"Wearing out" the iPad

[Ruffian829]

I thought this was amusing enough to share here (and I hope it's ok/this is the right form).
A classmate of mine was shocked that I used my iPad for school every day. He said that e and his wife have an iPad but if he uses it a lot his wife yells at him to use his laptop instead because he is going to "wear out" the iPad. He asked if I was worried about "wearing it out." I had NO idea what he meant by this and he said he was worried the screen would wear out from over use. I had no good response except to laugh a bit.
I thought you all may get a kick out of the story. And I'm left wondering what (If anything) they use their iPad for...?

 

[Uguubot]

Back when I got my first smartphone, a palm centro during the wise teenage years, I was afraid of wearing out the resistive touch screen. Which I guess makes sense.

The fear carried on with my iPod touch, but now I know it's an absurd thought. Funny story!

 

[bettaboy123]

It's not true. There are millions of iPad owners who use their iPads pretty extensively (I'm one of them) with no issues. Use it as much as you like, and you can tell them the same thing.

 

[Bernard SG]

If anything, the battery is the most vulnerable part from wear-and-tear.

 

[roberthodgson]

Use my IPad every day never even thought about wear & tear but the Apple Care + when you get your new IPad and you will have no worries for repairs or accidental damage for 2 years

 

[scaredpoet]

Wearing out the screen might've been a concern back in the old days, when people were pushing and dragging a thin stylus across a resistive touch screen that had a plastic membrane on it. I remember with my old Palm Pilot a long time ago, the text input part of the screen got pretty well worn because of all the "writing" you had to do to get text input into it.

But, unless your fingers are studded with diamonds or something, you're not going to wear out an iPad's screen (or most modern tablets and smartphones anyway) just by using it. It's made of harder stuff, and your fingers are a lot softer than the old resistive-screen styli.

Anyway, if you're so worried about wearing something out that it stops you from using it like you want to, what's the point of even having it?

 

[shulerg]

I wouldn't worry about it. The thing was made to conquer.

 

[TheWheelMan]

I wonder how one "wear's out" glass? Or maybe, on second thought, I don't want to know...

 

[notjustjay]

Well, technically, eventually it will get worn. That's just physics.

Take a close look at your keyboard and mouse or trackpad. There are probably spots worn into the tops of your keys and the top and sides of the mouse where the friction and oils from your fingers have slowly been wearing at them.

And as others have mentioned, the battery has a limited lifespan of charge/recharge cycles.

And the more/longer you use the device, the more likely you are to drop it, expose it to water, or other contaminants like sand or dust. The screen will eventually get scratched.

The question is, will all this cause premature wear? And I would think no. Most of us expect to use an iPad for a few years, then sell it and move on to the next great iDevice. I would think that it would take a LOT of abuse for an iPad not to survive a few years of use.

 

[Ruffian829]

I just wanted to reiterate that I am not worried about wearing the iPad out, it was a classmate that seemed horror struck by my everyday use (I used my iPad exclusively for school my last year instead of a laptop) and asked if I was worried about wearing it out. No I am not, obviously, but he said they try not to use theirs much because they don't want to wear it out (which begs the question why even have one but I didn't go there..)

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Blemishes and accidental damage aside (drops, spills, large static shocks) - the touch-display is tough to wear out - due to the fact it does not need a direct connection / has no exposed electrodes to damage. Older (resistive) based panels this was very much a possibility - but capacitive not so much. (which is why protective films don't prevent them from working) So with the array being beneath a layer of glass - you've got a LOT of wear ahead before you start any real damage.

I guess there are people out there who want to use their consumer electronics for decades - well beyond their effective life?

 

[Abazigal]

Um, the thing was meant to be (ab)used. Isn't it a good thing that the ipad is seeing such extensive use? That means you are getting value for your money!

 

[yeah]

Flash memory wears over time.

 

[dchao]

If anything, the battery is the most vulnerable part from wear-and-tear.

That's 100% correct. These batteries will start to wear out the minute it is been made. Even if it is not being used in a device.

 

[markfc]

Technically the Flash memory does have a maximum number of writes...

Not sure of the MTBF on the iPad though.

 

[Medic311]

it is possible to wear out the oleographic coating over time and improper screen handling/cleaning

 

[spiderman0616]

This is pretty hysterical.

Everything on earth gets worn out eventually, doesn't it? You're wearing things out just by using them at all. I'm wearing my keyboard out by typing this post.

But Apple stuff is built to last. My iPhone 4 has been through thick and thin with me for the last 2+ years. My iPad 2 and now my new iPad have gone everywhere I go, including my commute back and forth to work on the train every day, vacations, flights, etc. I use my iPad for a minimum of two hours a day, and sometimes more at night when I get home and just want to kick back a little bit. I have friends and relatives still using their old scroll wheel iPods that they got years ago. I have co workers still using their iPhone 3Gs and 3GSs. And the best example is my parents, who abuse the absolute crap out of their iPad 2. It's still running great and actually looks pretty good except for all the scratches they've put on the screen.

 

[ussatlantis]

I would already be buying new iPad long before my current one wore out.

 

[Dustman]

I have a deep rut etched into the glass from sliding to unlock so many times. I wish I would have had warning like you did.

 

[Rodster]

Technically the Flash memory does have a maximum number of writes...

Not sure of the MTBF on the iPad though.

I started a thread on this very same subject. And some member who has knowledge regard Flash NAND said it's between 3,000-5,000 erase/writes on the iPad. That's a lot of writes and it would take years before you'd notice any memory issues. Current Tablets use a feature called wear leveling. This is designed to spread out your writes and erase throughout the NAND module.

 

[ActionableMango]

The battery can and will wear out from use.

 

[gadget123]

If anything it's a waste not to use it.

How many hours are TV's on in a day? The Ipad is a yearly cycle device it's something you would be likely to upgrade in years to come.

However people still use first gen Iphones and Ipods and they work fine.

 

[yeah]

I started a thread on this very same subject. And some member who has knowledge regard Flash NAND said it's between 3,000-5,000 erase/writes on the iPad. That's a lot of writes and it would take years before you'd notice any memory issues. Current Tablets use a feature called wear leveling. This is designed to spread out your writes and erase throughout the NAND module.

Yes but "wear-leveling" also has it's downsides:

1) Files get scattered all over the cells of the flash, making it impossible to securely erase content
2) It poses a slight fragmentation risk

The good news is:

For #1, iOS instead encrypts the OS so that when you erase all content and settings, the OS actually just dumps the randomly-generated recovery key for the OS.

For #2, there is a flash controller.

 

[davidinva]

The battery can and will wear out from use.

I assume the battery can be replaced. Anyone know what that would cost?

 

[yeah]

I assume the battery can be replaced. Anyone know what that would cost?

I think $50.