I'm an iPad Newbie (I know, "What took you SO long?"). Trying to get the "feel" of my new toy. The question that I have, when charging the iPad, is it normal for the "plug-in" (wall outlet) to become rather warm to almost hot? Is that normal? THANKS

Yes, after all it's dissipating more than 10 watts of power.

I agree. I have the long cord and where the short cord plugs in, it gets quite warm. It's the power.

Yes, it gets warm.

The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.

Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.

How to Calibrate Your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Battery

http://www.macblend.com/how-to-calibrate-your-mac-iphone-or-ipad-battery/

At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html

Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at

Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About

http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/

Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/

New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html

Apple Batteries - iPad http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html

Extend iPad Battery Life (Look at pjl123 comment)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3921324?tstart=30

New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use

http://www.pcworld.com/article/252326/new_ipad_slow_to_recharge_barely_charges_d uring_use.html

Tips About Charging for New iPad 3

http://goodscool-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-about-charging-for-new-ip ad-3.html

Prolong battery lifespan for iPad / iPad 2 / iPad 3: charging tips

http://thehowto.wikidot.com/prolong-battery-lifespan-for-ipad

iPhone, iPod, Using the iPad Charger

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4327

Install and use Battery Doctor HD

http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/battery-doctor-hd/id459702901?mt=8

In rare instances when using the Camera Connection Kit, you may notice that iPad does not charge after using the Camera Connection Kit. Disconnecting and reconnecting the iPad from the charger will resolve this issue.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

I think so to. All the IPad chargers run warm. I believe the IPad 3 is about 8,400Mah?

Which is just based on watt hours divided by voltage=Amp Hours.

Plus I believe it's called Peukarts law?? The higher the load being drawn from a rechargable battery is, that inversely affects that batteries actual total stored capacity. Most capacity national approved testing procedures are done at 25

degrees Celsius, and the load attached to the fully charged battery whatever it's voltage, has to be at 1/20th

of filled capacity per hour. So the rating systems are heavily slanted to the manufacturers advantage. (Nothing new there)

1/20th of capacity I believe is whatever power drain level it will take to empty the battery that is hooked up to the load in 20 hours. So power drawn is no more then 5% of capacity per hour. If you increase the load level to 1/10 of capacity per hour, that will shorten the total capacity number or power storage of that battery.

At 1/5C or a load level that is 20% of batteries claimed capacity, it's real world capacity numbers drop off by 20-25% I believe. So a battery rated at 10,000 Mah that was tested at a drain level of 5% per hour or 1/2 amp hour per hour, or 2.5 watts at 5 volts per hour or a measly 500 Mah per hour, which is in compliance with the National Testimg Standard, at a 1/5 load level, the power it takes to drain the battery in 5 hours, in this case 10 watts at five volts per hour, if that was the Standard used, would have to be rated at 7500-8000 Mah. Or about 7.5-8 AH down from 10 AH.

I do know from memory if you take a 10,000 Mah 5 volt battery, which is 10 amp hours at 5 volts, or 50 watt hours, and apply a 1/2C per hour load level, which would be half total capacity of the battery, just the higher power drain itself, lets say that would be 5AH or 25 watt hours per hour, instead of two hours before the battery is drained out, it goes completely dead in just one hour. So at .5C per hour, which in this ex would be 5,000Mah or 25 watt hours per hour, that would use up and be the whole stored power the battery could deliver. A 50% power load reduces a batteries stored power Potential by 50%. It's rated capacity would be 5,000 Ah or 25 watt- hours instead of the "standardized" rating of 50 watt-hours.

This is, I am starting to believe, possibly why everyone is reporting shorter real world running times attainable compared to Apples published specifications that you can find on its own website listed under IPad 3 watt-hours usage of 42 watt hours as Tom reported.

I figure the engineers had to ignore this principle and were possibly asked to undersize the battery for weight and appearance and aesthetics involved. And am guessing they were well aware of Peukarts Law, which I hope I am remembering correctly! The IPad 3 has a much faster load drain then the IPad 2 so instead of the 42 watt hour capacity they gave it, they probably needed at least 52 watt hours or about 10AH instead of their stated 8.4AH.

Thanks.