iPad Benefit of 15% smaller battery

[Uofmtiger]

Every iPad Air 2 review site out there? Not gonna hunt down every review but here is Engadget.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/21/ipad-air-2-mini-3-review/

iPad Air 1 13 hours 45 minutes and iPad Air 2 11 hours 15 minutes.

All of this depends on what test you run. Mossberg shows a 90 minute difference in his test (Re/code’s tablet battery test consists of turning off battery-saving features, setting the screen brightness to 75 percent, leaving the Wi-Fi and cellular functions on to collect messages and other content in the background, and then playing videos back to back until the battery dies.). However, the iPad Air 2 still got over 10 hours of use before it died. In other words, Apple is giving the customer the exact same thing they promised with the Air. If you got better than 10 hours, consider it icing on the cake:

"Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music"

"Battery life varies by use and configuration; see www.apple.com/batteries for more information."

From the Engadget article "That said, I'm using the WiFi+Cellular version, so keep in mind that the WiFi-only option should get longer results"...this might just fall under "configuration" differences?

In their article, they do say that the Air 2 has a better battery than the iPad 3 (2012 -9:52 (HSPA) / 9:37 (LTE)). I have one of those and never had an issue with battery. I just plug it in at night and I am in good shape for the next day.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Those who are complaining are missing a big factor related to the battery.

Apple increased the battery size when they released the retina iPads in order to handle the increased power demands of the screen. I believe they also increased the wattage of the chargers from 11 watt to 13 if I'm not mistaken. But charging time increased significantly. Do you remember how people started complaining about how long it takes to charge the retina iPad compared to earlier versions.

Now that the processors use less power, Apple is able to decrease the size of the battery while maintaining pretty awesome battery life of 10 hours.

With a 15% smaller battery, charging times should decrease significantly. Thus, we aren't stuck waiting forever for our iPads to charge. I for one am very happy about this.

OR....OR... Apple could have kept the same battery and the same 12w charger and offered an iPad with well over 12 hours of battery life.

Now IF Apple had significantly reduced weight due to the smaller battery, OK, fair trade off. But the Air 2, while lighter and thinner than the Air is not materially so.

So if you are happy about it you might also be happy to graze in a field of grass. Personally I'm not happy about it, but accept it. I certainly see NO benefit of a smaller battery as you explain it. It's kind of like telling starving people the good news is they don't have to clean up the kitchen after the meal.

 

[macguy360]

OR....OR... Apple could have kept the same battery and the same 12w charger and offered an iPad with well over 12 hours of battery life.

Now IF Apple had significantly reduced weight due to the smaller battery, OK, fair trade off. But the Air 2, while lighter and thinner than the Air is not materially so.

So if you are happy about it you might also be happy to graze in a field of grass. Personally I'm not happy about it, but accept it. I certainly see NO benefit of a smaller battery as you explain it. It's kind of like telling starving people the good news is they don't have to clean up the kitchen after the meal.

In all honesty, Apple appears to take into account cost saving measures at any chance possible, hence the reason why they used 1gb of ram in every iPad up to the Air when they should have been using 2gb a long time ago.

Same reason why they use 16gb of memory as the base model even though memory is 10 times cheaper now compared to when the first iPad came out.

Think about it according to Apple.... If they can save 10% on the cost of producing the battery for the iPad even if its only a cost savings of a dollar per iPad equates to millions of dollars overall. There are number crunchers somewhere that help make these decisions.

 

[AppleHater]

There should be no problem using 12w charger with iPad Air 2, right?

 

[haruhiko]

Yep. You should definitely test a battery after the first charge. That's an EXCELLENT indicator of battery life! Not.

Let the battery meter calibrate, let the battery break in, and then test.

Also, FWIW, one of those sites was complaining that the A2 only got 11+ hours of battery life. I know I definitely like to whine when my devices have a battery life longer than what's in the specs.

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Yep, they do run conservative, because batteries vary. IMO it's great when they're longer, love that.

If the test is the same for other models in the comparison, then that's fine, because the Air 1 battery test was also conducted when the unit was new. So they're subject to the same test and the results are comparable.

----------

In all honesty, Apple appears to take into account cost saving measures at any chance possible, hence the reason why they used 1gb of ram in every iPad up to the Air when they should have been using 2gb a long time ago.

