pad up and running. The head of tech support there said I should just leave the I Pad in sleep mode and don't have to turn it off. I've been reading different forums and there seems to be differences in what people think.

My biggest concern is that I had to get onto I Tunes on their computer because this one has Tiger and I don't have 10.5.8 installed here yet. I will at some point in the Fall on my other newer Intel computer.

I know this sounds crazy, I'm scared that if I turn the I Pad off--shut it down, what if it asks me for my I Tunes info? whereas now, with it in sleep mode--I actually can plug it into the wall outlet so that I don't drain the battery, with it in sleep mode I Tunes won't ask for my settings. Does that sound crazy or what? I just want to make sure that all stays well and I don't have to go back to my Apple Support folks soon.

So, can I keep it in sleep mode? or must I shut it down?

What are your opinions?

Thanks for your help!

Lucind

I Mac G5, Intel 24" IMac, 3.0 gigahertz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), own FC Studio

Posted on Jul 7, 2010 11:25 PM

Reply
34 replies

Jul 8, 2010 8:25 PM in response to lucin

Just to add to an already lengthy thread, but one of the best things about the iPad is its instant on, which you lose if you actually turn it off (Slide to power off). The only time I've ever turned mine off is if there is some necessity to reboot it (to regain memory that some memory hog apps require to run properly). I also simply recharge every night. Keeps it going all next day, but I wouldn't leave it on charge all the time. Finally, there is almost no chance that you will lose anything by turning off the iPad. And it certainly won't lose its activation, so you shouldn't worry about that. But again, there's rarely a need to shut down (but don't be afraid to). Sleep uses virtually no power (I lose nothing, zero charge points after 15 or so hours of sleep) so it's really neat. I don't have 3G, though, and that might use power while sleeping. But even there, I bet it's not much. So sleep on.

Jul 8, 2010 8:27 AM in response to lucin

I normally keep my iPad on and let it sleep when I'm not using it. I put it on the charger every night before I go to bed, so that it's fully charged in the morning. The only time I ever shut it off is when, and this only happens once in a while, the reported charge is less than 100% after being left on the charger overnight.

I started a thread on this a while back and only one or two people responded, so I'm not sure how common this problem is. It's probably just a minor glitch and shutting the iPad off and back on usually resolves it. But other than that, I find I have no reason to ever shut off my iPad.

I do try to periodically run the battery all the way down and then fully recharge it, as recommended by Apple.

Jul 9, 2010 3:24 PM in response to StevePug2

I was wondering if you can use the charger in lieu of the battery as we do with other electronic components, I.e. My Canon XL2?

Is it solely for charging the battery, or can it be used instead of using battery power?

In addition, I know that this info is probably available in the manual, but do any of you know how long the battery will last--the lifetime in general of the battery?

Jul 11, 2010 5:03 PM in response to lucin

The charger is definitely not meant to be used as the main power source. As stated above, doing so will shorten your battery life. Just plug it in at night and unplug in the morning. Don't leave it plugged in all day. You can, if you use it so much during the day that it begins to go below 15 percent, plug it in to charge and continue using it while it's charging. But then unplug it when it fully charges again.

Jul 12, 2010 5:18 PM in response to lucin

🙂 You'll be fine. I shut mine off every night before I plug the charger in and every time I won't be using it for over 3-4 hours. It just seems to make sense in my head that if it's not being used there's no sense in any of the circuits being used either. Waste not, want not. Yea, I'm old lol!
For the record-I think plugging it into the charger after it's shut off *does restart it into sleep mode though. Because in the mornings the 'slide to unlock' screen is right there when I click the side button.
Everyone has their own way....I like to believe we're all right.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

To Sleep or To Power Off?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.