The new iPad has come under some criticism for the way it handles battery charging, but Apple says the device operates in the same manner as past iOS devices.
Apple’s Michael Tchao told “All Things D” (http://macte.ch/w1VMJ) that here’s how it works: Apple does, in fact, display the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch) as 100 percent charged just before a device reaches a completely charged state. At that point, it will continue charging to 100 percent, then discharge a bit and charge back up to 100 percent, repeating that process until the device is unplugged. Doing so allows devices to maintain an optimum charge.