According to an Apple shop source, Apple may delay the launch of the iPad in Australia in an effort to sort out several problems involving Wi-Fi, heating and start-up that have emerged following the launch of the device in the US.
The issues that Apple is currently working on include Wi-Fi, USB charging issues, and some users have reported that the device fails to reboot after being closed down.
Hundreds of US buyers have posted comments on Apple’s website saying they cannot get a Wi-Fi signal and that they are having problems re-charging the battery and uploading applications.
Apple executives are concerned that a rush to deliver units from manufacturers in Asia to meet the US deadline may have resulted in quality issues with several units. Analysts say this could cost Apple millions of dollars.
Last night Apple added a help page to their website in an effort to reduce inbound calls to their call centres that are believed to have been “swamped” with irate callers.
Many buyers of Apple’s iPad may be wishing they had stayed at home and saved their money judging by comments on several forums.
An Apple store source said “Issues with the US iPad’s have been discussed at Apple Australia and there are concerns. I cannot comment any further”. When asked whether the Australian launch could be delayed they said “Could be but I have no knowledge of management’s plans at this stage”.
The launch is believed to have been scheduled for April 24th in Australia.
One U.S. buyer wrote: ‘Add me to the list with problems! I’m very disappointed that there’s no solution either.’
Another said: ‘My Wi-Fi went down after working great for a few hours. My download speeds started to crawl, I couldn’t even surf the web.’
Among the problems emerging are claims that the Wi Fi is not working properly on the device with several owners claiming that the iPad is failing in areas where their iPhone and other Wi-Fi enabled devices are working properly.
Some users have complained of problems charging their devices via the USB ports on their computer. Many owners have complained that they can’t power up the iPad after shutting the tablet off unless they sync it with iTunes.
While Apple has not responded officially, several users have been told to bring their units in for an “exchange” when they contacted an Apple store.
One owner wrote “Although this is a first generation device you’d still expect issues like this to have been captured in the testing stages. Hopefully software can fix all three of the issues”.
Consumer Reports, the equivalent of Choice in the USA, suggest that you can only charge via a Mac USB port or the 10W power brick that comes supplied with the iPad.
The test organisation claims that they tested the device on several Windows machines and none were able to charge it. This potentially could be that there is just not enough power on a PC USB port they say.
Some users are complaining of overheating with several getting a message that says “iPad needs to cool down before you can use it”.
