iPad has Wi-Fi problems, some users say

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

Users who rushed to snap up Apple's iPad are complaining within days of the slate computer's highly anticipated release that they're having trouble connecting it to the Internet.

On Apple's technical support Web site, there were 11 pages of comments Tuesday morning on a post saying Wi-Fi connections were weak or kept cutting out.

"Add me to the list with problems! I'm very disappointed that there's no solution either," one user wrote. "Does anyone think this can be fixed with an update, or should I just get a refund while there's time?"

Versions of the iPad, a sort of hybrid between a laptop and a smartphone designed largely for reading, Web surfing and playing games, will eventually work with both Wi-Fi and 3G wireless connections.

But the versions released Saturday are Wi-Fi only.

Some users were saying their Wi-Fi connections were weak, while others were saying they weren't able to connect with Wi-Fi at all. Some users say laying the iPad on a flat surface exacerbates the problem.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/ptech/04/06/ipad.wifi.problems/index.html?hpt=T2

[mindfulNJ]

1. Nevr buy the first generation

of any new electronic gizmo...thre are always bugs to work out.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. +1

I will add though, if the problems are serious enough, plus the geeks being critical of things like oh lack of camera, will have an effect.

If they fix this ASAP... well then that is another story.

Me, if I get an IPAD will be well after the netbook dies.

[Dappleganger]

9. Always let someone else be the guinea pig.

My engineer husband at least taught me that.

Apple's great, we use many of their products but have never EVER paid to be their guinea pig.

[tomm2thumbs]

14. and sometimes the revamped 2nd & 3rd generation which find all new problems too

Apple lost me when their G5's started melting down after 3 years from overheating - my 3 grand down the tubes

[Bonobo]

20. Especially Apple products.

I have been using Macs for a looong time. Since my Quadra 800 in 1991.

There is always a huge improvement in the succeeding generations.

[Xithras]

22. "He who rides the bleeding edge should not complain about getting cut"

That saying, and variations of it, used to be well known to tech-heads. The saying isn't as popular as it once was, but it's still just as valid.

[brooklynite]

31. This isn't the "1st generation"

While it's the first to have the name iPad, its building off the technology and software developed for the iPhone (including the ability to support wifi), so it's arguably the 4th or 5th generation. WFIW my WIFI works fine...

[cbdo2007]

32. Especially when it isn't 3G in a 3G world...

People are idiots who already got this before the 3G version came out. In another year they aren't even going to make a wi-fi version of it because the future is 3G.

Wi-Fi is for laptops which is the technology of 2000-2010.

If Ipad wants to be the new technology for 2010+ it will only work if it actually uses new technology.

This is like having one of those cell phones that was stuck to your car when they first came out. Sure it's cool that you have a phone with you wherever you go but it sucks that if you want to make a call during dinner you have to go out to your car to use it.

Good luck finding all those wi-fi "hotspots".... *laughs*

[onehandle]

2. The first iPhone had some minor issues too. That's why it failed.

Oh, wait. They were fixed with a firmware update and Apple went to to sell millions and millions.

Wake me when there's some actual Latest Breaking News.

[laconicsax]

3. Move along, nothing to see here...

"Some users were saying their Wi-Fi connections were weak, while others were saying they weren't able to connect with Wi-Fi at all. Some users say laying the iPad on a flat surface exacerbates the problem.

Coffee table 1, iPad 0

Something tells me that this isn't getting fixed anytime soon...hell, my 3rd gen iPod Touch has a bad habit of dropping wi-fi even when I'm sitting next to the router.

[Dappleganger]

10. My Touch gets perfect reception...

as does my husband's. Mine is gen2 and his is gen3. We use it all over the city w/hotspots w/no issues.

[laconicsax]

24. Good for you.

Mine will drop the connection to networks it typically auto-connects to, password/key and all. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it won't stay connected for more than a few minutes at a time.

If you look it up, you'll see that other iPod Touch and iPhone owners have this same problem and now it seems that the iPad has it too. Apple isn't likely to address the issue any rime soon. They know that their products will sell no matter what.

[jberryhill]

34. Same here

It is infrequent, but weird.

[JBoy]

4. I like Apple's useful tips for solving Wi-Fi problems:

"The tips include moving closer to a Wi-Fi router or hot spot and making sure the Wi-Fi router is plugged in and the power is turned on."

[MARALE]

5. The best way to debug a product is to release

a almost complete version of what you wanted the final product to be. Many of the test engineers see it to many times and take the same steps when testing. even small test groups are not as good. I know, I used to be a test engineer.

[Paulie]

6. Need more info

The more people on a wifi hotspot/router, the worse the signal for everyone. If it's horrible at Starbucks, and there are 50 devices on a single access point, then DUH.

