Apple Store Visit for the IPad and a Dead Battery

It started last night. Our first generation IPad would not charge. We rebooted it, tried different cords, different outlets and couldn't get past the red battery image on the screen. I finally made an appointment for the Genius Bar at the Clarendon Apple Store for 2 PM today. My husband could not live without this device that he uses primarily to read and surf. Of course, I also knew the day would be completely occupied correcting whatever the problem was. And so it was. We headed out for lunch early and drove over to Virginia. The customer support is always good, and the problem was diagnosed immediately. It actually was a dead - or soon to be - dead battery. We've used this device every day since we got it almost four years ago. This was also the device that reignited my interest in art, except this time it was digital. So when I upgraded to an iPad 3, my husband inherited this one. Unfortunately for us, I did not back up the thing before we left. I never back up the devices anymore because the iPhones my iPad  are all wireless except for this one. So a work order was processed to exchange our device for a new iPad and we would have to return after we got home and backed the thing up. I was hoping I would remember what to do. Luckily it went well, and I then wiped out the data on the device we would be returning. So we drove back over to the Apple store and it took a few minutes to get it updated to the latest operating system. When we got home I connected the new iPad to the laptop using the new cable. The older one was actually fried in a few spots and also overheated when we used it to charge. The backup went smoothly, except for the email set up and wifi password, and we need to add all the apps that didn't reappear. It's always a pain in the neck to have to go through all of this but I am happy that there are several Apple Stores in the neighborhood. It would certainly be more of a mess if they weren't around. I am still amazed how these devices work, and how every time we need to upgrade or get a replacement, the process to restore the settings gets easier and easier. Or maybe I am just getting better at it!