The Apple® iPad has an extremely long battery life that is sufficient for most shows and events when using the tablet as a kiosk. In more permanent environments and for longer shows, charging the tablet during an event or after hours is required. There are some differences between charge times for the various versions of the iPads that need to be mentioned. The Apple iPad 1 & 2 require approximately 4 hours to charge from 0 – 100% (when not in use) while the iPad 3 requires just over 6 hours or longer depending on what charging method is used.
The enhanced image quality of the iPad 3′s Retina display combined with a more power hungry GPU require 70% larger batteries and this directly translates to increased charging times. The iPad 3 therefore, even when powered during an event or in a permanent installation, will charge very slowly compared to the iPad 1 or 2. Cabling lengths and cabling quality will also play a role in charging times.
All in all, we’ve found that all three generations of the iPad work very well as a display or kiosk as long as proper charging measures are taken. All this being said, the battery life of all three units is approximately equal, around 8 – 9 hours during normal continuous use.
All our iPad kiosks come equipped with the standard cable shipped with the iPad. However, in a case where extra cabling is required, we can supply cable lengths up to 3 metres.