Apple's New iPad Power Adapter Charges Faster Than Previous Version

With the announcement of new iPads earlier this week, Apple also quietly released a new power adapter to go with them. The company released a new 12W power adapter that's compatible with all of Apple's newer products, including the iPad mini and even the iPhone 5. Plus, Apple has confirmed that the new adapter charges devices faster than the previous 10W adapter.

On the product page, Apple has confirmed that the new charger will come with Retina display iPads, meaning both the 4th-gen and 3rd-gen iPads. However, you can also purchase the charger by itself for a reasonable $19. It'll also work with the iPhone 4S, 5th-gen iPod Touch, 7th-gen iPod Nano, 2nd-gen iPad, and the new iPad mini.

Word of caution, though. While the charger will work for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano, it's not recommended that you rely solely on the 12W adapter to charge your device up. Yes, it will charge them up almost twice as faster than the smaller 5W adapter, but it'll also ruin the battery over time.

While Apple confirmed that the new 12W adapter will charge iPads faster than previous adapters, they didn't say by how much. "We don't have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed," a spokesperson said. I guess we'll have to wait for side-by-side comparisons to pop up.

[via 9to5Mac]