Same reason why they use 16gb of memory as the base model even though memory is 10 times cheaper now compared to when the first iPad came out.

Think about it according to Apple.... If they can save 10% on the cost of producing the battery for the iPad even if its only a cost savings of a dollar per iPad equates to millions of dollars overall. There are number crunchers somewhere that help make these decisions.

Exactly. This year Apple seems to be focusing on increasing margins.

 

[kioko91]

For reference, still on first charge out of the box. I plugged it into my MBP for about 5 minutes to transfer pictures onto it. Still trying to run it down before I throw it on for a full charge. Not sure why people are complaining about the battery as mine clearly exceeded 10 hours with 11% to go

 

[Chupa Chupa]

In all honesty, Apple appears to take into account cost saving measures at any chance possible, hence the reason why they used 1gb of ram in every iPad up to the Air when they should have been using 2gb a long time ago.

Same reason why they use 16gb of memory as the base model even though memory is 10 times cheaper now compared to when the first iPad came out.

Think about it according to Apple.... If they can save 10% on the cost of producing the battery for the iPad even if its only a cost savings of a dollar per iPad equates to millions of dollars overall. There are number crunchers somewhere that help make these decisions.

I understand the business side but your post was on the consumer side, and how your are happy about the smaller battery as an iPad Air 2 owner. My response to was to that idea and how, as a consumer, I'm not happy about the move. As a shareholder, I might have a different view, but that wasn't the context of your original post.

 

[Jsameds]

I don't know why people are emphasizing the thinness, it's the weight loss that's the most important bit IMO. I know it's not a dramatic difference but it's definitely noticeable, and I like it. It feels wonderful to hold and use. The 1-4 gen iPads are absolute bricks in comparison.

If the battery was any bigger on the Air 2 it would have gained weight which would have put me off purchasing. Remember the 3rd gen weight fiasco?

Thinner, lighter, faster, TouchID, more RAM, faster Wi-Fi, Baromoter and just generally better all round and with 11 hours battery life, sorry but that's more than fine in my books.

This whole battery thing is a minor disadvantage. If you want more battery in exchange for a thicker, heavier iPad, get a battery case.

 

[Whoakapi]

Seems that Apple will get a problem once, or if ever, they increase the pixel density for the iPads. Currently they are furious in the quest for THIN THIN THIN. Leaves no room for the battery which is needed for more performance and better display.

Speaking for myself. I don't think it's a good tradeoff to get a 6.1mm iPad when the cost was ~1-2hrs of battery life. Apple put it up as 22% thinner which is a high number on paper. But in reality it was just fireworks as the difference is marginal in real life use. Also, Apple's phones and tablets are starting to be wobbly and bend. It's not exactly a great trend.

 

[Jsameds]

Seems that Apple will get a problem once, or if ever, they increase the pixel density for the iPads. Currently they are furious in the quest for THIN THIN THIN. Leaves no room for the battery which is needed for more performance and better display.

Speaking for myself. I don't think it's a good tradeoff to get a 6.1mm iPad when the cost was ~1-2hrs of battery life. Apple put it up as 22% thinner which is a high number on paper. But in reality it was just fireworks as the difference is marginal in real life use. Also, Apple's phones and tablets are starting to be wobbly and bend. It's not exactly a great trend.

I'd say A8X is more than capable of running an iPad Retina HD screen, the GFX performance from that chip is phenomenal. It puts the Air 1 to shame and that's saying something, since the Air 1 is still a very powerful tablet.

The A9/A9X chip will comfortably be able to handle the increased resolution of Retina HD but even more efficiently than the A8X. I guess the Air 3 will be the first iPad to sport the new resolutions and will be the same size and weight as the Air 2, keeping the battery the same size.

Thin-ness drives innovation. We would never have seen tablets like the Air 2 (Simply amazing to hold and use, and incredibly powerful too) if Apple sat on their laurels and just bunged a bigger battery in there instead of taking the hard route of making the whole thing more efficient. We'd all still be carrying around iPad 1 sized things.

No thanks!

 

[Icaras]

Currently they are furious in the quest for THIN THIN THIN.

Really? Currently? Try since 1984.

