Leaving iPad Plugged in/on for the majority of the time?

In all Apple products, there is a battery saving feature. When your battery reaches 100%, the device stops the charging process, and let's the battery drain down to about 96%, then starts charging again and it repeats itself over and over again to prevent overcharging. I bet you didn't know that small little feature.

Here's what Apple has to say about the iPad batteries and iPad battery care -- http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html

To notable snippets from their recommendations (there are a lot more on the linked page) are:

Charge Cycles: A properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 1000 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

Use Your iPad Regularly: For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

Charging Tips: The quickest way to charge your iPad is with the included 10W USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter. When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge, but only when it's in sleep mode. Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.

No, I sometimes have my iPhone on for hours at a time watching a movie/TV and all is good.

i agree i leave my ipod touch on for hours on ent and i did so the other day for 4hrs and it works perfect lol :)

it has never ever been a problem for me as i have charged by battery on my ipod touch 2g before for 5hrs on end and nothing is wrong with it lol :)

Leaving any device plugged in that has a charge unit will not hurt it in the short term. However, it is a good idea to let the batter run almost to empty at least once a month, otherwise you are reducing the charge capacity of the battery over time. This is true for all electric units with a chargeable battery.

So, do what you want with your computer, just make sure you run it down once a month, make the battery feel needed, to keep your battery and your computer happy.

There should just be one post on this, but there are multiples. Letting it drain, then plugging it in to fully charge is the best practice for making your battery live the longest it possibly can.