[4lbs]

7. Those on the bleeding edge of technology will frequently get cut by glitches.

That's the way of the world.

[Change Happens]

11. Not the ones I used this weekend....Works great IMO.

[tomm2thumbs]

12. ouch!

perhaps they should all just move in with Steve Jobs who probably has a wifi connection built into his belt buckle

[RandySF]

13. The real wi-fi problem

Is finding a spot that doesn't require a T-Mobile subscription.

[jberryhill]

35. Amen - and not just that...

But if you travel a lot a T-mobile subscription obtained in one place doesn't always work in another - no matter what extension you put after your username.

I was rooked by T-Mobile that way last month. I was doing an insane amount of travelling, and figured I'd get a one-month pass for use in airports. The pass which I purchased at Frankfurt airport did not work in Heathrow, even if I specified it was a German account. The only place it will work is Frankfurt airport.

[MrScorpio]

15. Rule #1: Never ever buy the first version of any new technology

Always buggy and usually too expensive

[no limit]

16. I've had wi-fi problems on my iTouch since I got it 2 years ago

looks like they havent even been fixed in the new iPad.

[davidwparker]

17. As a long time Apple fan and user, the iPad release day came and went.

Yawn.

I have an iPhone. I don't see the need right now for an iPad.

My next purchase will between an updated MacBook Air or an updated MacBook Pro.

[emulatorloo]

19. watch the "Guided Tours if you get a chance. Interesting. like "Sci-Fi Computer of the Future"

I'm not going to get one for while myself. I need a job first.

But none the less -- take a look at the demos on the apple site, the interface is interesting. . , all the pinching, gestural scrolling, etc. Most apparent in the Photo demo.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/guided-tours/

[alfredo]

27. I'm buying one this fall. It seems to be less painful to

use than a keyboard/mouse setup I've used since day one.

[davidwparker]

30. yes, saw those. I'm looking for one app in particular and don't feel the

iPad version will be as good as the version that works a laptop.

Plus, I was iPhone, original, Day 3. I had good luck with it. Sounds like there is pain with the iPad.

And, it would be much better if it could have a _camera_ for video conferencing. Thinks like that, plus features in the iPad version of an app that I want to use, makes me want to wait.

[emulatorloo]

33. yes a camera will be very cool when they put one in. n/t

[Romulox]

26. Just tell everyone you have an "Ipad Mini"! nt

[emulatorloo]

18. "some users". And yet most users have no problems with wifi connections

Gotta love CNN.

[pescao]

21. bet it's an N vs G thing

my new macbook pro kept losing its wifi connection after sleeping, so i ditched the old 802.11B/G wireless box and bought an 802.11B/G/N one - problem solved!

[Dappleganger]

25. That could very well be true.

I would imagine that most hotspots use whatever is cheapest, and that's usually a 'g' system.

[CatholicEdHead]

23. So did 1st Gen iPod Touch

I know I got one with v1.1 of the OS. It was not until 2.x of the OS before the WiFi problems were fixed.

[RamboLiberal]

28. Problems being reported

"Apple forums and the official support site are jam packed with user complaints all related to weak WiFi signal problem," Product Reviews reports. One user, Andrew79, wrote in to an Apple forum with a typical complaint, saying, "My signal keeps fluctuating from strong to weak, while my MacBook and iPhone show a consistent signal at the same location."

"New reports suggested that the iPad may not power up properly when connected to some USB ports. Users also complained that the iPad would only charge if turned off or in sleep mode." Yahoo's tech blogger shared his personal charging woes, explaining, "when I plugged my new iPad into my MacBook Pro and saw the "Not charging" message next to the iPad's battery icon." (MacWorld offers tips on how to charge your iPad.)

According to The Times, iPhone apps are frequently crashing when loaded onto the iPad. Yahoo's Ben Patterson adds, "I've been hearing a series of complaints about iPad apps crashing repeatedly; the culprits run the gamut, ranging from games and the Netflix and ABC streaming video players to apps for the New York Times and TIME magazine. "

PC World explains: "Time spent syncing is ridiculously sluggish. Some users say that syncing their iPads gobbles up 30-plus minutes -- others claim four or more hours, with one user saying they lost seven hours. This begs the question: what's the point in buying a tablet that won't let you play with it?" Users on the Apple forum report that syncing the iPad often freezes iTunes: "iTunes recognizes the iPad fine, but as soon as I click the sync apps check box, iTunes freezes."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/06/ipad-problems-complaints_n_526738.html#slide_image

[onehandle]

29. Which will be fixed with firmware and/or software updates, just like the iPhone.

As always.