 

[TheIntruder]

There should be no problem using 12w charger with iPad Air 2, right?

Nope.

Oddly, the FAQ on Apple's site says the Air 1, which had the 12W charger, is also now shipping with the 10W charger. I guess if one wants a 12W charger now, it must be purchased separately from Apple, or as an aftermarket 3rd party 2.4A model.

Combined with the fact that the iPhone 6 ships with the 5W charger, when it will charge faster with the 10/12W adapters, makes one wonder what the product managers at Apple are thinking.

 

[Whoakapi]

I'd say A8X is more than capable of running an iPad Retina HD screen, the GFX performance from that chip is phenomenal. It puts the Air 1 to shame and that's saying something, since the Air 1 is still a very powerful tablet.

The A9/A9X chip will comfortably be able to handle the increased resolution of Retina HD but even more efficiently than the A8X. I guess the Air 3 will be the first iPad to sport the new resolutions and will be the same size and weight as the Air 2, keeping the battery the same size.

Thin-ness drives innovation. We would never have seen tablets like the Air 2 (Simply amazing to hold and use, and incredibly powerful too) if Apple sat on their laurels and just bunged a bigger battery in there instead of taking the hard route of making the whole thing more efficient. We'd all still be carrying around iPad 1 sized things.

No thanks!

If the A9X will power a 3072x2304 screen I'll be more than happy. I just don't see how Apple will be able to squeeze out 10hrs with such a resolution based on the physical dimensions of the Air 2. Battery technology doesn't develop as quickly as processor technology. And if we run a 9.7" inch tablet at resolution of 3072x2304, plenty more juice is required.

 

[Jsameds]

If the A9X will power a 3072x2304 screen I'll be more than happy. I just don't see how Apple will be able to squeeze out 10hrs with such a resolution based on the physical dimensions of the Air 2. Battery technology doesn't develop as quickly as processor technology. And if we run a 9.7" inch tablet at resolution of 3072x2304, plenty more juice is required.

I know what you mean, but I think they've basically learned from their mistakes with the iPad 3 (ie heavier, bigger battery, not powerful enough etc) when they first did an iPad resolution bump, so they've effectively let the processors get more powerful first, and then upped the display when they know the CPU can handle it, if you know what I mean.

IMO Retina HD in an iPad Air 2 sized case and weight, maintaining battery life will be possible 12 months from now.

That's my prediction anyhow

 

[Whoakapi]

I know what you mean, but I think they've basically learned from their mistakes with the iPad 3 (ie heavier, bigger battery, not powerful enough etc) when they first did an iPad resolution bump, so they've effectively let the processors get more powerful first, and then upped the display when they know the CPU can handle it, if you know what I mean.

IMO Retina HD in an iPad Air 2 sized case and weight, maintaining battery life will be possible 12 months from now.

That's my prediction anyhow

2048x1536 is equal to ~3.15 million pixels
3072x2304 is equal to ~7 million pixels

That's rougly 55% more pixels. Now, I don't know the actual performance of Apple's processors, but I assume the A9X will be capable to push the increased resolution. But unless the A9X is insanely power efficient, or that some new battery technology emerges, I don't see how this resolution will be possible without increasing the physical dimensions due to a bigger battery. Or Apple saying "Deal with it" and gives us an iPad with less than 10hrs battery life.

The physical dimension of the Air 3 wont be bigger than Air 2, so that leaves Apple with limited opportunities in this whole matter.

 

[Jsameds]

2048x1536 is equal to ~3.15 million pixels
3072x2304 is equal to ~7 million pixels

That's rougly 55% more pixels. Now, I don't know the actual performance of Apple's processors, but I assume the A9X will be capable to push the increased resolution. But unless the A9X is insanely power efficient, or that some new battery technology emerges, I don't see how this resolution will be possible without increasing the physical dimensions due to a bigger battery. Or Apple saying "Deal with it" and gives us an iPad with less than 10hrs battery life.

The physical dimension of the Air 3 wont be bigger than Air 2, so that leaves Apple with limited opportunities in this whole matter.

I agree 100% it's not gonna be an easy thing to achieve but I believe Apple are capable of it.

