How long should the first charge be?

To calibrate the battery, you should let the phone run down completely (until it turns off), then give it a full charge overnight if you can... some people recommend doing this twice... and some people say you should do this at least once a month to keep your battery in top shape (apple does recommend the latter for their laptops)..

In a word, no.

When the iPhone's battery is completely charged while remaining connected to a power source, charging stops.

Until it's at 100% charge. iPhone charge pretty quickly. Many often suggest letting it run down completely at least once a month to charge fully, but I've not found that to be necessary at all and my battery is lasting 2 - 3 days on a single charge.......

Check ou this related thread.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=7587763

Matt

This does not calibrate the battery - this calibrates the iPhone's battery indicator.

Sorry... you're right, it does not "calibrate" the battery... it "conditions" the battery

"Comditioning" the battery is not mentioned with this link but "calibrating" the battery's indicator is mentioned.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490

pberk wrote:
To calibrate the battery, you should let the phone run down completely (until it turns off), then give it a full charge overnight if you can... some people recommend doing this twice... and some people say you should do this at least once a month to keep your battery in top shape (apple does recommend the latter for their laptops)..

Apple also recommends the same for iPhone's too (see at the bottom of the page in the below link).

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html

Copied from the link you provided.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

One charge cycle does not have to mean allowing a fully charged battery to run completely down until the iPhone powers off.

Copied from this link.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

I have spoken with a genius tech and a rep tech from apple technical support, they both told me that that first charge should be done after the battery is completely drained.

However, It is recommended to repeat the same thing for the first 1 charges, if possible. After that, the phone should be charged whenever is possible and no matter when.

Allan Sampson wrote:
Copied from the link you provided.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

One charge cycle does not have to mean allowing a fully charged battery to run completely down until the iPhone powers off.

Copied from this link.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

For the purposes of conditioning your battery - they DO mean one FULL charge cycle. Charging to 100% and then completely draining and then recharging to 100%

The second link you have references how you compute charge cycles for the purpose of determining battery life - if the battery life is 400 charge cycles, then it is equal to 400 x 100% charges, i.e., 4 25% percent charges equal one full charge cycle..

It refers to a full CHARGE CYCLE with both.

Once again - CHARGE CYCLE, and this is a charge cycle.

*A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, _but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge._* For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

Please provide a link where Apple recommends or specifies "conditioning" the battery with the iPhone or doing any special with the iPhone in regards to the battery except for doing a full CHARGE CYCLE at least once a month.

You can't because there isn't one.

To sum it up, when you receive your iPhone you can let the battery drain completely followed fully charging the battery which won't make any difference.