When I bought my first iPad from the Apple Store in Regent Street, when it hadn’t yet been released in my home country of Sweden, it seemed like an almost magical device. The screen, which then offered neither ProMotion nor even high resolution, nevertheless felt like a window into a digital world. But best of all was the battery life and above all the incredible standby time, which was superior to almost any alternative.
Today? Not really.
What happened ? If I pick up my iPad Pro after leaving it unused for a few days, chances are the battery will be around 30% at best, or zero at worst. After the same amount of time, my MacBook is ready with a more or less fully charged battery.
Last time I checked, both devices had the same type of processor, taken from Apple’s M-series. Their processors are very powerful while being incredibly energy efficient, but the latter only seems to apply when in a MacBook. Sure, it’s possible to squeeze a bigger battery into this machine’s chassis, but that’s not enough to explain the disparity: the iPad Pro went from best-in-class to class clown. Not too many years ago charging lasted for weeks on standby, but it has dropped to just one. Battery life in general also seems to have deteriorated: after an hour of use, an alarming amount of charge has been consumed.
It’s not just me, either. Two colleagues complained about the exact same phenomenon, and there are many online discussion threads to support us: just take a look on the MacRumors forum or on Reddit. The iPad Pro specifically seems to be the most affected by this drop. An M2 Pro owner on Apple’s message board complains of “awful battery life” and claims his iPhone 14 Pro Max lasts three times longer. “This whole ordeal makes me regret buying this thing,” they lament. Another M2 Pro owner, this time on Reddit, describes “incredibly bad battery life” and claims that watching YouTube on the tablet for just half an hour drained around 20% of the battery.
Apple hasn’t addressed any of these concerns, and I fear rumors of a 14-inch model with an M3 Pro processor will only make matters worse. What good is all that screen and speed if you’re constantly worried about it running out of power?
Did Apple’s attempt to turn the iPad Pro into a laptop replacement ruin a product with unbeatable battery life? The question then becomes: was it worth it? I still haven’t come across anyone who uses the iPad exclusively as their primary work machine. When I tried it myself at an Apple event last year, it was an extremely frustrating and limiting experience. It’s not like compromising on battery life turned the iPad Pro into a hugely successful work machine.
Apple, it’s time to stop trying to make the tablet replace the laptop and let the iPad be what the iPad should be: an in-between device with a great screen and fantastic battery life.
This article originally appeared on igamesnews Sweden. It was translated and edited by David Price.
