back to article Apple's Faulty Powers moment: iPad Pro slabs 'temporarily bricked' during recharge

Some Apple iPad Pro owners claim their new jumbo tablets freeze when being recharged. Multiple posts to Cupertino's support forums over the past several days describe how the enormo-slabs stop working when plugged in to a power source, and need a hard restart to revive them. Judging by the message boards, the issue usually …

  1. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Standard multi-tasking problem - you can use the tablet *or* you can recharge it.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    At least they are consistant.

    Near the exact same happens to the new iPhone too !

    IOS = Ipad Of Surprises

    We will get the very same 'its fixed now, Oh no it is not!' Punch and Judy Fanboy versus Non Fanboy story on it too I well bet.

    So you will just have to buy it and find out if you too get the Surprise

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: At least they are consistant.

      Seen it on a lot of the iPad Airs and a few of the iPad 2 - and worse of all, 'er indoors iPhone 5! Thought it was an iOS 9 feature.

      Not helped that we use them in rugged cases with their own docking stations (which have had some quality control issues), so having to take these apart to find out why these things ain't working, just to discover it's a software issue.

      PS Freezing with a blank screen?

      1. paulf
        FAIL

        Re: At least they are consistant.

        Your comment about docking stations and charging is interesting - I had a similar problem.

        I have an iPhone 5s (yes I'm putting my head above the parapet on these fine forums by admitting that!) and had a charging issue with iOS 8.4. The phone had an uptime of about 3-4 weeks but all of a sudden refused to charge from the original style lightning dock (the one designed for the iPhone 5 so it fouled the fingerprint reader when docked). It charged fine when connected directly to a wall wart but not in the dock (either wall wart or computer USB).

        I took the dock back to the nearby fruity store - the guy there (to his credit) did try to help and when he drew a blank happily offered me a refund on the dock (despite it being 18 months old and not confirmed to be the cause). We did try a completely brand new dock from the shelf and the phone refused to charge from that too.

        Getting to the point - it was a bug in iOS 8.4. I rebooted the phone and it started charging via the dock again. I realised that the dock appears as a lightning peripheral because of its built in DAC for the audio jack and some bug in iOS had thrown a tantrum and was refusing to connect to lightning peripherals.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I haven't purchased one

    But if I do and it goes wrong, I will be sure to let you know. I'm thinking of getting one sometime around September 2016. Will this comments section still be open then?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I haven't purchased one

      By that time there will be rumours of an A3 version :).

  4. MrDamage Silver badge

    Obligatory response....

    You're charging it wrong.

    Snarkiness aside, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a conflict of settings causing it. For example "Keep screen active while charging" and "power screen down if unused for X minutes". Given how other products sold by apple do not seem to undergo real world testing prior to release (Like how a certain device is meant to be held), it would no surprise me in the slightest they didnt bother testing a charge/use cycle common in the real world.

    1. TRT Silver badge

      Faulty Powers?

      Did they read the flipping Manuel?

  5. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Theft

    They stole the Oppo Find 7 firmware!

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Theft

      At least there's some hope of an update with an iDevice.

  6. Winkypop Silver badge
    Trollface

    Simple check

    Does your re-charging device have the requisite rounded corners?

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Rounded Corners

      Wow that's very original, can you mention holding it wrong too, because nobody every came up with that joke yet.

      1. ItsNotMe
        Devil

        @ werdsmith

        This has nothing to do with "rounded corners" or "holding it wrong". It has everything to do with 'You're CHARGING it wrong".

        What's the matter with you? Geeessshhh!

  7. Justin Clift

    How deeply ironic...

    So, to make it work again after charging, it needs to be restarted... that's really, really ironic.

    If someone can slip in a BSOD screen too, the windows converts will be right at home. :D

  8. Mark 85
    Unhappy

    As pointed out in another article about iPads used in airline cockpits, I hope they're not charging these things in flight....

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/16/ipad_data_entry_errors_caused_plane_to_strike_runway_during_takeoff/

  9. Steven Roper
    Headmaster

    "temporarily bricked"?

    Isn't that something of an oxymoron? As I understand the term "bricked", it means the device has lopped the twig, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible, and thus is suitable only for use a brick. "Doorstop" was another one that I recall from the 80s and 90s.

    So if it's only temporarily out of commission, it can't have been "bricked," as using it in such a role would be a waste of a device that can be got working again. A device is only used as a brick when it has become permanently useless for any other purpose.

    The only situation I can think of in which something could possibly be said to be "temporarily bricked", is if it actually WOULD 'voom' if you put four million volts through it...

    1. David Gosnell

      Re: "temporarily bricked"?

