iOS 6 users face Wi-Fi, connectivity issues

iOS 6, Apple’s latest operating system, came with a lot of features and improvements. However, it has brought along its fair share of bugs and problems too. After the Maps app debacle, which resulted in CEO Tim Cooks issuing an apology, it appears iOS 6 may also cause problems when connecting to Wi-Fi.

If the discussion threads on Apple’s support forums are anything to go by – one of which is currently 123 pages long – some iOS 6 users are unable to switch on Wi-Fi on their devices, while others are complaining of not being able to connect to Wi-Fi networks in spite of having Wi-Fi enabled. Other threads on the support forum highlight another problem with Apple devices not being able to connect with Netgear modems or routers after being upgraded to iOS 6.

With reports indicating that over 60 percent of all Apple users have upgraded to iOS 6, this does seem like a significant problem for Apple. One of our colleagues who owns an iPhone 4 and recently upgraded to iOS 6, however, reported no issues with the Wi-Fi not working. He does complain about the Maps app though, but who doesn’t?

iOS6 has almost everything; unfortunately that includes bugs too

Apple’s iPhone 5 launch was marred by users taking to social media and blogs to complain about geographical errors and missing information on the maps feature, which is based on TomTom's map data. The company decided to forego the use of Google Maps in favour of an app that was developed in-house. The app is receiving many complaints due to the high level of inaccuracies. Following the debacle, CEO of Apple Tim Cook issued an apology to users of iOS 6, and suggested alternatives to the Maps app till Apple fixes it.

In his statement, Tim Cook said, "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better...While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app".

However, analysts are of the opinion that due to the demand for the latest iPhone, the iPhone 5 will not be affected despite the bad publicity gained by Apple Maps. Sterne Agee, analyst at Shaw Wu, said that the demand for the iPhone5 continues to be high despite the under-par Maps service present on its operating system.

Apple still estimates a ship time of three to four weeks for the iPhone 5. Complaints over the many mistakes in Apple Maps have surfaced since the app debuted two weeks ago. But Wu sees this as a short-term problem, and one that may have been unavoidable.

Since Maps is software-based, the analyst is confident that Apple will make the program "more powerful and refined" over time. Google Maps has been touted as a better solution, especially since it was kicked out to make room for Apple Maps. But Google's product had its own growing pains, Wu noted.

Here’s hoping for the sake of iOS 6 users that Apple fixes this glitch soon.