AppleInsider Staff
Some early adopters of Apple's latest MacBook Air models have found their new thin-and-light notebook will unexpectedly and repeatedly drop its wireless connection.
A growing thread on the Apple Support Communities website details the connectivity problems being experienced by numerous users. The problems appear to apply to both the 11- and 13-inch varieties of the recently updated notebook lineup.
In addition, an anonymous source from an Apple retail store in London said to Gizmodo that their store has had complaints about wireless connectivity for the new MacBook Airs that are "well above average."
In the thread on Apple's official site, users say they're experiencing the problems across a range of routers, including Apple's own AirPort accessories. Users say they can initially connect to a Wi-Fi network, but that connection will drop after a short period of use.
At the moment, there doesn't appear to be an available solution that addresses the problems seen by all users, though some have had success with various routers or even different placement of the MacBook Air.
The updated MacBook Air lineup launched last week at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. In addition to faster 802.11ac connectivity, the notebooks also feature Intel's latest Haswell processors, helping to enable battery life as great as 12 hours.
The new MacBook Airs are also priced $100 less than their predecessors, with the new low-end $999 11-inch model packing 128 gigabytes of flash storage. Readers can always find the lowest prices on Mac notebooks in AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide.
In addition to the discounts, it's worth mentioning that a couple of the largest resellers only charge tax in their home state (B&H Photo, NY), or states in which they operate (MacMall, CA, IL, NY, TN, MN, GA, NC, WI.). Orders shipped from these resellers to other states are untaxed. Those savings are in addition to those listed in red in the Price Guides, a snippet of which follows:
New 2013 MacBook Airs
*Price when using links in the Mac Price Guide and then applying 3% discount Promo Code APPLEINSIDER01
*MacMall also only charges sales tax for orders shipped to CA, IL, NY, TN, MN, GA, NC, WI.
-B&H only charges sales tax in NY
-B&H offers AppleInsider readers a savings of roughly 30% on 3-Year AppleCare protection plans when purchased alongside a new Mac.
New 2013 MacBook Airs with 3 Years of AppleCare
*Price when using links in the Mac Price Guide and then applying 3% discount Promo Code APPLEINSIDER01
*MacMall also only charges sales tax for orders shipped to CA, IL, NY, TN, MN, GA, NC, WI.
-B&H only charges sales tax in NY
-B&H offers AppleInsider readers a savings of roughly 30% on 3-Year AppleCare protection plans when purchased alongside a new Mac.
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
52 Comments
So in summary, every time Apple releases a new product or OS there are users who report wifi and battery life issues.
Likely a minor deal, but reminds me why I'm almost never a day one adopter of either new HW or SW...
So in summary, every time Apple releases a new product or OS there are users who report wifi and battery life issues.
In summary, I suspect, majority of those reports are either fake or made by people having not a slightest idea on what they are doing.
Can the author expand on this? So how many "reports" are we talking about here? Also you state that it is happening with Apple's own stuff. Does this include the new AC router? Would like to have the facts please.
[QUOTE][SIZE=4]Users report being hit upside the head with a box of stupid[/SIZE][/QUOTE]