back to article Verizon iPad 2s suffer 3G blindness

Owners of Verizon's iPad 2 are complaining on Apple's support forum that their fondleslabs are having problems connecting to Verizon's CDMA 3G network. Last Saturday, a user with the handle of nixxon2000 began a thread on Apple's iPad discussion board saying that he or she was unable to get a 3G connection. Since that initial …

COMMENTS

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  1. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Network problem?

    Thing is, have they tried another device to prove that it is the iPad?

    The US has some rather patchy networks and two different mobile standards in use (CDMA and GSM), which makes their coverage problems a lot worse.

  2. Silvers
    Grenade

    Hold it correctly

    Are they holding it the correct way as described within the documentation?

    1. Ammaross Danan
      Coat

      Don't worry....

      "It just works"

  3. Dick Emery
    Grenade

    A title is required

    There's a bumper for that.

  4. Getter lvl70 Druid
    Paris Hilton

    Ya know...

    I still don't see the point of having 3G on a device that cannot (could if carriers allowed it) make phone calls. Call me crazy but those data fee/plans start to add up after a while for each damn device I might use.

    I'm just looking for a laptop replacement, tired of hauling them around in my work backpack when a tablet type thing would lessen the load to a notebook sized leather folder.

    I'm thinking the TF101 Asus Eee Pad Transformer... droool.................. me wants....

    Paris.. because it's Friday night and she needs her 3G (three guys).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Unhappy

      Agreed

      Why do we need spereate data plans for our phones, tablets, and potentially other devices (probably new PSP and/ or DS etc.)

      Maybe they should just make it easier to tether you're mobiles connection with whatever device. Most people have their phones everywhere they go with them.

      Ohh that's right, you aren't then tied to two or three contracts costing £25 each/ month....

  5. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Point of 3G

    "I still don't see the point of having 3G on a device that cannot (could if carriers allowed it) make phone calls."

    The point of 3G is to have ubiquitous data coverage, not just when you are within range of some wifi access point. Amusingly, CDMA does not even use 3G for voice, all voice service is carried over the older 1X network... (older, but tweaked heavily to provide good voice service.) EVDO does not have the speed of HSPA+ (it's max speed is 3.1mbps) but with an older EVDO Rev 0 card (which maxes at 2.4mbps) I've gotten between ~768kbps and 2mbps for literally 1000 miles heading out east, and for 970 out of 1000 miles heading south (from the midwest to New Orleans) (I had ~80kbps through 1X for the other 30 miles). If I drove west to Los Angeles, I should have EVDO almost the whole way to the west coast (about 1800 miles).

    The GSM carriers don't have anyhwere near the 3G coverage, but have virtually continuous coverage in the northeast corridor, and in California. They have loads of "islands" of coverage, the small "islands" you can at least get your 3G riding a train or cab across town (or driving, obviously just for telling it to stream music before you start moving). Other "islands" do extend a good 50 or 100 miles or more.

    If you don't care about that, then by all means, get a IPad without 3G, get a PDA (if you can still find one) or find a used "smartphone" and just use it without phone service -- which effectively makes it a PDA. (You could of course get a *new* smartphone, but with US cellcos subsidizing smartphones so heavily, a phone that retails for like $700 will sell 6 months to a year old for like $150.)

    1. Getter lvl70 Druid
      Happy

      You're Right

      However I thought/considered a tablet as a replacement for a laptop, used on the job to download whatever software I might need atm to correct whatever deficiency the suspect machine might have. Network scanning yada yada. A tablet would be giving up cd burning but can be rectified by a trip out to the truck for a usb burner. In any case I am near to a connection be it wireless or wired almost at all times.

      As an entertainment device, you're pretty much around you own wifi at the house or pre download something you want to see before you leave via thumb drives and sd cards.

      For things I need RIGHT NOW, that's why God made my Blackberry :) One data charge right there.

      As far as finding a PDA? easier than you might think. Old school client of mine did something to his pda and it would not sync with the pc calendar anymore - finally took it's last fall to the ground I'm thinking... Anyway, he found a brand new in-the-box Palm M515 online! Says he might have to upgrade to a smartphone in a couple of years lol.

  6. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    It's the IPad2

    "The US has some rather patchy networks"

    But Verizon's not one of them. If you look at their coverage, it's solid over a large portion of the country, and with roaming agreements is pretty dominant. The international perception the US has patchy networks comes from the best coverage carriers here using CDMA, with the GSM carriers being "the rest", meaning bad news if you come here with a quad-band GSM phone. National carriers, you have Verizon Wireless (CDMA) and AT&T Wireless (GSM) as the "tier 1" carriers, with VZW having **much** more native coverage, and quite a bit more total coverage including roaming. Tier 2 (less costly, but less coverage), you have Sprint (CDMA) versus T-Mobile (GSM), Sprint has more native coverage (and will roam with every CDMA carrier, giving them MUCH more coverage compared to T-Mobile), T-Mobile tends to not have "in-market" roaming with AT&T, so if you're well away from T-Mobile coverage your phone will roam, but if you're near T-Mobile coverage but can't get it the phone goes to "Emergency only". Regional carriers, there's some solid regional GSM carriers, but the likes of US Cellular, Bluegrass Cellular, CellularSouth, get pretty close to blanket coverage within their (fairly substantial) coverage areas, meaning Verizon & Sprint often have solid roamers to fall back on while often AT&T & T-Mobile either have no roamer, or one that's not as solidly built out.

    Back on topic... if rebooting makes the IPad2 decide to get service, it's not the network. And, secondly, when Verizon does roam within the US, the phone is supposed to show "Extended Network" (which in Verizon terminology, means "Data, voice, etc. work the same and bill the same as if it says "Verizon Wireless", but don't blame us if there's problems, it's not our network"). "Roaming" is strictly for when you are outside the US (meaning "Don't use your phone or you'll be sorry when you get that bill!!!").

    It's the IPad2.

  7. JaitcH
    Jobs Halo

    Perhaps the working environment is ...

    outside those specified in Apples spec's microprint.- Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F

    (0° to 35° C). Source: <http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html >.

    Obviously iThingy's aren't supposed to operate over 10,000 feet only they omitted to say above what - sea level or ocean floor.

    Besides, everyone knows Apple uses customers for quality control - since when has a Lemon 4 ever worked perfectly straight out of the box?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Re Perhaps the working environment is....

      <<< Besides, everyone knows Apple uses customers for quality control - since when has a Lemon 4 ever worked perfectly straight out of the box? >>>

      Pretty much every one I should think.... Mine did and so did all my friends & all of our staff who bought them. You obviously haven't tried one in your anti-Apple mindset. I wouldn't bother getting any Apple gear though, it'll destroy your prejudices....

  8. SharkNose

    N.T.B.O.A.D

    Just use it on WiFi, not that big of a deal...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    The grass is not greener

    "Another poster, Dambuilder, reported that after navigating up Verizon's support ladder, he or she was told that "the constant roaming indication is a bug that they presently have no solution for.""

    So nice that the carrier tested it. If they claim it is a bug, then it is a bug they should have caught during the the device testing.

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