We have been reading about the hot..I mean...warm new iPads and possible battery issues if you use your iPad 24 hours a day at max brightness. 

However, somehow the experts missed some major issues:

1.  Water -  You can't use it under water.  This means that you can't use it on 70 percent of the world's surface.  We went down to the Mississippi River for our first test.  We compared it to a Boogie Board and the Boogie Board floated beautifully at the surface of the river. When we tossed the iPad in the river, to everyone's astonishment, it just sank.  We believe this may be related to the weight of the battery.

2.  Air - We took the iPad down to Graceland for our next test.  One of our experts threw a frisbee twenty feet down the winding driveway and it floated to the ground with no problems. He also threw the iPad, which actually flew through the air okay.  But surprisingly, when it hit ground, it continued to slide, hit a curb and was demolished on impact.  While I guess it is okay in air, we just can't trust that it will stay there.  Perplexed by the results, we did some controlled experiments, but it just would not levitate like the helium balloons in our facility.  We are still analyzing results, but it may be related to the new screen, the battery, or the new A5X chip.

3.  Land - For the final test, we took it to the roof of the Peabody in Memphis.  I removed a loose feather from one of the infamous ducks and, after some close inspection, tossed the feather off the side of the building.  It floated for quite a while and landed on the ground.  In our labs, we determined that it was in nearly identical condition as it was before the experiment.  The iPad, to our amazement, just hit land and shattered.   Upon closer inspection, we determined that it hit first on the top  left corner.  We believe the problem is related to the headphone jack.

As it is, we can't recommend the iPad to people that are near land or water, and it definitely can't be trusted anywhere near air.  For everyone else, it might be okay, but see my article below for Apple's return policy.  

Now there are some new articles on battery problems with the latest iPad.    PCWorld is posting "New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use".

Their main conclusion is "These results should be of concern to anyone considering the new iPad. Its lengthy recharge time and its extreme slowness to charge while in use give highly mobile users reason to question its travel worthiness."  However, I think they misrepresented the issue with their conclusions.  Below, the author discusses their testing technique:

"To conduct these tests with the new iPad, I waited until the tablet had dropped to 3 percent battery life before plugging it in to begin charging. I then used it, plugged in, for at least five consecutive hours, with Wi-Fi on but the Verizon LTE disabled.

Surprisingly, the new iPad's battery percentage indicator showed no increase in charge during those hours of use. Some of the reports I've seen online indicate that the battery fails to charge only when performing processor-intensive tasks such as displaying videos and running games, but I found that the problem persisted across a wide range of activities. Over the course of my test, I downloaded and tried out apps, viewed photos, sent email messages, surfed the Web, and listened to lots of music; I also played short sections of standard- and high-definition video, and--oh yes--played games. In that time, the battery gauge simply didn't budge. For the entire testing period, I left the display on maximum brightness, with no auto-brightness, and set the screen time-out to 'never'.

I have highlighted some of the high points of their testing process above.  The author says he started with a 3 percent charge and used it for 5 hours of typical use and it didn't die.  He also used it at max brightness.   

There are a couple of real world issues with their conclusion that it "should be of concern to anyone considering the new iPad".

1.  Max Brightness - all of these types of tests are at max brightness.  Inside, I never use max brightness.  It isn't needed unless you have very bright, reflective lighting.  So, they should have mentioned that a great deal of users will not need max brightness.

2.  The author says that he did several different things while it was charging.  He does not say how long he spent on each activity.  That would be good to know, don't ya think?

3.  Starting point of a 3 percent charge - Most people that plug their iPads in at night, while sleeping, and use it less than 9 hours should not have to plug it in until they go to bed.    However, the article mentions that for their use, they were able to do several things on it for 5 straight hours without losing any charge.  

4.  Give highly mobile users reason to question its travel worthiness - I would think that most highly mobile users would not be tethered to a power socket.  However, if they charged it all night, got to an airport, plugged it in, then used it until they were called to board, they would still have 100 percent charge under normal use (according to the article).  They would then have about 10 hours (see Apple's fifth footnote) of constant wifi use until they were near a plug.  At that point, they could use the plug until it was time to go to bed and plug it in while the slept.  When they woke up, assuming they had 7 hours of sleep, it should be back at 100 percent.

Finally, my tests did not show the same results on my iPad.  Keep in mind I am using one iPad as my sample, but so are the "experts".  With more than 3 million iPads on the market, testing one iPad is hardly a good sampling.  

