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11:47 AM
Kaushik RC
There's a few reports out there that Apple's new iPad exhibits a few Wi-Fi connectivity problems. And users opting for LTE are discovering just how expensive the alternative is.
The Wi-Fi issues are reportedly sporadic, but some owners of the new iPad say that placing it next to their laptops are finding that the signal strength is notably less on the iPad.
Yet some of those who opt to use 4G cellular instead, as available in the U.S., are discovering that the new connectivity is rather more expensive than they had initially believed.
For now, there's still no word from Apple, but buyers have taken to the Apple Forums to voice their concerns, and to compare notes on working solutions.
And it seems that holding the iPad by the bottom corners appears to worsen the problem, and some users have seen better performance by resetting their network connections. Still, some are accepting that it's a hardware issue and have switched to cellular connectivity instead, which does seem to be performing.
The Wall Street Journal has been talking to some of those who've increased their data cap, seeing just how easily it can happen. The paper also reports one user who found the Wi-Fi in his local café to be too choppy for streaming video, so he switched it off in preference for LTE and managed to burn through 2 GB of data in less than a week, prompting him, and lots of others, to consider upgrading their wireless packages with their carriers.
The Wi-Fi issues are reportedly sporadic, but some owners of the new iPad say that placing it next to their laptops are finding that the signal strength is notably less on the iPad.
Yet some of those who opt to use 4G cellular instead, as available in the U.S., are discovering that the new connectivity is rather more expensive than they had initially believed.
For now, there's still no word from Apple, but buyers have taken to the Apple Forums to voice their concerns, and to compare notes on working solutions.
And it seems that holding the iPad by the bottom corners appears to worsen the problem, and some users have seen better performance by resetting their network connections. Still, some are accepting that it's a hardware issue and have switched to cellular connectivity instead, which does seem to be performing.
The Wall Street Journal has been talking to some of those who've increased their data cap, seeing just how easily it can happen. The paper also reports one user who found the Wi-Fi in his local café to be too choppy for streaming video, so he switched it off in preference for LTE and managed to burn through 2 GB of data in less than a week, prompting him, and lots of others, to consider upgrading their wireless packages with their carriers.
Users of the new iPad in the U.S. are finding 4G speeds topping out between 5 and 6 Mb per second during the day, but say they are achieving almost double that off-peak.
That's easily comparable to the ADSL speeds most users enjoy for now, and is creating use cases which are remarkable in their average consumption of bandwidth.
Another example saw a user buying his iPad on Friday and then spending a couple of hours watching college basketball with the iPad apparently mounted on his dashboard, which was enough to hit the limits. More remarkable was the user's mother, who sat in the living room while her new iPad streamed video of the sleeping baby in the room next door, via the AT&T cellular network.
Verizon Wireless makes the point that LTE networks literally consume more data, particularly when streaming video. Modern video codecs also alter the amount of the compression ratio based on the speed of the connection, and mobile operators are guilty of layering their own compression.
That's good news for the wireless carriers who, for the first time, aren't being accused of failing to provide enough bandwidth. All users that the WSJ spoke to are considering upgrading their data allowance instead. That's enough to push anyone onto Wi-Fi, assuming they can get a signal.
That's easily comparable to the ADSL speeds most users enjoy for now, and is creating use cases which are remarkable in their average consumption of bandwidth.
Another example saw a user buying his iPad on Friday and then spending a couple of hours watching college basketball with the iPad apparently mounted on his dashboard, which was enough to hit the limits. More remarkable was the user's mother, who sat in the living room while her new iPad streamed video of the sleeping baby in the room next door, via the AT&T cellular network.
Verizon Wireless makes the point that LTE networks literally consume more data, particularly when streaming video. Modern video codecs also alter the amount of the compression ratio based on the speed of the connection, and mobile operators are guilty of layering their own compression.
That's good news for the wireless carriers who, for the first time, aren't being accused of failing to provide enough bandwidth. All users that the WSJ spoke to are considering upgrading their data allowance instead. That's enough to push anyone onto Wi-Fi, assuming they can get a signal.
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