Advice needed for first time charging the new iPad

You can use the iPad right out of the box as long as it has a charge. Mine was actually charged to 92% out of the box. Use the iPad until you think it needs to be charged. I plug my iPad into the wall socket every single night to recharge the battery. My original iPad is 16 months old and I still get 10 hours a day - minimum - out of the battery - and my new iPad is getting at least 10 hours a day as well.

Read what Apple says to do about charging the battery.

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

And .... it is also OK to use it while it is charging.

To expand just a little on Roger's advice, Lithium-Ion batteries do not have a "memory" like the old Ni-Cads had. The run-to-shutdown is only to calibrate the charge reporting circuitry, and when you do that, DO NOT force a restart or you can damage the battery. If it shutsdown, recharge fully before using again.

Information from a source called the Battery University (Google if interested), really an industry support group, shows that the optimum use/charge cycle life seems to be in the area of discharge to 50% and then recharge. Repeated deep discharging actually shortens the life of Lithiu-Ion batteries.

Just don't fixate on it, use the iPad and as Roger said, charge as convenient.

Congratulations on getting a new iPad...wonderful device.

I use BatteryDoctor Pro for my ipad and iphone. When I get a new device I run down the battery to around 10% then complete full charge with BDP. Do that the first three charges. After that run it down to 10% once a month.

Rest of month just charge as needed. Process works great and has resulted in outstanding battery performace for both devices.

Hey I want to ask something. I bought a new ipad mini retina and it came with 92% battery. I used it and after a day it went down to 18%. I plugged charging cable which is included inside the box and after reaching 100%(after 4 hours) I unplugged it. Did I do something wrong? Some people says that you have to charge it for 12 hours or something after fist run out! Please help! By the way it seems to work ok now. Thanks!

Doesn't make a lot of odds. It's generally reckoned a good idea to let it run right down at some point, and then occasionally after that, to calibrate the battery level readout, but otherwise just charge as convenient and use as convenient.

You did nothing wrong. You don't have to charge it for "12 hours" (where do people come up with this stuff?). Just follow the simple steps in the link posted by Demo in his post above. If it's working fine, don't worry about it.