Over the past couple of days stories have been circulating about how the new iPad “lies†(in the words of UK tabloid The Daily Mail) about its battery life, by having the battery icon appear full when the iPad is actually only 90% charged, because the formula that the iPad uses to calculate when its battery is fully charged is tweaked to make it look that way, and this is done deliberately by Apple to stop people overcharging their iPads. Apparently all Apple’s iOS devices are programmed this way, although all but the new iPad show that they are full when they are at 97% capacity rather than 90%, with the difference being due to the fact that the new iPad has such a huge battery, so the difference in the formula is more exaggerated.
Ina Fried at AllThingsD spoke to Apple VP Michael Tchao about the issue, and he explained Apple’s thinking thus:
“That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like. It’s always been in iOS.â€
Tchao also told Fried that this tweak has absolutely no effect on the iPad’s 10-hour battery life.
Source: Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD
New iPad lies about its battery (and the 'glitch' that can leave you running dry is actually programmed by Apple) | Mail Online