“So Apple let the tablet out of the bag and showed off its new iPad this week. With all the hoopla of a presidential inauguration, the covers were pulled back to reveal…a fairly modest tablet computer,” John Breeden II writes for Government Computer News. “Nothing from the iPad specs that I’ve seen really shows any great cause for celebration. It looks like a nice product, but it’s not exactly earth-shattering. The one thing that was surprising was the inclusion of an IPS display.”
MacDailyNews Take: The guy who runs the lab for Government Computer News, “the online authority for government IT professionals,” has no vision or imaginiation? Shocking.
Breeden continues, “There are drawbacks to IPS, which make me wonder why Apple would put it in the iPad. The first is that TFT displays require only one transistor, which twists the crystal to create an image. With IPS, you need two transistors for every single pixel, one for each end. Right there you are doubling the power consumption of your monitor. But it goes beyond that. Because more of the surface area of the screen is ‘covered’ by images, it also means you need a much more powerful backlight to shine through. And that means either more florescent tubes or much brighter ones. Either way, you are talking about more power.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s iPad features a 9.7-inch LED-backlit display.
Breeden continues, “I’ve been covering and reviewing notebooks and battery technology for the past decade, and I know what the current technology is capable of. There is no way that a 1.5-pound computer is going to be able to drive an IPS display for ten hours as Steve Jobs claims. It just can’t happen. Perhaps if you let the iPad lapse into standby mode, you could squeeze it. But if you are actually using the device, my estimate would be less than three hours of power, and that’s being generous. The display would look amazing, but be quite a power hog.”
Apple’s iPad features a built-in 25 Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. Apple claims “up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music.” Testing conducted by Apple in January 2010 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. 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 tests were conducted using a closed network and 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; 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. Source: Apple Inc.
Breeden continues, “Unless Apple has also developed some new type of power source, such as nuclear cells or magical hamsters on tiny spinning wheels for the iPad, don’t expect the claims about battery life to hold true.”
Full article (which is ludicrously titled, “FAQ on the Apple iPad’s IPS display”) – Think Before You Click™ – here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s painfully obvious that Breeden has failed to factor in his complete, utter, and absolute lack of knowledge about Apple’s “A4” SoC that powers the iPad. It is also unclear whether Breeden has any experience whatsoever with the battery technology Apple is using in the iPad or if he understands that Apple is routinely among the most conservative of tech companies with their battery life claims; routinely offering products that outperform their stated battery life specs. For not only being unable to grasp the significance of the iPad itself and for seemingly not realizing that Apple’s iPad features an LED-backlit display, but for basically calling Steve Jobs a liar by asserting that iPad would be lucky to get 30% of the battery life that Apple’s CEO publicly stated, Breeden has been iCal’ed for future use.
Contact info:
• , Phone: 703 876-5143
• , Phone: 703 891-8501
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “KingMel” and “MDMac” for the heads up.]
@Rw
The comparison between the ipad and a MBP is mute, intel processors are also known to be great skillets on occasion, while ARM based designs emphasize power efficiency.
Here’s a link to the anandtech test comparing Mac OS X and Vista, showing how OS X is twice as efficient.
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3582
He also has a report up analyzing what is publicly known about the iPad:
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3729
I seem to remember SJ in the Keynote saying that you could watch 10 hrs of Video on the iPad (flight from SF to Tokyo, or something). Video is a total resource hog, so I imagine that this thing will get excellent battery life with lighter use. Maybe more than 10 hrs.
Let’s wait and see… maybe Breeden just wants an iPad so badly, we is willing to fabricate this story to get one.
Considering a production model hasn’t been introduced yet and I’m sure he hasn’t tested an iPad long enough, if at all, I’d say this guy is a bit premature in saying the battery life is only going to be three hours. If the dude had said seven hours, I might have a tendency to agree if it were used for mainly watching videos, but this guy is just being a wise-ass. Then I’d love to see what a Windows tablet running full Windows 7 in a tablet the same size of the iPad would get. Maybe one hour?
Just by turning the screen brightness down on my old hard drive iPod when watching videos, I was able to get maybe 20% more battery life.
Battery life is never what they claim it to be, real world usage and lab testing aside are two different things. Especially on portables where every little app or system setting or user usage will create a variable.
I generally believe batter life is about 70% of what most companies claim it to be in real world use. And that drops steadily from the moment the battery is began to be used as it starts it’s decline.
This guy couldn’t even bother to look up basic info. The iPad is LED backlit and analysts believe they are using an LG display, which means it is an E-IPS screen. E-IPS improves how much light gets through from the backlight, resulting in up to 30% additional energy savings.
Just have to add a comment about the bezel. It’s not just a place to hold the iPad without covering the content. It’s a place to rest your fingers that won’t be interpreted as an on-screen click.
One of the few problems I have with my iPhone is accidentally touching the screen while I’m holding it, registering as a click (it doesn’t happen often, but it does happen).
I thought the bezel was way too big when I first saw the iPad. But when I saw how Jobs was holding it, and using it, it made perfect sense. But I understand the critics: they’ve looked at the device for an hour or two… Unlike, say, Ive and Jobs, who’ve looked at prototypes for months and years.
Who ya gonna trust?
MDN makes a very good point. The author of the article did not do his homework on the Apple A4 CPU, which is based on the ARM Cortex A9 processor (http://www.arm.com/products/CPUs/ARMCortex-A9_MPCore.html). One of the big benefits of the A9 (and I believe that Apple is the first big vendor to use this, instead of the older A8) is that the A9 is twice as fast as the A8, while USING HALF THE BATTERY POWER. While a screen can draw battery power, it is not the sole determinant of battery life by a long shot.
