Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

When to complain?

Killerbob

Killerbob

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 25, 2008
1,947
730
Hi,

I have the new iPad, and as many many others I am having real issues with the battery life on the new iPad. I am between 4 and 6 hours when using it to see a film, be on Kindle, and perhaps playing Angry Birds.

How do I know when I have a technical issue with the iPad, and that I should take it back to Apple? Or is the above normal behavior?

There must be some sort of guideline that someone can tell me?

Thanks!
 
Have you let it run completely dead until it shuts down and then done a full charge a couple of times? When you got it, did you restore from backup or set it up as new? Have you tried restarting it as a new iPad?

Apple will ask you all this stuff, and if you haven't tried it, they will ask you to try it. They also have diagnostics they can do at the Apple store for you.
 
Hi,

I have let it run completely flat and then charged it to 100% (just like recycling the battery on a MacBook).

Also, it was a restore from an iPad 2, and I will not be trying to set it all up as new (that's just stupid).

Still I am getting max 6 hours of movie playing on the iPad.

These diagnostics, are there any we as normal consumers can try?

Bo
 
Killerbob said:
Also, it was a restore from an iPad 2, and I will not be trying to set it all up as new (that's just stupid)
Click to expand...

Actually, it's not stupid at all. Restoring from an iPad 2 can cause major battery issues. I'm not exactly sure why, but I've read numerous posts about it. Something to do with the battery sizes being different and the way the 2 iPads handle battery drain.
 
What brightness do you use it at? Full brightness is a battery hog. For indoor use I keep mine at 25-30% (iPad 2, I've heard the levels are different for 3).
 
So the official Apple "policy" says nothing about setting it up from scratch, and that it should be able to run around 9-10 hours watching a movie. So my 6 hours are indeed a problem...

When restoring from an iPad 2 it merely copies the Apps, their settings, mail etc. I don't think it copies the power settings, and the architecture is the same, so why would it make a difference. I will try (it is after all easy to restore), and see what happens.

I usually have it set at 30-50% brightness. With the new iPad the screen is more bright, and I can use it at a lower brightness than the iPad 2.
 
Killerbob said:
So the official Apple "policy" says nothing about setting it up from scratch, and that it should be able to run around 9-10 hours watching a movie. So my 6 hours are indeed a problem...

When restoring from an iPad 2 it merely copies the Apps, their settings, mail etc. I don't think it copies the power settings, and the architecture is the same, so why would it make a difference. I will try (it is after all easy to restore), and see what happens.

I usually have it set at 30-50% brightness. With the new iPad the screen is more bright, and I can use it at a lower brightness than the iPad 2.
Click to expand...

Just a question: when you restored from your iPad 2, did iTunes recognize your iPad 3rd Gen as an iPad 2 afterwards?

That aside, it doesn't seem to be a brightness issue. Do you have a lot of apps running in the background? Are you downloading via a 4G data plan a lot?

Run through the general checklist on Apple's battery guidelines. If you're still having battery issues, maybe take it to the Genius Bar for them to take a look at it?
 
Sounds like at the very least you should take it into Apple and see what they say. What's the worst that can happen? "Sorry, you'll need to go try X, and see if that fixes it"? Best case is you get a new iPad with the advertised battery life.
 
How do you see if iTunes recognise it as a Gen 2 or a Gen 3?

And, I live in Europe, so no 4G, just plain ol' 3G. Also, I am a stickler for turning background programs off, so at most it will be eMail (I do have "Push" enabled for iCloud, and "Fetch" for my hotmail and my POP3 accounts) and Azul.

Living in Denmark means I have to take it to a certified Apple reseller, and they are not as good as the Geniouses in the Apple stores.

Bo
 
Killerbob said:
Also, I am a stickler for turning background programs off, so at most it will be eMail (I do have "Push" enabled for iCloud, and "Fetch" for my hotmail and my POP3 accounts) and Azul.
Click to expand...
IMO, having PUSH enabled uses more battery as the device has to maintain an continuous data connection, vs FETCH, where it creates a data connection on an interval that only lasts for a few seconds.

If you look at how Apple ran the tests that they base their battery life on, it specifically states that their test unit was set to only fetch mail once an hour.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

5. Testing conducted by Apple in February 2012 using preproduction iPad units and software. Testing consisted of full battery discharge while performing each of the following tasks: video playback, audio playback, and Internet browsing using Wi-Fi or cellular data network. Video content was a repeated 2-hour 23-minute movie purchased from the iTunes Store. Audio content was a playlist of 358 unique songs, consisting of a combination of songs imported from CDs using iTunes (128-Kbps AAC encoding) and songs purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Internet over Wi-Fi and cellular data network tests were conducted using dedicated web and mail servers, browsing snapshot versions of 20 popular web pages, and receiving mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Wi-Fi was associated with a network (except for Internet browsing over cellular data network); the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Battery life depends on device settings, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPad units; actual results may vary.
Click to expand...
 