However, in my test the iPad was at 81 percent when I plugged it in.  I had "auto brightness" off and I had the iPad set to max brightness.  I then started the Slingbox app that streamed a high def Directv signal using the Slingbox "High Quality" mode over wifi and then to my iPad.  I let it run for an hour and the battery power went up to 85 percent in that hour.  That is 4 percentage points in an hour of ONLY streaming video.   I have to think that the author of the article spent a lot of time playing games, their one iPad test sample has an issue that my iPad does not have, or the iPad charges differently at 3 percent than 81 percent.

So the question is whether you will have any problems with the new iPad if you decided to buy one.  Apple (in the USA), as of today, offers:

"For any other product, simply return it with the original receipt (or gift receipt) and original packaging within 14 days of the date you receive the product. If the item is returned within this timeframe, we’ll exchange it or offer a refund based upon the original payment method. "

So, if you decide to buy the new iPad, just put it through several tests and determine if it is a messed up version like they have at PCWorld or a good version like I was apparently lucky enough to have selected for me.   If it is like PCWorld's and you are one of the few that will notice, just return it to Apple.

The internet is ablaze with story after story about the new Consumer Reports article that has their results of running the iPad through several tests  and concluding that it gets warm.

Yep, that's right folks, the blogs, forums, and news agencies are going crazy because Consumer Reports claimed that the iPad " felt very warm but not especially uncomfortable if held for a brief period."   Keep in mind that it took 45 minutes of playing Infinity Blade II (probably the most taxing app available) to get it to this point.  Can you imagine if it actually got hot enough to be uncomfortable in the hand?   We would probably be surrounding Apple's stores with pitchforks and torches!!!!

It is kind of funny, I did not notice anything getting warm at all (with the possible exception of the warm feeling in my heart that I felt when I picked it up at FedEx).  However, after reading the article, I got the iPad out of the case after using it for a while and to my horror, IT WAS WARM!!!!!  

I haven't decided if I should return it yet, maybe I will wait to see if Consumer Report's recommends it. 

The new iPad has hit the streets and I updated from my Original iPad.  Since everyone is posting their reviews, I figured that I would also give my opinion on the subject.

First, let me start by discussing the way I typically use the iPad.  I check email, listen to music, surf the web, look at photos, read books, magazines, news, and blog apps.  I also watch the occasional video, check Twitter and Facebook, and check my calendar.  The list grows as new apps appear.

Now here is my list of favorite new features (coming from the Original iPad):

1.  The gorgeous screen - I have read a few reviews saying that there isn't much difference between the old and new iPad and I have to wonder if these people are just trying to get attention or whether they need an eye test.  The screen is better for EVERYTHING!  Do you use the iPad to read text? Email, Safari, Twitter, etc?  There is a noticeable difference if all you do is read text.  Do you use Photo Stream from Apple?  Photos look better and editing is made easier with apps like iPhoto that are now available. It is also able to handle 1080p video rather than 720p.  

2.  Faster - I decided to launch Google Earth on the Original iPad and the new iPad.  The speed of loading the app was not even close.  It is A LOT faster than the Original iPad.

3.  Cameras - While some are complaining about the front facing camera on the new iPad, some of us coming from the Original iPad are happy to have any camera, much less two.  

The back camera is a 5 megapixel camera that is used for taking pictures or recording video.  I have seen articles asking why anyone would want to take a picture with an iPad.  It does seem kind of humorous, but keep in mind that the best camera is the one you have with you. In other words, if you are reading email on an iPad and something interesting happens, you can just fire off a picture or record a high def 1080p video without laying down the iPad and grabbing another camera.  Moments in time don't often come back, so having something at the ready, in your hands, is a huge plus.  

The front facing camera is a "VGA quality camera".  For those confused by the description, it means that the front facing camera is not very good.  Personally, I rarely use FaceTime and have never used Skype, so I could care less.  However, I bet we will see a bump in quality with the next iPad.  In any event, the Original iPad does not have any cameras, so even this one camera is better than nothing.

4.  Airplay Mirroring - This is not available on the Original iPad (NOTE: I am not referring to jailbroken iPads in this article).  This is an amazing creation that will send whatever is showing or playing on your iPad wirelessly to an AppleTV that is hooked up to your entertainment system.

5.  4G/LTE - For $130 more than the wireless only iPad, you can now get 4G/LTE from Verizon or AT&T in the USA.  If you buy this option, you will then need to buy a cellular data plan that you can cancel and/or change at anytime. 

I bought a Verizon model.  It was a pretty easy choice.  They have more coverage than AT&T including the area I live in.  They also offer a hotspot with their plans.  I have an iPhone with a (3G) hotspot feature on AT&T already.  With two services, I should have cellular coverage in more areas.  

