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I wonder if the issue is worse on 3G models. I have a 3G and have this problem. Do others of you who do not have the problem have a Wifi only model?

I have a wifi only iPad 2 and can't replicate it. Wonder if it is isolated to the 3G units.
 
I have a wifi only iPad 2 and can't replicate it. Wonder if it is isolated to the 3G units.

I have a 64GB WiFi 3g, and my WiFi bars do not drop at all while holding it with my hand over the speaker or any other way for that matter.
 
I have a 64GB WiFi 3g, and my WiFi bars do not drop at all while holding it with my hand over the speaker or any other way for that matter.

Instead of just looking at the bars, have you tried a speedtest like the video posted by the OP to see if the signal degrades or dies while holding by the speaker?
 
No not seeing this at all with speedtest. Covered speaker area with my hand on the bottom area did nothing. I have a WIFI only iPad2. Might be a 3G model problem.
 
as devices get thinner and thinner the 'shell' around the antenna gets less and less.

the antenna gotta be SOMEWHERE and you can hold the iPad any orientation you want (it's probably a bad idea to _cover the speakers_ anyways)
 
Who cares, hold it a different way, why would you want to block the speaker anyways?
 
So from now on eaverytime apple releases a product someone on the Internet is going to find the antenna block it and then create a video about it? great.
 
Who cares, hold it a different way, why would you want to block the speaker anyways?

Exactly. The antenna has to go somewhere and putting it in an area you already wouldn't want to block seems pretty smart to me.

I've not tried holding it like that, but I've had zero issues with my wifi so far, stays at full signal everywhere in my condo and in my office at work.
 
So from now on eaverytime apple releases a product someone on the Internet is going to find the antenna block it and then create a video about it? great.
Before the iPhone 4, no one was even looking at this kind of thing. Apple brought all this on themselves with such a glaring design decision on the iPhone 4. Now everything they do is under a microscope. Maybe they'll think twice about putting the antenna on the exterior of their next phone (with a short-circuit spot where you hold it).

Of course it's all blown out of proportion, but it came from their iPhone 4 design.
 
IPad 2 is suffering the death grip issue. I'm used to landscape mode, holding with my left hand. When holding near the speaker grille, the wifi signal strength drops instantly. I guess I never noticed this for the iPad 1 since it was always in a case.

Anyone else have this problem?


You're holding it wrong:p
 
Lmao why are you holding your iPad like this though? I'm actually legitimately curious, or maybe im just accustomed to having a case/ cover and always keep my volume side up where the speaker is.

In any case, 16 gig, black wifi only model here, can't reproduce it, been trying for a few seconds, stopped caring after I realized I'm actively trying to make my device dysfunctional in the dumbest way possible.

This might be more absurd than the people that don't notice their backlight until they go into a closet and blind themselves with the backlight by staring at a bright screen in the dark.
 
Lmao why are you holding your iPad like this though? I'm actually legitimately curious, or maybe im just accustomed to having a case/ cover and always keep my volume side up where the speaker is.

In any case, 16 gig, black wifi only model here, can't reproduce it, been trying for a few seconds, stopped caring after I realized I'm actively trying to make my device dysfunctional in the dumbest way possible.

This might be more absurd than the people that don't notice their backlight until they go into a closet and blind themselves with the backlight by staring at a bright screen in the dark.


I'm actually surprised so many people are quick to be so defensive. Likewise, I'm also surprised this isn't getting more traction. I noticed the issue as well, but I just ended up not holding it there (obviously, I was holding it wrong). Those of you who say "why would you block the speaker", tell me when was the last time you were reading or just browsing simple websites and required sound?

Anyway, since not everyone is able to reproduce the issue, I'm wondering if it has something to do with the type of Wifi network people have setup. I'm not educated on Wifi antennas, but maybe B/G/N all function differently and only certain ones have issue? When I actually get the time to check, I'll try to run some tests.

The only reason I decided to find this thread was because my girlfriend was looking at some shoes online and suddenly told me "the iPad 2 is kinda slower than the first one at browsing". I looked at her, naturally puzzled, and said that it's impossible... speed, especially for browsing, should be at least two times faster. When I looked at the iPad2, the site she was browsing was stuck loading (blue bar on the HTML link was loading). Then, I noticed the way she was holding it and told her to try moving her hands around. Of course, the site loaded instantly.

Like I said though, this requires some more testing. There could be so many factors as to why this is happening so I think it's best we don't just let the issue "die" and diss anyone who even mentions it. It could be specific routers, router configurations, distance, restored from backup (although mine isn't restored from backup), etc. Plus, people who have routers running stuff like DD-WRT have even MORE settings to muck with when it comes to wifi.
 
Every small radio device is going to have some scenario where you can block the signal with your body. "Antennagate" should have been over and done with about 100 years ago, the first time somebody touched a radio antenna and lost their channel.

100 years ago antennas weren't designed as the thing you would hold. Common sense was more common back then. That being said my iPhone 4 suffered from the problem, but my ipad2 only drops one bar of wifi. It doesn't bother me as I can easily move my hand on the iPad to mitigate the issue in a way I couldn't on my iPhone.
 
I have the 64GB 3G version iPad2 and it get as good if not better WiFi reception than my original.
 
Yes I have experienced this exact same scenario.

However the reason I don't see it as a problem, is I do understand that Apple is having a problem learning how to build the proper antenna for it's devices.

I do believe that at some point Apple will finally figure out how to implement antennas, and this issue will be behind us.

Seriously? Did you really just write that? It's ok if the antenna doesn't work because Apple is having a hard time figuring it out? Aww come on guys, cut the cute widdle billion dollar company some slack! What if the screen randomly went black because Apple was having a hard time figuring it out? What if the screen shattered at will, sending flying shards of glass into your eyes?

And "this issue will be behind us when they figure it out"? Umm, maybe for the people that buy a new one. What about the people who want to keep their iPad 2? Will the issue be behind them?

In case you haven't noticed, Apple charges quite a bit of money for their products. We are not beta testers. If they make a product with a major design flaw, they are not to be coddled and patted on the head. Why should anyone have to spell that out?

Not saying there is or isn't a wifi issue with the iPad 2, but it's nonsense like this that gives anyone who even remotely considers themselves an Apple fan a bad name. Apple is not your kindergarten child.
 
I've been holding mine all sorts of ways, including the way shown in the video, with no problems. I have a wifi only version. The only signal loss I get is when in my bedroom, on the opposite side of the house from the router. And even then, it only drops down to two bars of wifi and still goes 10+ Mbps. It's a G/N wireless network with some sort of security enabled, though I don't remember because it's been a while since I set it up.
 
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