iPad 3 charging issues

@BeersYourFriend

There is a physical power draw limit on USB, this is why Apple can't provide any more power over USB (30 pin connector), Apple could have put a suitable charger in the box but they would have had to not charged the device over USB and provided a separate power socket on the iPad and changed the circuitry inside the iPad 3rd Generation.

The problem is absolutely with the charging equipment provided, do not let the folks at the Geniusbar tell you otherwise. I had a failed appointment with the Geniusbar Monday where the lady said the charging problem was a software issue and the iPad needed to be wiped clean and os 5.1 needed to be reloaded... a bunch of crap. There was NO difference whatsoever. The next day I noticed my iPad (3) was charging FASTER in my car than at home or office. I did a little digging on the web and found a few posts that suggested using the Griffin PowerBlock instead of the supplied charger (or any of the other ones lying around the house). Meijer had it for $30. My iPad was at 37% when I got home and plugged it in, it started charging at a rate near 20+% per hour. Now I know that that is still not ideal (and I expect Apple to "fix" the problem), but it's better than the 8 hours it was taking before. I don't know why it's different or why it works better, but it does shave 3+ hours off my chargetime.

@BuSaBumNim

The Apple charger is 5vdc 10W charger which equals approx 2.1 amps. The Griffin Power Block is also a 5vdc 2.1 amp charger (aka 10W) - so there should be no difference whatsoever. You'll probably find that you had less apps running in the background or weren't using it when charging it using the PowerBlock and had more apps running stressing the processor when you were charging it with the supplied Apple cable. You may want to re-run the checks, e.g. power cycle iPad, close anything in the Recents / Multitask bar and do similar charges.

Or you may simply have a defective charger that came in the box.

Thanks but I had the same conditions...

No apps in the taskbar, sleep mode, etc... and I tried 3 apple provided chargers (composite av kit, my wife's ipad charger and the one that came w my 3rd gen unit). I agree that 10 w @ 2.1amps is 10w @ 2.1 amps... maybe it's the cord? It would be an interesting experiment to mix and match the cords and see which pair has improved if any... bottom line is that it charges faster now than before. It's still an unnaceptable vharge time, but it's better than 8 hrs. I read that the CAPACITY of the battery was similar to the mac book air. I would submit that apple should have gone w a different charging method... perhaps one similar to a laptop.

I read in another forum a guy who took a MacBook charger (not sure which wattage but I'm sure the Air at 45W would work) and modified the cable to work with a dock connector. He says his iPad charges perfectly now. This is what Apple needs to do and send one to all of us.

@BuSaBumNim

FIrst off it seems likely there is an issue with charging issue, not that it takes longer (that's just physics). Nobody is arguing that. There are people who have defective units (it's an unfortunate part of the production process, it happens). You need to understand that Apple uses a smart charge algorthm that is designed to give the battery longer life. The charge "curve" can by all accounts be managed in software. So the genius may be close in her assessment. Apple products don't work like those plastic knock-offs. Those third party devices charge at full rate at all times. They slam the batteries and make them have a shorter life.

Before you start telling people to buy things and possibly waste their money consider a couple things. The devices are less than a week old and the batteries are not yet broken in. Talk to a Prius owner that bought the car new (of which I'm one) and they will tell you that you MUST "break in" the batteries correctly. Once the batteries "break in" the gas mileage goes up considerably because the batteries are working better.

Another thing to consider is that this third party charger my cirvumvent Apple's charging technology and you may be damaging your iPad batteries. I can't be certain of this, but it would be best to speak with Apple to be sure. Be careful of these internet experts.

I agree with DaveBLondon. It's possible you have a defective charging unit. Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a replacement from Apple first a test it before spending your own money?

I'm patiently waiting for it may be a week or two (possibly a little longer) because it takes time to fix test things like this. I know this because I do this for a living and I know it takes time to do it right.

Apple has some very good web pages dedicated to their battery technology if you're interested. They are very well written and they are not written in Engineer-eze. I encourage everyone to read these to get the most out of their devices. Here are a couple links.

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

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

@Bellatone

That is NOT wise! DO NOT DO THIS. There are a lot of pinheads out there that THINK they know what they're doing and they don't. Driving circuits way past their design limits IS DANGEROUS and could conceivably cause a fire. Charging high energy batteries improperly can have disasterous effects.

Leave it to the experts not some goof ball on the internet. It is better to deal with a couple extra hours of charge time than to lose your house or a loved one in a fire because you are to impatient to wait for a proper fix.

EDIT:

I don't imply you are going to do this and I know you are just say how it should be, but others may attempt this foolish option.

Message was edited by: Cycles4Fun

$30... 45 day return policy... Made to work w Apple products...

As far as waiting goes, I can't. I use it for work and do not have time. Besides... $900 for something that should work out of the box... with issues that Apple either knew or should have known about? Not cool.

Bellatone,

I posted that my ipad does keep its charge while plugged in, using it to stream HD TV, and set at 100% brightness.
Same for playing a game.
So I can charge 0 to 100 in about 5.5 hours and it does not lose any charge while plugged in and intentionally trying to run down the battery.
Like I said, it does not seem like I have any charging issues because that seems pretty normal.
Since I don’t usually use it at 100% brightness and it will charge while being used, albeit slowly.

I would like to respectfully disagree with using it at 100% brightness as some have said is a requirement for them.
Having calibrated many monitors with a calibration puck and software, I can tell you that most every monitor and TV come out of the box set way too high with brightness and it washes things out.
It is accepted that you want a computer monitor to be in the range of 140 cd/m2 for normal purposes.
Setting the ipad at 100% brightness produces about a 347 cd/m2 according to my xrite i1display2 calibration puck, while putting it at 50% produced a 143 cd/m2.
You may insist that you have to use it at 100% just because, but you are probably the same person who thinks the TVs set up in the retail showroom are calibrated correctly – but they are not even close.

@BuSaBumNim

I hear what you're saying. I use my iPad for work as well and I absolutely love it. I have changed my habits a little bit to deal with the charge time but this is nothing new. I think there are some iPads that are having problems. This is not uncommon in production components. It is very possible your iPad may be one that is having a problem or it may only be your USB adapter. I don't think this is a problem with all the iPads, and to that end I as well as other experts are trying to help people determine if they truly have a problem or if they have an unreasonable expectation.

It is very possible that this isn't a design issue but a production issue or supplier issue. The later are far more difficult to detect. But whatever the problem is, it will take a little time to set things right. The last thing anyone wants is to get a rushed-out solution that causes other problems. Most people don't realize that the simpler something is to use the much harder it is to design and build. Been there done that - many times.

Here is the video I posted on youtube of my charging problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YaDslLaMLg

@atl7187

My iPad 3rd Generation with the UK charger that came in the box increases 2% every 10 mins, or 1% every 5 mins when I let the device sleep. I checked it every 10 mins by waking the device. It will take longer to charge if the screen is permanently on as it's drawing more current and the scree is the biggest thing to drain the battery now.

Try it with your screen going into sleep and wake the iPad every 10 min intervals and you should see something simlar to my tests above. If not then you may have something else draining the battery more or maybe a faulty charger or iPad.