Beyond the heating issue raised earlier this month, yet another new iPad issue has emerged.

 

This time though, it centres on the tablet’s battery indicator which apparently incorrectly reports that the device is 100% charged when it could still require another hour to be fully charged.

 

According to a detailed report on the new iPad, Dr. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, pointed out that if users stop charging the iPad when the battery indicator says 100% they won’t get the maximum running time of 11.6 hours.

 

Instead, realistically the device would actually be operating on a 90% charge, and deliver about an hour less actual usage.  

 

He notes that 11.6 hours operating time on a full charge is contingent on airplane mode being on, with no activity or running Apps of any sort, and with Auto Brightness off. Additionally, the device would need to be set to middle brightness.

 

He elaborated that this would translate into a real running time, based on normal usage, of more than ten hours.

 

However, merely charging one’s device until the battery indicator reports  100% is actually closer to a 90% charge, and in real usage, would deliver less than the maximum operating time.

 

 

Additionally, Soneira pointed out that the new iPad’s battery, if fully discharged, can take in the region of five to six hours to report a full charge.

 

According to the International Business Times, this is even more problematic if owners want to use the device while it is charging. Apparently, the new iPad, simply consumes all the power for the main in order to operate, effectively not charging the battery at all.

 

“If you want your new iPad to successfully charge to maximum capacity, forget about playing games, streaming video, surfing the web or trying out apps,” it notes.

 

However, according to Jon Fortt from CNBC, the inaccuracy is apparently done on purpose by Apple, to protect the long term longevity of the battery, while Adrian Kingsley-Hughes from ZDNet asserts that the new iPad’s battery meter is behaving just as it should.

 

Soneira strongly disagrees. “Damaging the longevity of the battery is then exactly what the new iPad’s internal battery charging hardware and software are doing since it is their responsibility to properly control and manage the battery recharging process,” he countered.

 

“It’s pretty obvious that if the new iPad knows that it is fully charged then it should automatically stop the charging! So according to Apple the new iPad is configured to damage the longevity of its own battery if it isn’t manually disconnected from the AC charger when the 100% indicator appears. Anyone that recharges their iPad unattended, especially overnight, will be doing this,” he continued.

 

 

Either way, one thing is becoming increasingly evident – the new iPad is clearly having teething problems. No doubt many of them will be answered if not resolved in the months to come, much as happened with the iPhone’s Antennagate issue, and with the iPhone 4s’ battery problems.