When Apple announced the iPad 2, it was the first time the company was deploying a wireless device simultaneously on multiple carriers in the United States—and some wondered if the launch would go smoothly, given that the CDMA-enabled iPad running on Verizon Wireless is unlike all other iPads Apple will be making. And sure enough, in the last couple weeks some owners of iPad 2 tablets with Verizon Wireless 3G service have reported the devices drop their 3G connection—and it only comes back after rebooting the device. Now Apple is admitting that customers might not just be making it up: according to a statement sent to All Things Digital, Apple is actively looking into the issue, although there’s no ETA on when (of even if) a fix might be available.
Apple’s statement characterizes the problem as impacting “a small number” of customers. User problem reports seem to center on re-enabling the 3G radio: once users turn the 3G radio off, turning the service back on sometimes does not re-connect to the Verizon Wireless 3G network, even in areas where signal was previously quite strong. The only reliable workaround to date seems to be re-enabling the 3G radio then rebooting the entire iPad.
There are no reports of similar problems with iPad 2 tablets on AT&T’s wireless network.
