USB Cable issue

[treehorn]

So...was feeling all smug and superior because I waltzed into the Apple Store at 1:30 and had no wait, no lines, no problem - had my Ipad within 5 minutes of getting to the store.

Then got home to discover that there was no USB cable. And as there is no instruction manual, I wasn't sure if an IPhone or IPod cable worked with it. So I called Applecare....and was told A) that they were sorry, B) they would be happy to ship me out one and C) that they did not recommend using an IPhone/IPod USB cable with the IPad as it may not charge it correctly as the wattage was different (I believe they said that the IPhone cable is a higher wattage than the IPad one). Rather than wait until Tuesday to get a cable (and actually be able to use the sucker) I schlepped back to the Apple Store.

And this raises what may be a serious design flaw - the cable for the IPad looks 99% like the one for the IPhone - there seems to be a slight difference in the USB end (it's a little more rounded at the end). So if one is not supposed to substitute one for the other...and if it can cause problems...shouldn't they have made the cable more recognizably IPad only?

 

[Squid7085]

I have my doubts that the cable itself is any different, the wall wart on the other hand is. I suppose the new cable could be designed to handle more power or something, but I doubt it.

 

[troop231]

Use your iPhone cable in the mean time, there's no difference in the wiring.

 

[tekniklyrawly]

yea but the USB does not charge while connected to itunes, at least for PC's I here
in the ipad under safari app under bookmarks is a ipad user guide
under tips and troubleshooting look under low battery image or "not charging" message appears

well my iphone iphone 3g , 3gs, ipt, ipt2ndg, ipt3 all charge while plugged into a pc

anyone else having these issues?

 

[SBik2]

Mine won't charged when connected to my MacBook only through wall charger.

 

[tekniklyrawly]

weird huh my 3gs is charging now my ipad not charging is what it says

 

[treehorn]

All I know is what I was told (and it better be different as otherwise I wasted 2 hours round trip subway to get the $@#$ cable...)

Since my IPad came 100% charged (or so close that it charged to 100% almost immediately...) not sure if there are issues charging, but it's syncing well right now.

I would think that the IPhone cable and this are compatible - and curious if anybody else was told anything concerning this by anybody at Apple (I spoke to a Supervisor at Apple Care and was told there was a difference in the amount of power it carries, but the people at Apple Store hadn't heard that...)

 

[troop231]

My only logical guess would be that the new sync cable uses heavier gauge wiring, but it's highly unlikely.

 

[Freis968]

I have my iPhone charging dock w/ cable hooked to the back of my Mac Pro. Instead of setting up another USB cable I just unhooked the cable from the back of my iPhone charger dock and plugged it into my iPad charging dock and it charges just fine.

 

[danny_w]

Mine also says "Not Charging" when connected with the iPad cable to my aluminum 24" iMac (left keyboard usb port) that never had a problem with my iPhone or iPod. Is this really a change? Having to use the wall wart is going to be a pain.

 

[netnothing]

Mine also says "Not Charging" when connected with the iPad cable to my aluminum 24" iMac (left keyboard usb port) that never had a problem with my iPhone or iPod. Is this really a change? Having to use the wall wart is going to be a pain.

I don't think it will charge via USB if the screen is on. Try to keep the screen off and see if it charges via USB (it will be slow).

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4060

-Kevin

 

[Revelation78]

Mine also says "Not Charging" when connected with the iPad cable to my aluminum 24" iMac (left keyboard usb port) that never had a problem with my iPhone or iPod. Is this really a change? Having to use the wall wart is going to be a pain.

The keyboard may not provide enough power, try directly to your iMac.

 

[danny_w]

I don't think it will charge via USB if the screen is on. Try to keep the screen off and see if it charges via USB (it will be slow).

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4060

-Kevin

OK, I just tried one of the ports on the back and it charges fine, but the keyboard ports have always worked before and were actually touted by Apple at the time as being high power and enough to charge an iPod/iPhone. Guess the iPad is different (unfortunately).

 

[ipoddin]

I'm currently syncing my ipad using the same usb cable I use to connect and charge my iphone to the back of my white 24" iMac. The ipad says "not charging" but it is syncing.

 

[Hmac]

OK, I just tried one of the ports on the back and it charges fine, but the keyboard ports have always worked before and were actually touted by Apple at the time as being high power and enough to charge an iPod/iPhone. Guess the iPad is different (unfortunately).

iPod/iPhone uses a 5 watt charger, iPad needs 10 watts.

 

[azcoyote]

Here's an article on Engadget possibly explaining why many are having issues charging their iPads using USB ports. Their theory is USB ports on hubs and PC's (and some Macs) not supplying enough current to charge the iPad.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-charging-woes-usb-hubs-non-macs-and-weak-ports-not/

My Sony VAIO notebook's USB ports won't charge my iPad. I'll try my desktop PC later and see if I have any better luck. If I run into the same issue with my home desktop PC and PC at work, I'm definintely going to need a longer USB cable! At work all my power outlets are on the floor underneath my desk. The 3 ft cable that comes with the iPad won't cut it.

 

[Cuzz]

Not charging

Same problem here...says "not charging" when plugged into any of the USB ports on my HP Pavilion dv-7 laptop. This sucks...I researched the ipad quite thoroughly and there was never any mention of this problem, and I only found out that older ipod/iphone wall chargers won't work either when I asked the Apple sales guy point blank. No doubt Apple was well aware of this problem very early on. It's not a show stopper, but it's way more convenient for me to charge via a USB port rather than the wall charger...it's just friggin annoying when you're already paying top dollar for the ipad.