Improving iPad Battery Life in Cold Weather: a Beta Test
IceCase: Historical Context and Success
The IceCase is the direct result of a request Qore Performance® received from Bruce and his team at Chick-fil-A Goodyear. Bruce and his team were looking at a cooling solution that would prevent iPads from overheating while team members were in the intense Arizona sun taking orders (iPOS). His goal was to double the iPad's operational time from 20-30 minutes to one hour. During live iPOS field testing (August 2017, external temperature = 107 degrees F), IceCase prototypes outperformed this and kept the iPad Mini fleet operational for 2+ hours with power to spare. Mission accomplished!
iPad Battery Life in the Cold
With temperatures dropping, we've started to get inquiries regarding the capabilities of IceCase in cold weather conditions. In cold temperatures, the battery life of iPads typically drops dramatically, limiting operational times during outdoor use. Although more robust field testing will need to occur, and we have no guarantees at this point, initial results suggest using IceCase can greatly increase the battery life of iPads in the winter.
Testing the Effects of Cold
In order to test the effects of cold on the battery life of an iPad, we placed a fully charged iPad in the refrigerator (35-40 degrees F) as well as in the freezer (0 degrees F). The test was repeated with the iPad in the IceCase. The iPad was playing a movie and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth were enabled to simulate real world use and battery drainage.
Refrigerator Results: With no IceCase and iPad in the refrigerator, the battery life of the iPad drained at a rate of 1% every two minutes (Battery Life: 3 hours, 20 minutes). When the test was repeated with IceCase, the iPad battery depleted at a rate of 1% every four minutes (Battery Life: 6 hours, 40 minutes). The battery life doubled with the use of IceCase.
Freezer Results: With no IceCase and iPad in the freezer, the battery life of the iPad drained at a rate of 2% every minute. As the iPad cooled down, this rate increased (battery life estimated: 40 minutes). The iPad was extremely cold and difficult to hold with bare hands. When the test was repeated with the IceCase, the battery charge decreased to 1% every two minutes (Battery Life: 3 hours, 20 minutes). Under these extreme cold conditions, IceCase increased the Battery Life of the iPad by 4x. The iPad could also be held bare handed with IceCase around it.
Conclusion: The foam body on the IceCase appears to limit the effect of the cold on the battery life of the iPad. Additional studies need to be done to test the effect of inserting Heat Packs between the iPad and the IceCase in cold conditions, as well as testing these hypotheses in real world settings.
Have you used IceCase in the cold? How did it help improve the battery life of your iPad? We'd love to hear from you!
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