iPad actually performs well in 5GHz band

The iPad's screen capture capability has created some controversy among comic book companies. Comic book reading has been a major selling point of the iPad with full color high-resolution comics now available on the platform. The iPad's screen capture -- achieved by clicking the power button and home button concurrently -- has allowed users to grab the high resolution imagery which could then be easily pirated and distributed against the wishes of the copyright holders.

The iPad's WiFi performance has been maligned in early use -- In one series of tests, the iPad has been found to have sub-par WiFi performance, compared to a MacBook Pro and HP Notebook. The tests looked at signal quality and download speeds and generally found the iPad lagging, though 5GHz tests did see better performance, according to PadGadget. The tests involved three iPads, using two different brads of wireless routers and covered open field and indoor testing at various distances from the routers.

The iPad's range was limited compared to the notebooks, likely due to the iPad antennae location, which is behind a piece of aluminum and plastic. In most 2.4GHz-band tests the iPad lagged far behind the MacBook Pro and HP notebook. In 5GHz signal tests the iPad actually exceeded the performance of the two notebooks when outdoors but had mixed results when indoors and eventually failed at longer indoor distances. The testing suggested that iPad users stay close to their routers -- two room walls between the router and iPad is generally too much -- and stay on the 5GHz band when possible. Switching the WiFi on and off after waking from long sleep periods was shown to help performance as well.

by MacNN Staff