Josh wrote:If it's a Lightning cable, the cables tend to wear out after a few years (but the good news is the charging socket on the iPad itself tends not to wear out). You can get replacement cables for about $10 on Amazon, or just buy one at places like Dollar General, etc.
i've had "hot and cold" experience with cables.
some have lasted a long while, others, did not last a month.
Apple brand.
i contacted Apple tech about the bad cable, they sent a replacement at no charge. this one lasted almost 2 years.
i bought a non-Apple cable and wall charger ONCE, it overheated and failed quickly.
my daughter told me Apple does this on purpose, i have purchased Apple brand since.
in December, i began this thread .. 2-1/2 months ago.
i fiddled around with cables, it kept going, until Monday.
on Monday, i got the black screen with the battery icon/red line, nothing else. all day.
(i keep a spare cable and wall charger, i can't always get to a store.) nothing worked.
that afternoon, i took the ipad with new wall charger to Best Buy to purchase a new lightning cable.
i asked the salesman to plug it all in, so we could see if the new cable would take care of the problem.
he did. after a little while, voila', it started right up. (it's important to give it 15 minutes or so.)
the salesman suggested i might have a
battery problem. he told me to call Apple tech. he said they can do some remote trouble shooting. i thanked him, wrote a note to self.
Monday evening, it worked great! -
Tuesday, nothing.
i called Apple tech.
was told, very nicely, since i could not get the home page to open, they could not check it remotely.
she found a local
Apple repair place, gave me their contact info.
the Apple tech asked if i used non-Apple attachments? - i told her, no.
i told her my daughter told me they could cause fires, etc.
the tech confirmed this was true. (if you need a repair, they will ask about brands of attachments.)
the new Apple 3' lightning cable cost $23 at Best Buy. their inventory was not good.
i called the local shop, SimplyMac /
http://www.simplymac.com
they said, bring it in. they told me,
if it is the battery, $109 to do a
service replacement of the unit.
ipad mini II. the ipad is just now 3 years old.
this is not a repair or battery replacement, the entire unit is replaced.
2 business days for it to arrive at their location for pick up.
i decided, ok. why wait?
i took it in, they plugged it into their cable/charger .. nothing.
he told me he would leave it on the charge for 15 minutes.
he also told me, if the home page would not appear, the cost of replacement would be $198.
i felt this was a bit of "bait and switch," this was not mentioned when i called.
while waiting, i decided, if it would not open, i would just forget about it, and not buy Apple again.
this is my only experience with Apple.
just when we were about to give up - the home page appeared! -
he checked the battery - it was DEAD. no life.
he proceeded with the paperwork.
they did a crazy-careful inspection of the unit for any damage.
mine has been in a protective case since purchase, it has been used a lot, but, not bumped around, dropped, etc. they recorded, "micro-scratches" on the edges. told me it appeared in excellent condition. i have no idea what might have happened if it had shown more wear. or normal wear.
i told the tech guy, i'd like to have him come with me when i buy new things! -
his inspection was .. strangely intense.
before we went any further, i asked him if i should do an
icloud backup?
he looked at me for a second, then, "yes. that would be a good idea."
at that moment, i wished my adult children were present. their mother had a good tech moment.
the replacement ipad should be in Friday or Monday.
i called my daughter to tell her: if this happens to yours,
call Apple tech before letting it go for so long.
ask them to do
remote trouble shooting, esp to check the battery.
i am wondering if my (old) cable and wall charger may be just fine? they might be.
i like keeping a spare. i can't always run to the store. mild February weather!