Let's not forget iPads have been pushing out 2048x1536 resolutions for four generations now, I'd rate the ability to push that resolution in this way:

- iPad 3: Not fast enough, hence the quick replacement
- iPad 4: Just about ticking over, can handle the resolution but will struggle with graphically intensive tasks
- iPad Air: Can easily handle the resolutions needed
- iPad Air 2: Can do it blindfold, like Neo when he discovers he is 'The One'

So in that respect I reckon Air 3 with A9/A9X would push the graphical capability back to the iPad 4 description above, ie will be able handle it, but will struggle with graphically intensive tasks

 

[Snapperjw]

Nope.



Oddly, the FAQ on Apple's site says the Air 1, which had the 12W charger, is also now shipping with the 10W charger. I guess if one wants a 12W charger now, it must be purchased separately from Apple, or as an aftermarket 3rd party 2.4A model.



Combined with the fact that the iPhone 6 ships with the 5W charger, when it will charge faster with the 10/12W adapters, makes one wonder what the product managers at Apple are thinking.

This never crossed my mind, think I've been charging my iPad Air with my iPhone charger for the past year. So if I had actually used the charger that came with the iPad it would charge quicker?

 

[TheIntruder]

This never crossed my mind, think I've been charging my iPad Air with my iPhone charger for the past year. So if I had actually used the charger that came with the iPad it would charge quicker?

Yup. The "sugar cube" charger that comes with the phones and iPad mini is 5W/1A output. That's fine, as the phone will only draw 1A max, but the Air will take much more.

The "Macbook-like" 10W/2.1A and 12W/2.4A chargers that ship with the large iPads are required to charge them at full speed.

The iPhone 5 batteries are ~1400-1500mAh capacity. The battery in the Air is ~8820mAh, roughly six times the capacity.

It will already take longer to fill that tank with a normal hose. You've been filling it with a straw.

 

[Donka]

2048x1536 is equal to ~3.15 million pixels
3072x2304 is equal to ~7 million pixels

That's rougly 55% more pixels. Now, I don't know the actual performance of Apple's processors, but I assume the A9X will be capable to push the increased resolution. But unless the A9X is insanely power efficient, or that some new battery technology emerges, I don't see how this resolution will be possible without increasing the physical dimensions due to a bigger battery. Or Apple saying "Deal with it" and gives us an iPad with less than 10hrs battery life.

The physical dimension of the Air 3 wont be bigger than Air 2, so that leaves Apple with limited opportunities in this whole matter.

Calculations aren't your strong point I'm guessing. That is 122% more pixels.

 

[mgchan]

The whole premise of this thread doesn't make sense. The benefit of the smaller battery (with regard to capacity) is that it is smaller and costs less. That's all. Maybe some minor details in complete discharges and charging efficiency that I don't understand.

Charging time does not matter, unless there's some difference in charging because of the smaller battery due to the electronics (though I'm not sure why the change in the charger). If everything else was the same (weight, size, cost) but you could have an extra 10% capacity in the battery, choosing the smaller one because it charges to capacity more quickly doesn't make any sense. You could pick the bigger one and only charge it to 90% capacity (or 91% depending on how you interpret the term "extra 10%") and you will have the same battery life.

Apple balanced the desired battery life with cost, weight, size, etc. and came up with what they produced.

 

[maintainin]

I personally wish they would've left the battery alone and kept the same size battery as the Air. After finally getting a chance to sit down with it for an hour my battery life went from 100% to 86%. This is a little alarming to me as my Air 1 would still be around 90% or a little above Wasn't doing anything intensive. Browsing and email. It was Still restoring some apps so maybe that takes a little more power. Brightness is set the same as my Air. So initial impression on battery life is it has went down.

I personally am not on board with this infatuation of trying to get these tablets thinner with each generation. Trade offs like this are what happens. I was perfectly fine with the thickness and weight of the Air. And I think most folks are. But nope they absolutely had to shave off a millimeter and shorten battery life. The battery life IS shorter. A few reviews and my own experience bear that out. It wasn't worth it imo.

The mute rotate button is also a casualty because of this silly direction of making this thing thin as possible.

The next casualty will be the headphone Jack. It can't get any thinner without having to go to a lightning port. I don't think I need to go there and why that's gonna piss off a lot of people. Apple as usual will make a killing