iPad battery appears to exceed Apple estimates

The embargo on iPad reviews lifted yesterday so that we can all take get a feel for the iPad before it's actually launched on Saturday. What's interesting to note from many of the early reviews is how the battery life of the device seems to be better than Apple claims.

Apple's official tech specs for the iPad makes the following claim with regards to the battery:

Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

So 10 hours is what Apple says you should expect from the iPad. Let's take a look at the reviews in s far:

Walt Mossberg, WSJ:

I was impressed with the iPad’s battery life, which I found to be even longer than Apple’s ten-hour claim, and far longer than on my laptops or smart phones. For my battery test, I played movies, TV shows and other videos back-to-back until the iPad died. This stressed the device’s most power-hogging feature, its screen. The iPad lasted 11 hours and 28 minutes, about 15% more than Apple claimed. I was able to watch four feature-length movies, four TV episodes and a video of a 90-minute corporate presentation, before the battery died midway through an episode of “The Closer.”

David Pogue, New York Times:

Apple asserts that the iPad runs 10 hours on a charge of its nonremovable battery — but we all know you can’t trust the manufacturer. And sure enough, in my own test, the iPad played movies continuously from 7:30 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. — more than 12 hours. That’s four times as long as a typical laptop or portable DVD player.

Xeni Jardin, Boing Boing:

Manic, nonstop use revealed a number of things: battery life is better than I anticipated. I got a full day of constant internet-connected use (it did not leave my hands) on one charge. More than 12 hours, with heavy video and gaming, and screen cranked up to full brightness.

Not everyone is impressed by the battery though ...

Tim Gideon, PC Magazine:

The power efficiency of the chip translates to a battery life that Apple rates at "up to ten hours" with Wi-Fi switched on. Our own rundown test of the rechargeable lithium-polymer battery netted a respectably close battery life of 9 hours and 25 minutes.

Edward C. Baig, USA Today:

At 10 hours or so, the iPad battery life, while impressive, falls far short of the two weeks you might get off a Kindle charge.

It'll be interesting to see if the general public are as happy with the battery life as most of the early reviews are.

Other coverage:

• iPad unboxing videos hit the web ...
• iPad OS licensing agreement unveils hidden cost of ownership
• Apple kicks up iPad hype with guided video tours
• Apple's outta iPads!
• The iPad will kill ebooks as we know them
• iPad: Should I pre-order or wait?
• EFF: Apple "acting as a jealous and arbitrary feudal lord"
• iPad: Perfectly flawed
• iPad: Q&A
• iPad: What's missing?
• iPad - It's official!