Syndication08 Apr 2010
iPad, we have a problem.
After weeks of hype over the
new touch-screen tablet, Apple is now acknowledging that the device
sometimes has trouble connecting to the Internet.
"Under certain
conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network
after restart or waking from sleep," Apple said in a post on its
technical support site late last night. Apple did not respond to an
e-mail query from USA Today this morning.
Apple's post came after
complaints from iPad users, who said they weren't able to get a Wi-Fi
connection or that the connection kept getting dropped. Several, on a
message board on Apple's support site, said laying the iPad on a flat
surface worsened the problem.
The technical glitch could dim the
glow around iPad, which is expected to be Apple's next big hit product
and redefine the sluggish $1.3 billion tablet market worldwide. An
estimated 300,000 iPads were sold on Saturday, though the figure fell
short of the 600,000 to 700,000 first-day sales predicted by longtime
Apple analyst Gene Munster.
The iPad, a hybrid that falls
somewhere between a laptop and a smartphone, went on sale Saturday. It
connects to the Internet over a Wi-Fi connection, though Apple will
start selling an iPad version that connects to the Internet via 3G
wireless service from AT&T, later this month.
Apple says the
Internet-related problems can occur with third-party Wi-Fi routers that
are dual-band capable if more than one network has the same name or
someone had different security settings for the different networks.
Apple suggests users create separate names for different Wi-Fi bands and
make sure that multiple networks have the same security settings.
If
problems persist, Apple's post suggests resetting iPad's network
settings.
Analyst Munster estimates the problem probably affects
less than 2% of all iPads.
Maynard Um, an analyst at UBS, projects
iPad unit shipments of 2.1 million in fiscal year 2010 and 4.6 million
in fiscal year 2011. Though he is "bullish" about iPad's long-term
prospects, he wants to see more compelling applications to drive its
sales in the mass market.
After weeks of hype over the
new touch-screen tablet, Apple is now acknowledging that the device
sometimes has trouble connecting to the Internet.
"Under certain
conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network
after restart or waking from sleep," Apple said in a post on its
technical support site late last night. Apple did not respond to an
e-mail query from USA Today this morning.
Apple's post came after
complaints from iPad users, who said they weren't able to get a Wi-Fi
connection or that the connection kept getting dropped. Several, on a
message board on Apple's support site, said laying the iPad on a flat
surface worsened the problem.
The technical glitch could dim the
glow around iPad, which is expected to be Apple's next big hit product
and redefine the sluggish $1.3 billion tablet market worldwide. An
estimated 300,000 iPads were sold on Saturday, though the figure fell
short of the 600,000 to 700,000 first-day sales predicted by longtime
Apple analyst Gene Munster.
The iPad, a hybrid that falls
somewhere between a laptop and a smartphone, went on sale Saturday. It
connects to the Internet over a Wi-Fi connection, though Apple will
start selling an iPad version that connects to the Internet via 3G
wireless service from AT&T, later this month.
Apple says the
Internet-related problems can occur with third-party Wi-Fi routers that
are dual-band capable if more than one network has the same name or
someone had different security settings for the different networks.
Apple suggests users create separate names for different Wi-Fi bands and
make sure that multiple networks have the same security settings.
If
problems persist, Apple's post suggests resetting iPad's network
settings.
Analyst Munster estimates the problem probably affects
less than 2% of all iPads.
Maynard Um, an analyst at UBS, projects
iPad unit shipments of 2.1 million in fiscal year 2010 and 4.6 million
in fiscal year 2011. Though he is "bullish" about iPad's long-term
prospects, he wants to see more compelling applications to drive its
sales in the mass market.