Tech frustrations

[breakinglight11]

My iPad battery has been weird lately. The device has been discharging really fast, and then taking forever to charge back up. Sometimes the percentage gauge has jumped up and down, usually when first plugged in, but sometimes during the charging process too. The software is up to date, and the iPad is only a couple years old, but something is clearly wrong. I REALLY don't want to have to take it in for repairs. Besides the general inconvenience, it's my primary computing device. Other than my phone, I have an ancient Mac laptop that Bernie lent me so I'd have something to print on, but currently I can't make it connect to the Internet, so except for watching stored video, it's practically useless. I really don't want to not have access to it for whatever time it takes to fix it. I can do email from my phone, I guess, but for writing it would be massively inconvenient to not have access to my files.

Charging issues abound for me, really. My car (a 2015 Prius) has an input for a lightning cable, but recently it keeps flashing the "Device draws too much power" message and shutting off, before randomly turning back on, over and over again. It makes it very difficult to have anything running on my phone, such as directions, because every time the cable re-engages, my headphones go silent. And when it's plugged in, it won't play through its own speakers, and the car speakers won't acknowledge all programs. It might just be a sign that the cable's starting to break (they all eventually do, the bastards) but I'm running low on cables recently. Might have to bite the bullet and buy some more.

I guess this could have happened at a worse time, but it's pretty inconvenient regardless.

Comments

[laurion]

Argh! I hate the electronics gremlins! I feel your pains.

I've seen the issue with the Prius happen with non-apple cables, or in cases where the USB port is made to meet the minimum USB spec, whereas iDevices want more than that. Technically the USB port has nothing wrong with it, but I still use a cigarette-lighter USB plug instead because it provides a higher amperage.

I have an extra lightning cable you can borrow for a while if you'd like.

[breakinglight11.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you, but I just found a bunch on sale and ordered them. Plus you don't want me anywhere near your cables-- they all commit suicide rather than be subjected to the hard use I put them through! 😉