Got my new iPad yeserday. Compared with my iPad 1 the charging via the 10W charger is really slow. Went to bed with power at 20%, and over 6 hours it only reached 85% charge. Normal? Others seeing the same thing? I suppose the battery capacity increase would be expected to require a longer charge...but really this slow?
I should give it a try then 🙂
There isn't any difference in cable structure. The rate at which the iPad charges is set by the data line voltages out of the USB out from the IPad charger. Unless apple has built a contingency for future Higher power adapters by allowing the new IPad to sense different data line voltages from a as yet produced higher wattage charger, the rat will be roughly 1.7 times the normal charge time.
wow...who knew my simple observation would draw so much chatter? I have since read all the postings and continue to experiment, although haven't rigorously logged the times for charging. I think the charging has improved..but i'll have to do some actual tests. many have asked about charging condition... like many users I read with my ipad at bed time and plug it in overnight...usually 6-7 hrs of sleep.. not always enough for a full charge... i have not tried the aqirplane mode trick...thats a clever idea to really shut down push data etc. I'll try that tonight and see if it makes a difference.
david
Completely shutting down the iPad and connecting the charger is the best scenario for a faster charge. I know, I've done it. By the way I work for a company that makes chargers for laptop computers so I am not just spewing out techno babble.
Well I did my test with the iPad on, and sleeping only. Nothing fancy. I have wifi only so I don't have airplane mode.
The cable makes the difference for me. Until someone tears down and does a technical analysis on it vs my older cable, I'm going to stick with my solution.
Specific tests I've done:
old-USB cable + new 10W charger = 5-6% per hour = 100% in 16 hours
new-USB cable + new 10W charger = 14% per hour = 100% in 7 hours
old-USB cable + new 10W charger + Ipad off = 10% per hour
new-USB cable + new 10W charger + Ipad off = 18% per hour
I had same experiences until I changed the cable (both cables were Apple original, way better results with the one supplied with the new iPad, under 8 hrs vs. over 12 hours). Tried with old (1st gen) and new iPad charger, only the cable made the difference.
See this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3813474?answerId=17948721022#17948721022
As the original poster of this topic, let me offer an update on my "slow charging" question. Having read alot of the discussion (and btw recieving a very nice follow-up call from Apple support to investigate the issue), I took the following steps, and am now completely satisfied:
1) Ran the ipad 3 completely down to 0%...to the point where it shuts itself off.
2) Recharged with the ipad off.
3) Checked the battery level at 5 1/2 hours and it had reached 98% battery level.
4) Checked again in another hour, and of course it was 100%...
5) Left it charging overnight just for the grins, knowing it would shut down the charging circuit at absolute max capacity.
I assume the battery gage is now "recalibrated", and expect normal charging times of about 5.5 hrs. Incidentally I did use the new 10W charger and an old cable (which I cannot believe makes a bit of difference).
If you have trouble with slow charging you might want to do the total battery drain and recharge and see if it changes your situation. I have to believe that the sync between battery gage circuit and battery are bigger factors than the charger/cable variables...but that's just my guess.
thanks for all the pointers from nay of you.
David
I have the same problem, slow charge on my iPad 3. Using my iPad 2 i had no problems with charging. Have now noted the following. I was using my old iPad2 with the cover which supports the magnet switch for Stby. Whenever I close the cover it turned automatically into Stby and my iPad2 charged.
No so on my iPad 3. Apple must have changed the location of that magnetic switch. Having tried several different iPad2 covers on my iPad3 but none supported the magnetic switch, so it never went to Stby automatically. Having switched it to Stby manually it had a higher charging rate, but still much slower then the iPad2.
Any idea about that magnetic switch? This might help some users in recharging the iPad following old iPad2 habbits.
Update: went out for a dedicated iPad (Gen 3) sal discussionleeve (not a iPad 2 compatible sleeve with a sticker "can be used for iPad 3) and here we go, the magnetic switch works and the recharging with cover closed feels like charging the iPad 2.
Several disussion deal with the incompatibility of the magnetic switch, which switches, when cover closed, the iPad into Stby. It has something to do with the polartity.
So, only buy covers and sleeves which support the iPad 3. Generationn. And when charging, switch it manually to Stby or close the compatible cover. All this helped for me.
How can you distinguish the old and new USB cables?
I actually googled this page after I experienced the same issue. I noticed, the first time charging my new iPad with the same setup (10W+USB cable) from my year old iPad 2 that there was almost no charging. I was using my new iPad and plugged it in, and it showed it was charging but was at 58% for ten minutes. I thought my iPad was faulty and was about to return it. I put the iPad down and to sleep and about three hours it is finally around 87%. Now I've found this post I've unboxed the new USB cable and am giving that a try to see if there is a significant difference.
But no matter what, it is definitive: I have never had such horrible charging issues with the iPad 2. My iPad 2 has charged in a fair amount of time the whole year I've had it and it's been great. This, on the other hand, is completely unacceptable and unrealistic for a device I'm going to be relying so heavily on. To not even be able to use it while it's charging because it could take all day! Apple needs to do something about this.
If you have read the threads here, you know why: the battery is about 70% bigger and the charger is the same 10W (2A).
Mine reach 100% in 6 hours, with power at 2%. But I charge it overnight & 10 hours for the first charge for the best result 🙂
Is anyone here using the iPad3 in continental Europe? I ask because mine is slow to charge in the UK but here in the Netherlands it has taken 24 hours to go from 21% to 91%. Same charger, only the cable may be different as I brought two. I will try the completely powering down method, but as it stands this may be the death knell for this machine as it is totally unusable here.
iPad 3 slow charging with 10W charger?
