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The Wi-Fi reliability problems reported by iPad owners can probablybe solved with a software update, a hardware expert said Friday. "It's unlikely that hardware is the primary cause of the[problem]," said Aaron Vronko, CEO of Michigan-based Rapid Repair , a repair shop and do-it-yourself parts supplier for the iPad,iPhone and iPod Touch. "This is probably a software problem, or ahardware quirk that software must negotiate." [ Understand how to both manage and benefit from theconsumerization of IT trend with InfoWorld's "Consumerization Digital Spotlight" PDF special report . Subscribe to InfoWorld's Consumerization of IT newsletter today, then join our #CoIT discussion group at LinkedIn . ] Vronko said iPad owners hinted as much.
"If this was hardwarerelated, it would almost certainly have to be an error in assemblyor failure in the chip itself," Vronko said in an email reply toquestions. "However, chip-related failure would likely be moreabsolute in its effects." Users have not said that their iPads are never able to connect to aWi-Fi network; instead they have said the signal is weak -- anddownload speeds are extremely slow -- or they're unable to maintaina connection. Complaints about the iPad's wireless reliability surfaced within hours of the iPad's March 16 sales debut. Vronko also relied on advice given by Apple to back up hisspeculation. Last week, an Apple support representative toldComputerworld that resetting the iPad's network settings to theirfactory defaults might solve the Wi-Fi problem.
"The fact that a network settings reset can sometimes resolve theissue points strongly to a power-saving feature run amok," saidVronko. According to Vronko and several tear-down experts, the new iPadfeatures the Broadcom BCM4330 chip, which handles Wi-Fi andBluetooth. That chip, new to the iPad, also is inside the iPhone4S, which launched last October. "[The Broadcom BCM4330 chip] boasts a new design including severalnew power-saving features," said Vronko.
"Wi-Fi can be a hungrycustomer in mobile devices and Apple knew that the new LCD and itsrequisite monster truck GPU would be guzzling battery juice. Theyhad to go aggressive on performance per milliwatt on every othercomponent." For that reason, Vronko wasn't surprised to hear users gripe. "Tunea few million test subjects tightly against the performance limitand you're bound to have some problems in the field," he said. The solution could turn on adjusting the iPad's power managementsoftware to make more battery power available to the Broadcom chip.
Apple has not publicly acknowledged a Wi-Fi issue in the new iPad,or hinted whether a fix is in the works, and if so, when it wouldbe released. Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsersand general technology breaking news for Computerworld. FollowGregg on Twitter at @gkeizer , on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is.
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