Run iPad primarily off A/C?

Apple doesn't recommend running an iPad, or any other lithium-battery device, solely from AC. They feel that it shortens the battery life. See this web page for their suggestions and tips:

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

Regards.

You can leave it plugged in most of the time, but as the page suggests, you will want to discharge the battery completely once an a while to keep things calibrated. If you want to get into more detail about the issue, see:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/howto_prolong_lithium_basedbatteries

Regards.

If it were implied Apple would have stated not to run the iPad off of AC. The charger stops charging the battery when it's fully charged. It it don't this type of battery would explode. It's the same battery in all of Apple devices and laptops.

While it probably does little harm to occasionally run like this, I personally would not, for two reasons:

1. The iPad will spend longer periods of time at a higher internal temp than it otherwise would, and

2. When operating in a plugged-in state, wouldn't you actually be initiating multiple charging cycles throughout the day? It's my understanding that battery life in these Li-ion types is limited by mostly cycles, and also that those cycles aren't determined or defined by any particular state of discharge or subsequent charge.

David M Brewer wrote:
If it were a charger only Apple wouldn't have called it '10W USB Power Adapter'... And of course there is battery maintenance that Dave points outs...

True, but they would have called it a Power Supply if that's what they meant to say.

Consider 'adapter' and its definition, using the plain meaning of simple words. How does adapt fit into continual use? For me, it doesn't. The power adapter, however, does do different things: You can adapt yourself to different local electrical systems through the fact that input line can be 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz; you can further adapt it by removing the US-style 2-prong plug and putting in a 2-cord pigtail for whatever sort of a line plug is in use wherever you happen to be.

I've had my iPad plugged in to the AC 24/7 since last April, no problems. The iPad is design to run off AC and the battery.

If it were a charger only Apple wouldn't have called it '10W USB Power Adapter'... And of course there is battery maintenance that Dave points outs...