"The iPad's typical use scenario is sans power cord, whereas the power cord travels with the laptop," says Aaron Vronko, CEO of Raid Repair, which services broken iPods and iPhones and replaces worn-out batteries. "It's the biggest device to be used off the power cord most of the time. That makes the battery a huge factor in the success of this device and how it's received by its audience."

Apple's iPad $99 battery replacement service is a bit of a misnomer; Apple will replace the entire iPad, not the battery.

Already, the iPad battery has come under fire. The iPad's 10-inch LCD display requires a battery that's more than five times the capacity and size of the iPhone 3GS battery. The screen alone consumes roughly 2 watts per hour, Vronko says, and will drain the large battery in 12 hours by itself.

Apple, which claims the iPad has a 10-hour battery life, doesn't want the iPad to face the kind of that the iPhone has endured since its debut.