New iPad saying 100 per cent charged when not is nothing new

There have been recent reports that, after testing, one analyst found that when the new iPad says that it's fully charged - showing a 100 per cent symbol at the top of the screen - that isn't necessarily the case. It was claimed that the latest device's battery, in fact, takes a lot longer to completely charge than Apple would have you believe.

However, Apple has responded with an explanation and the revelation that this has been the case with iDevices for some time. It's a trait of iOS, and not specific to the new iPad.

Speaking to AllThingsDigital, Michael Tchao, Apple vice president said that iDevices first state 100 per cent charge just before they are fully loaded, then when completely juiced up, will discharge a little in order to accept more power again. This is done to allow users to leave their devices plugged in beyond the necessary time needed, such as overnight, and prevent them from being damaged. The process will continue on a loop until the iPad, iPhone or iPod is unplugged.

"That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like," he said. "It's a great feature that's always been in iOS.

The original analyst, Ray Soneira from DisplayMate, said that when the new iPad claimed it was 100 per cent charged, it was only, in fact, 90 per cent. Tchao responded by stating that if the device shows 100 per cent as its battery status, it will last for the 10 hours Apple claims, no matter where in the charging cycle it is.

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