The iPad adventures of an Apple Luddite: Battery life

Various changes around the Computeractive office have meant that an iPad has landed on my desk, so I've been giving it a proper road test - or, to be entirely accurate, a rail test.

Normally I work on the train with a trusty, if rather old, MSI Megabook S270. Now about six years old, it runs Ubuntu 11.10, which works pretty fast, even on a notebook this old. So how does the iPad compare?

What really impressed me last night was just how long the iPad's battery lasted. Starting the 40 minute train journey with a full battery it was still showing 84 per cent when I got home. The notebook just about manages to get through the outward and return journeys, though I try and charge it whenever I can.

In fact, I was testing the notebook's battery performance this week. In the basic test of scrolling through a text document the notebook managed an hour and 40 minutes.

In fact that doesn't give the iPad full credit, as both its mobile and wireless connections were on during the journey. I'm careful to disable the wireless on the notebook to eke out the battery life even more.

Another notable test for the iPad was a trip to Germany a couple of months ago. I used Evernote to record the meetings and type notes at the same time. It easily lasted more than three hours with enough battery life to spare for the wait at the airport.

All in all I'm impressed with the iPad's battery performance and it gives a greater sense of independance when out and about and wanting to write. Is it any good for writing though? That's for another blog post.