2010-04-08 09:01:11
Some owners of the newly-available iPad have reported problems with connecting
their devices to wi-fi.
Hundreds have complained about weak signals on the tablet computer.
Apple acknowledged on its support page that "under certain conditions, iPad may
not automatically rejoin a known wi-fi network".
It offered a fix, but suggested that it was a router issue, despite some users
saying that other devices worked fine on the same wi-fi connection.
Typical comments on the Apple support page included Dr JB who wrote: "Wi-fi
reception seems weak with slow downloads."
prb44t replied: "I'm having the same issues. Weak signal on the iPad, same spot
iPhone works great. Very frustrating."
But others reported that they had no problems.
Some speculated that the problem might be related to the position of the wi-fi
antenna on the device, while others said it could be a software bug.
Apple said that the problem could be caused by dual-band routers and suggested
users created a separate network name for each band.
But this will not solve the problem for everyone, pointed out Adam Leach,
principal analyst at research firm Ovum.
"If you are using public wi-fi, then you are not going to be able to make
changes to router settings," he said.
If the bug proves to be software-related, it will be easily solved, but if it
turns out to be a problem for the device, it could be more of a headache for
Apple.
"If the wi-fi problem is hardware-related, it will force a number of returns,
which will be costly for Apple and ruin the experience for the first adopters,"
he said.
Other reported glitches with the new device include some complaints about
charging it and uploading applications.
The iPad went on sale in the US on 3 April and sold more than 300,000 units on
its first day.
Apple said that one million applications and more than 250,000 e-books were
downloaded on the same day.
A model offering both wi-fi and 3G connectivity will go on sale in the US and
the UK later this month.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8606727.stm
Published: 2010/04/07 10:02:59 GMT