Is Apple or Verizon to Blame for the iPad 2 Wireless Connectivity Issues?

Whoops! Could this be the problem that turns Verizon customers, once so excited about Apple's decision to allow the carrier to host its products, to flee back to AT&T? Online forums are filling up with complaints from owners of the iPad 2 (in all models -- both 3G and Wi-Fi-enabled with 16, 32 and 64 GB of storage) that their devices must be constantly rebooted to stay connected to Verizon's 3G network.

"The Apple Support Discussion boards list five pages discussing the problem," CNET's John Scott Lewinski reported this afternoon. "Wi-Fi functions work well enough, but 3G connections either take several minutes or never occur at all. While there's no clear evidence that all Verizon iPad 2 users face the same problem, the complaints coming in from those affected are very similar. When the Verizon iPad 2's 3G function is deactivated, it will not reactivate or connect without a reboot. Switching the device in and out [of] airplane mode has no effect."

The iPad 2 restarts pretty quickly, but not fast enough to make this a convenient solution to the problem. According to many of the complaints, trips to Apple's retail outlets and calls to customer service have not resulted in a fix.

And when will the problem be solved, if ever? Nobody is stepping up to the plate. Representatives from Apple are blaming the Verizon network and representatives from Verizon are blaming Apple's hardware, according to Business Insider's Steve Kovach, who also dug into the forums. Until one of these two takes the blame and offers a solution, here's what the forum users have decided is the best fix: Turn on your iPad's cellular data switch, restart the tablet and then turn on your cellular data. Because your data switch is already set in the on position, the Verizon service should connect the way it's supposed to.

By Carl W. Brooks
Editor, iamthereforeipad.com