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Apple clarifies the new iPad battery overcharging non-issue

Seth Weintraub | Mar 27 2012 - 11:26 am PT

Over the weekend, CNBC strangely reported what appears to be a miscommunication from Apple about the iPad charging beyond the 100 percent marker:

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.

That last bit was a bit disconcerting, especially because it was not put into context correctly. Apple remained silent on the matter.

Today, AllThingsD got a response from Apple’s Vice President of iPad Product Marketing Michael Tchao that seems to clarify the issue and put it to bed:

Apple does in fact display the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch) as 100 percent charged just before a device reaches a completely charged state. At that point, it will continue charging to 100 percent, then discharge a bit and charge back up to 100 percent, repeating that process until the device is unplugged.

Doing so allows devices to maintain an optimum charge, Apple VP Michael Tchao told AllThingsD today.

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

Case closed.