Apple clarifies iPad 3 battery overcharge issue

It's been the age old question for electronics once a battery reaches 100% charge: to unplug or keep plugged in? This has been a pretty confusing topic of late – particularly for the new iPad, or iPad 3.  And up until now people haven't really been sure what to do once their new iPad reaches its maximum charge.

Over the weekend, CNBC falsely reported that charging the iPad 3 beyond the 100% battery marker could "harm the longevity of the battery".

Apple is saying when it reads 100% the battery indicator reads 100%. It’s actually full enough to give you the kind of performance that they promise in their marketing. That’s ten hours of all-day battery life. They say if you charge it more than that, you could harm the longevity of the battery.

As you can imagine, consumers everywhere began questioning if they were killing the lifespan of their new iPad by keeping it plugged it.

Thankfully, the myth has been debunked as Apple's Vice President of iPad Product Marketing Michael Tchao confirmed that this is an intentional feature to ensure the longevity of the iPad's battery.

"Apple does, in fact, display the iPad (and other iOS devices) as 100% charged just before it reaches a completely charged level.  At this point, it will continue charging to 100%, then discharge, and charge back up to 100%.  It will repeat this process until the device is unplugged," AllThingsD wrote.

“That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like,” Tchao confirmed. “It’s a great feature that’s always been in iOS.”

There you have it.  You can officially keep your iPad 3 plugged in and not worry about killing the battery life.  Unplug it, and you will still be able to enjoy a full 10 hours of mobile usefulness.

[9to5Mac]