Killerbob said:
How do you see if iTunes recognise it as a Gen 2 or a Gen 3?

And, I live in Europe, so no 4G, just plain ol' 3G. Also, I am a stickler for turning background programs off, so at most it will be eMail (I do have "Push" enabled for iCloud, and "Fetch" for my hotmail and my POP3 accounts) and Azul.

Living in Denmark means I have to take it to a certified Apple reseller, and they are not as good as the Geniouses in the Apple stores.

Bo
Click to expand...

Plug your iPad into your computer/laptop/etc. In iTunes, in your list of devices, does it say iPad 2 or new iPad?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1342396/

That might give a little insight, if it is even the case. It happened to me too when I set up my iPad 3rd Gen from my iPad 2 restore/backup.


Try turning off Push and Fetch, and all other services, like 3G, Bluetooth, etc. See how long it takes to drain the battery from 100% to 0%.

If your battery issue is still present, I'd exchange the iPad. If the battery issue is gone, go through each service one by one and see which one is causing the battery drain.
 
What app do you use as movie player? With what brightness settings?

I see same battery life with new iPad as with my old iPad 2.
 
I will try all of the mentioned good tips.

One thing though; of course I have renamed my iPad (we have three iPads in the family, all synced with one instance of iTunes). Where in iTunes will it state if a connected device is an iPad 2 or 3?

Bo
 
Keep in mind that if you use alternative movie player for playing other formats (avi, mkv) you will not see 10 hours playback times...
 
Killerbob said:
I will try all of the mentioned good tips.

One thing though; of course I have renamed my iPad (we have three iPads in the family, all synced with one instance of iTunes). Where in iTunes will it state if a connected device is an iPad 2 or 3?

Bo
Click to expand...

I think it should be on the main screen once you connect your iPad. Same screen that allows you to update firmware, backup, restore, etc. I don't have access to my home computer right now, otherwise I'd take a screenshot :(

Or better yet, go to Manage Devices for iTunes in the Cloud. Should be able to tell you there. :)
 
pelicanflip said:
I think it should be on the main screen once you connect your iPad. Same screen that allows you to update firmware, backup, restore, etc. I don't have access to my home computer right now, otherwise I'd take a screenshot :(
Click to expand...
FWIW, mine doesn't show the iPad hardware version there. :confused:
 

Attachments

  • Untitled 2.png
    Untitled 2.png
    278 KB · Views: 98
For simple troubleshooting, it shouldn't be too hard to backup the iPad, restore it as new, watch the movies/check the battery life. If it's noticably different, then you have to make some decisions as how you want to proceed. But if it's no different, then you can just restore it from the last good backup.
 
Killerbob said:
Hi,

I have the new iPad, and as many many others I am having real issues with the battery life on the new iPad. I am between 4 and 6 hours when using it to see a film, be on Kindle, and perhaps playing Angry Birds.

How do I know when I have a technical issue with the iPad, and that I should take it back to Apple? Or is the above normal behavior?

There must be some sort of guideline that someone can tell me?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

the #1 reason for battery drain is screen brightness. the more you reduce the brightness, the longer the battery will last. I find that the ipad is optimal at 50%.
 
aristobrat said:
FWIW, mine doesn't show the iPad hardware version there. :confused:
Click to expand...

I think when I restored mine from my iPad 2, I didn't rename it, and it was simply called "iPad 2" even though it very clearly was a 3rd Generation iPad. That being said, it was a month ago and maybe it's been fixed since?
 
Killerbob said:
How do you see if iTunes recognise it as a Gen 2 or a Gen 3?

And, I live in Europe, so no 4G, just plain ol' 3G. Also, I am a stickler for turning background programs off, so at most it will be eMail (I do have "Push" enabled for iCloud, and "Fetch" for my hotmail and my POP3 accounts) and Azul.

Living in Denmark means I have to take it to a certified Apple reseller, and they are not as good as the Geniouses in the Apple stores.

Bo
Click to expand...

Protip: they're not actually genii, just guys or girls that follow a bit of instruction.
 
Killerbob said:
Hi,

Also, it was a restore from an iPad 2, and I will not be trying to set it all up as new (that's just stupid).
Click to expand...

If you've been reading the forums recently, obviously there is an issue with restoring from an older ipad. what's the harm in trying? There's a reason why people are saying that :confused:

For me when ever i get a new iOS device or laptop i always set it up as new. Not stupid at all. To me it kinda ruins the the whole "NEW" factor.

God forbid you might have to install a few apps, and put some music/pics back in there manually, wouldn't want you to hurt your finger now....:p
 
Quick question. I finally got my new iPad yesterday and initially set it up as new by following the onscreen instructions. However, when I then plugged it into my laptop it sync from my iPad2 apps etc. Will that affect these types of issues everyone is having. I do notice it got hot (not terribly) but hot enough when I used it for a bit last night after the set up. I lowered the brightness and that helped.

I was wondering if I should restore it set it up again and how to I avoid sync it from my iPad2 settings.

Thanks in advance
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back