But if you have ever read this frigtard publication like I’ve been forced to do, the staff are ardent, heel-clicking, arm-thrusting Windows Nazis. I will have to read the article to see if this putz also chides Apple for not coloring the iPad beige, and for not including dual 5 1/4″ floppy disk drives. That’s how these idiots think.
Our tax dollars at work….
The one untouchable : Apple users Trust Apple
We have forgotten another item in the battery life equation. This bozo assumes that there is a replaceable battery as in the junk he uses. pound for pound you get 2-3 times as much energ in a fixed battery (which is why Apple is putting them into their machines).
Wit regard to life, my MPB routinely runs 4 hrs on OSX but if I spin up Parallels and run XP battery life is barely 2 hours. So his 30% would be about correct if the iPad had a removable battery and ran windows on Intel processors. But I am pretty sure that it doesn’t.
That it has LED instead of Fluo
That it has E-IPS
That Apple’s battery estimates tend to test as true
And yet he says it will only run for 3 hours (less than an iPod) and MIGHT get 10 hours asleep. MIGHT. As opposed to, say, the full month it actually gets on standby.
Oh—but he “knows what technology can do.” Such an expert.
@chew
the actual word u are looking for is ‘moot’ pronounced like “moo” with a ‘t’ on the end.
It is not ‘mute’ to be silent
but ‘moot’ meaning
–adjective
1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful: a moot point.
2. of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.
Phone numbers included? Sounds like John has a 42″ LCD HDTV that he’ll generously be selling for $200 on my list!
So, I bought one of these things: a ZAGGsparq.
https://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggsparq.php?intcmp=top_nav
I stopped worrying about battery life, since my iPod touch’s battery suuuuuuuuuuuuuux.
Now, when I’m out and away from electrical outlets, I can charge my iPod touch, cell phone, Bluetooth headset and iPod… pick any two at once. Works great! I assume it’ll work with my new iPad.
MacMan writes, “And that electric car that is coming out in 2015- they claim it will travel 300 miles on one charge and I know for a fact that battery technology will not achieve this. “What electric car?” you ask? Well, the one that hasn’t shipped yet, of course.”
The bogus mileage figures offered by promoters of the Volt (230 mgp!) make clear that it’s a matter of what you measure and what you don’t. As I understand the particulars, it’s based on a 51-mile circuit, the first 40 or so of which is on a full battery charge and they’re only counting the fuel used in that last 11 miles, then extrapolating. So yeah, you can cover 230 miles with one gallon of gas and five recharges, assuming you’re not running the heater, air conditioner, lights or audio system.
Now don’t you know that GCN is a MS ‘charity’ case getting endless freebies and jaunts. Breeden gets a second salary from his chums at Redmond. It is a position of great influence on Government procurement policy after all. Worth billions.
We may mock MS, but they know which parts of Government to lubricate to produce the biggest bang for their buck.
Breeden is merely parroting a script crafted in Redmond.
New IPS LED Backlit displays are some of the most energy economical panels made. In some cases even more so then OLED displays.
Plus Apple designs it’s own batteries.
And to my last point.
“I’ve been covering and reviewing notebooks and battery technology for the past decade,…”.
And he still as no clue has to what he’s talking about because he’s still living in the past with the Florescent tubes and the old flaming Lithium Ion Batteries.
The iPad is the latest and most advanced technology. Apple is not Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Google, HTC or any of the PC or Phone makers that rely on 3 to 4 year old technology in order to keep their costs down.
As an Example Apple’s Lithium Polymer battery technology is currently the most advanced in the World. Apple Battery management systems are 3 to 5 years more advanced any other battery makers. Apple’s Software side of the battery management is 5 years ahead of Microsoft and 10 years ahead of Linux and almost 9 years ahead of Google Android.
I have an iPod touch 16GB gen 1 and a iPod touch 64GB gen 3. The battery in the gen 1 still last 6 hour playing Music encoded with Apple lossless. The battery in the gen 3 last more then 12 hours.
@ray
Yeah, good Idea have the screen run right to the edge of the device and obscure the display beneath your grubby little fingers… Not to mention triggering unwanted events with your stupid fumbling meathooks.
This is why you aren’t an Apple engineer ray…
no vision is right; this guy is a year behind the times – the inauguration was last year, not this year, which was the state of the union address.
Ever wonder way our government’s computer system sucks!
Because of goverment hacks like this! Dumd worthless grads with little ability to think outside the napkin that covers their shirts.
Geez, sould we go back to the day’s of tar and feathering?
Just a pleasant thought!
The government can’t even maintain a computer system properly, and some braindead motherfuckers want to put them in charge of our health care. Nice…. liberalism is the ultimate mental retardation.
Maybe I’m just unlucky, but none of my Apple devices have ever matched up to the stated battery life specs. Not even close…and then performance drops drastically over just a few months of regular use. My new MBP is doing well though so far, but still isn’t 7 hours with anything but very minimal use (i.e. starting at the screen and doing nothing). It is still at 100% though after 20 cycles. Based on past claims, I would expect the iPad to get around 6-7 hours of battery on normal usage, which is still decent. Time will tell.
Everyone keeps speculating – no one has facts because no one has one in their grubby little paws. Except for Colbert – lousy bastard.
For all you government bashers, Government Computer News is not owned by the US Government, the Army Times is not owned by the US Army. These pubs are owned by your precious “private enterprize” media conglomerates.