Cured iPad

I used to use the iPad a lot in the past. But over the last year I've found myself using it less often. I think there have been three reasons for this decline and I have been able to get rid of at least two of them.

Reason number one (and this one is still there) is the small "phone" form-factor apps have been getting increasingly better. Getting things done with just a phone is not only possible today but often it is the most effective way. App UX designers target the largest audience and these are phone users. I even find it quite convenient to watch (offline) YouTube videos on the phone (the battery drain bug is still there - so be careful!). Not movies but blog-type videos, where the audio track is really where the content is.

Reason number two was the battery in my iPad was discharging quickly. It is a 3rd party battery. Apple does not replace the battery, replacing the whole device instead. I did not want to go through the iPad erase/restore process (it is tedious) so had the battery replaced by an independent repair shop. But the new one was still discharging quickly. Especially when I was NOT using it. It could lose 40% of the charge overnight. I tried disabling many settings but nothing helped. Ended up back to the repair shop and they found the USB interface chip was faulty. It could be seen on a thermal camera the chip was warm - around 45C/115F. They replaced the chip and the problem is gone. The iPad is like new (it is 7 years old now, I think).

Reason number three was the great screen the iPad has. Gorgeous. But gives you zero privacy when flying. Especially in economy. Not that I watch any explicit content. But just working on documents and other designs, I don't feel comfortable when people peek at my screen. Laptops have privacy filters but I never tried one for an iPad before. They are also more tricky for iPads, as you would need one that works both in portrait and landscape mode. And I found one - the IPROKKO 360° Privacy Matte Screen Protector. It works fine. The screen is darker with the filter, but the privacy comfort is largely improved.