iPad Update Improves Wi-Fi, Adds Bing

Updates for both the iPad and the iPhone became available in the iTunes store yesterday. While the iPhone iOS 4 update set off a new wave of complaints, iPad owners seemed satisfied with the improved Wi-Fi connectivity, addition of Bing as a search option, and several other fixes delivered by update 3.2.1.

In its forum, Apple asked for feedback from users who had downloaded the update, specifically:

1. Does it work well coming out of sleep?
2. Is the range better than on the initial OS?
3. Additional comments on changes you have noticed to wifi operation (stability, speed to lock onto signal, etc)

Responses have been mostly positive, even ecstatic. For instance, a contributor in Boston said, “Mine's brilliant. Hidden SSID, unhidden, WPA2, WEP, all tested. Comes out of sleep and connects perfectly. Nice job!”

In addition to improving Wi-Fi connectivity, the update added Microsoft Bing as an alternative to Google, which remains the default search engine on the iPad’s Safari browser, fixed a copy and paste PDF issue, reduces incidents of video playback freezing, and improved VGA adapter reliability that was an issue when the iPad was connected to a TV or computer monitor.

The iPad update is available in iTunes. Apple reminds users to verify they are running the current version of iTunes before installing the update, currently iTunes 9.

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