      Yep, to me there are two categories of bricking: soft and hard. Soft can be resolved by fiddling with bootloaders, firmwares and whatnot. Hard can be resolved by buying a new one. Anything less serious and/or with a solution in the get-you-started guide (including what is described in this article) is what in less sensationalist quarters we always used to call a crash.

      1. TRT Silver badge

        Re: "temporarily bricked"?

        Don't forget the conditions "borked" and "fubarred"

        Borked, I think would describe this condition, in that it is a systematic obstruction.

        Fubarred often involves a physical transformation of some kind - often accompanied by a sickening crunchy glass breaky noise. Or smoke.

        1. PNGuinn
          Boffin

          Re: "temporarily bricked"? @TRT

          Never EVER let the smoke out! It'll never work again unless you can find a way to replace it.

          AND you'll need the correct kind of smoke. Probably smoke rings in this instance.

          1. The humble print monkey

            Re: "temporarily bricked"? @TRT

            Reports of being bricked were temporarily slated by the voices.

            They load these things with managerium? Sheesh.

          2. TRT Silver badge

            Re: "temporarily bricked"? @TRT

            Apple-smoked. Mmm... with stuffing, mash and gravy.

    2. Mike 125

      Re: "temporarily bricked"?

      Drywalled? Breezeblocked?

      1. Swarthy
        Pirate

        Re: "temporarily bricked"?

        Mostly Dead? When there's something a Miracle Worker can do, other than searching their pockets for loose change.

    3. davidp231

      Re: "temporarily bricked"?

      Paperweight, was another.

      1. Fungus Bob

        Re: "temporarily bricked"?

        And, bringing up the rear, we have Busticated.

        1. englishr

          Re: "temporarily bricked"?

          "And, bringing up the rear, we have Busticated."

          No - that would be bring up the front.

          Bringing up the rear would be arseticated.

          1. Fungus Bob
            Facepalm

            Re: @englishr

            "Bringing up the rear would be arseticated"

            D'OH!!!

    4. Midnight
      Angel

      Re: "temporarily bricked"?

      It's not "bricked". That would be a bad thing. It has simply gone into Apple High Security Mode, which is a wonderful, magical thing which no other vendor, including Microsoft, has been brave enough to implement yet.

      I predict that we will see the usual brigade of followers trying to copy this amazing innovation over the next year.

    5. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: "temporarily bricked"?

      I do know architects who would use temporary bricks if they existed...

      Anyway, you are technically correct. Which is is the best kind of correct, so have an upvote.

      On a related note: It's not dead yet

    6. Stevie

      if you put four million volts through it...

      Volts go across, not through. You are thinking of amps. Please turn in your Engineer's flatcap and slide rule.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is the problem with iOS...

    I use a basic Wifi iPad Air all the time. iOS is a great consumption device for Web/Media/Apps in the £200-£400 Bracket, but thats it, you put up with iOS quirks as this price. The problem is iOS doesn't sit well on £700+ devices.

    I would genuinely buy an iPad Pro if iOS 9.1 wasn't so buggy at selecting text, copying and pasting. It just doesn't work (its never been great, but iOS 9 it seems worse than ever). You copy things, then paste and it pastes the previous thing (i.e. it doesn't copy when it says it does). Lots of bugs with Safari too.

    Selecting stuff is a nightmare with touch in iOS, I doubt its any better with the £80 Pencil. (and just writing that is annoying - '£80 Pencil')

    A4 tablet for Technical books/PDF would be very handy. Nice Hardware, but just don't think iOS is up to it, in terms of a £700+ device. Needs a lot of work, before it is, before iOS is anything other than software to support a consumption device/Apps. Thats the iPad's Pro basic flaw as a device, and its a biggy.

    Tim Cook believes his own evangelical hype far too much, needs to get rid of the 'yes men' around him. Love or Hate Jobs, at least Steve Jobs stood back far enough from Apple, the company itself, was self critical enough to see the flaws in a product, make sure they were as good as they could be.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: This is the problem with iOS...

      As a PDF reader iOS is more than capable, but an iPad pro is overkill.

      The Pro might appeal to those who do a lot of writing, as a slightly cheaper and lighter alternative to an iPad Air.

      My biggest problem with these things is that they have a life of 4 years or so before they are being dangled over the bin, so at £700 I feel like I am paying £15 a month to rent the thing. I don't know how much my iPad 2 is worth but I would feel guilty selling it to anyone as it is so painfully slow with iOS9.

      Same a applies to the Surface tablets, which at least are usable for coding and development (iOS 9 allows nothing more than the most basic coding apps).

      So for personal purchases I stick to the very low end to minimise the write-off, and buy my shiny expensive stuff with employers budgets.

    2. paulf
      Unhappy

      Re: This is the problem with iOS...