I decided to go ahead and activate the service since I will be out of town a few days in the next month.  I tried it out and it was very speedy.  I did not run a speed test because I did not want to waste data.  However, it was similar to my wireless setup at home.

6.  Size - While some have complained that it is thicker and weighs more* than the iPad 2, it should be mentioned that it weighs less and is thinner than the Original iPad.  I should also mention that I never had a problem with the 1.5 pound Original iPad.  I am always surprised when I read grown men whining about the weight when my mother and my teenage niece have no problem with their Original iPads.  

* The new iPad is .03 inches thicker and .11 pounds heavier than iPad2.  Yes, grown men are complaining about this!

7.  Battery - the battery life is about the same.  However, the new iPad gets a little warmer.  I have mine in a cheap pleather case (until we have more choices on the market) and I did not notice any heat until I pulled the iPad out of the case. Therefore, if you keep yours naked, you may notice it.  

8.  Hard drive space - The new iPad has the same GB sizes and prices as the past generations.  Some are worried about the new display being a data hog, but I am not too worried.  I use Zinio for most magazines subscriptions and you can delete old magazines if you need to.  Amazon books has the same feature. They are available to restore at a later time if you choose to do so.  

With iTunes Match, I now keep less music on my iOS devices.  For $25 a year, they "match" your music and make a 256kbps AAC DRM free file available on their servers.  I have over 20,000 music files ripped from CDs and this makes everything available all the time.  When you play the file, it will automatically download it to the iPad.  You can then delete it later if you need the space.

I also subscribe to MOG and Jazzradio which fills most of my other music needs.  MOG will store a local copy or just stream music from their server.  

Photos - with Photo Stream, you can now store 1000 of your most recent photos in the cloud.  Photos you take with your iPhone or iPad will appear in your Photo Stream.  Also, photos you take with another camera can be saved to the iPad using the camera connection kit and those photos will also be saved to your iCloud based Photo Stream.  If you have a Mac, you can have it store those photos locally.  This eliminates a need for having tons of photos on your iPad all the time.

Video - I will use most of my space for apps and video.  The new iPad can store 1080p, but nothing says you have to use the highest uncompressed bitrate for all your files.

If you have to have massive hard drive space on the go, you can get a terabyte "HyperDrive" for $399 (it is also available with less space for less money). It connects to the camera connector kit and your iPad.

9.  Voice "Dictation" - No Siri for the new iPad.  I am not surprised since people are claiming to have issues with Siri (which is still in beta) in large cities.  If the servers are crashing with the current traffic, I would imagine that Apple doesn't want to make the situation worse.  The good part is that they added Dictation which works with Apple's apps and third party apps.  It allows you just to say what you want to write.  

I would not be surprised to see Siri added as a software at some point in the future once they get the kinks out, but I am not guaranteeing it.

Finally, I am one of the many people that do not update Apple products every year.  When I bought the Original iPad, the only thing I wanted was a better display.  They added it and many other things to make it a worthwhile upgrade. Personally, if I bought an iPad2 last year, I would sell it and buy the new iPad.  The display is a huge part of the overall experience, so having 4x more pixels is a huge improvement. Of course, people have to decide what is best for their wants/needs, but hopefully this blog will give them the information to help make that choice.

Since a lot of people wonder about using Airplay with a Mac, I thought I would mention how I send wireless audio to and from a Mac.  

A company called Rogue Amoeba has several programs that work with audio. I have a few of them, but I started with a program called Airfoil.  While iTunes is made to work with Airport Express and Apple TV (2), Airfoil works with any program (that I have tried) to steal the audio signal and send it to Airplay products on the same network.

Another cool feature is Airfoil Speakers.  There is a version for the Mac and for iOS devices.  It allows you to send the audio signal from the MBP to an iOS device.  The Mac version will show the Mac as an Airplay device, so you can send the signal from an iPhone to a Mac.  This would come in handy if you have a Mac Mini or MBP in your home theater setup instead of an AppleTV or Airport Express.

Rogue Amoeba also has a cool program for using SiriusXM.  It keeps you logged in so you can just open the program on your Mac and start playing music.

They also have a "freebee" called Soundsource.  You can launch it and it will list and let you choose your Mac's audio outputs.  I use it quite a bit with my Mac Mini since it feeds two systems.  I use HDMI out for audio in the living room and optical output in the office. With Soundsource, it makes it very easy to select where you want to send the audio signal.

Finally, I believe most of their stuff is for Macs, but Airfoil works with Windows, as well.

Please Apple, stop giving new products the same name as old models.  It creates issues with web searches, finding articles and reviews, and locating accessories.  Let's see the evolution:

iPad
iPad 2
iPad

What?