      This is a good point. Under Tim Cook, quality has really taken a hit at Apple. I'm noticing more and more silly niggles creeping into both iOS and Mac OS. They may not be show stoppers like this charging one but they make the OS look unpolished. It's quite something when versions claimed to be stability releases (iOS 9 and Mac OS 10.11 El Capitan) are less reliable than earlier versions (e.g. iOS 7 and 10.8). That said - at least with Apple there is a reasonable chance of getting updates that may fix things.

      Jobs may* have been a monumental asshat but his screaming tantrums certainly focussed minds on quality**.

      *YMMV

      ** Again YMMV

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: This is the problem with iOS...Under Tim Cook, quality has really taken a hit at Apple

        I think this is selective memory, perhaps. I remember things like motherboard faults, connectors with stray wires due to poor soldering, and a variety of software issues.

        I also remember that Mac OS 9 was a kludge and Mac OS 7, with its limitations, was still an extremely polished thing for its era. Perhaps Apple staff just get bored making similar things for a long time and so quality starts to decay when there is nothing new and exciting to work on. Like the rest of us.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    time for a new phrase

    Perhaps we can dust off the old "reinstall Internet Explorer and reboot" joke and replace it with "restore from iTunes and reboot"?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: time for a new phrase

      Somewhere on Apple's support website, there is a document which describes the three "R's".

      Retry, Reboot and Restore

  12. Aslan

    Non OEM chargers at fault

    The batteries in I devices are massive in comparison to average batteries in a non Apple device. The iPad pro has a massive battery compared to the standard iPad. The standard iPad charger puts out about 10 watts I bet the charger for the pro is double that.

    I expect what is happening is people trying to recharge these from non OEM chargers that are poorly designed. The pro sucks down a massive amount of power, the charger which handled an iPhone just fine heats up an the the voltage regulation which was just barely in spec previously starts jumping all over the place. This screws with the digitizer in the touchscreen. A hard reset works as the physical buttons are not dependent on the digitizer.

    I've owned usb chargers that operated out of spec like that before. Ok for most devices, but not some.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Non OEM chargers at fault

      I'll take that bet if you don't mind. The charger is 12 watts.

  13. IanW

    Yup - happens here 1 night in 2

    But a hard reset and all is good. Certainly not bricked. Fixed in 9.2.

  14. ratfox
    Coat

    Rechargegate!

    You saw it here first.

  15. returnmyjedi

    You're charging it wrong

    And I claim my five pounds.

  16. This post has been deleted by its author

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    General whinge...

    Looking at the UK Apple store, they don't sell the much hyped Apple brand "iPad Pro Smart Keyboard" for it.

    Switching across to the US Apple store, they do.

    Anyone know why? This stopped me from getting one, as I'm not going to get the Logitech one (UK key layout only), as I use a US key layout.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: General whinge...

      They do sell it, I have one that as been sat in processing items for the past week, ordered via the Apple Store app. Hidden under iPad accessories rather than being suggested when ordering the iPad itself like the pencil was.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: General whinge...

        Thanks. :)

  18. Quortney Fortensplibe
    Facepalm

    Perenniel Problem With Apple Gear

    My ancient Pismo [G3 laptop] used to do this. My not-quite-as-old MacBook used to do this. The iMacs where I worked did it and my current MacBook Air did it fairly regularly until, somewhere along the line, a software update fixed it.

    Across decades, operating systems and gadgets, it seems Apple just can't get waking up from sleep right.

    I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere, but I can't be bothered digging it out.

    Icon, coz he looks like he's just slept in again ---->

  19. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    Aggg, just use it as a clipboard (the dead iPad).

  20. Oh_bollocks

    I recall when the iPad Air came out that it suffered Safari crashes for the better part of six months. Expect dead silence from Cupertino until a brief admission of fault just ahead of a fix. Not complete dead silence, though. There will be 100+ page threads on their support forum of angry users screaming into the void. Take comfort in knowing that the diagnostic logs are no longer viewable on device, since apparently having a record of a fault visible to users was distasteful to apple.

  21. Neill Mitchell

    I think if the user is foolish enough to let the battery level drop below the profit margin, around 43%, the device simply refuses to power on.

  22. Stevie

    Bah!

    The original Kindle Fire sometimes does this too.

    Clearly, the iPad Pro was designed as a Mk I Kindle Fire market-killer.

  23. Nanners

    It's become obvious

    Apple hired discharged Microsoft programmers.

  24. JustNiz

    Given how obvious this problem is, Im kinda amazed at how little testing they must have actually done before they released it.

  25. Phil Kingston

    Time to smugly repeat the "never ever first gen ever" mantra?

    1. Hazmoid

      So what you are saying is " buy a MS Surface Pro 4 because it is a 4th gen device ?"

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