Mac shipments suspended from NYC Schools over WiFi flaw

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Scheduled delivery of Apple computers to schools run by the New York City Department of Education have been temporarily suspended due to problems related to connecting to the DOE's wireless network infrastructure.



Apple is scrambling to address the WiFi connectivity issue within its Leopard operating system. The fix appears set to be included in the bug fixes of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5.3 release, as noted in the report Successive Mac OS X 10.5.3 builds continue.



Until the software fix ships, all Macs on order with wireless features are being held at Dell's merge center in Austin, Texas. The DOE contracted with Dell Managed Services to handle all of the school system's tech related ordering, including the procurement of Apple desktops, laptops, and servers. Because of the WiFi compatibility problem, ordered units have been on hold for as much as two months waiting for a fix.



Apple apologized for the delay both in an email to faculty obtained by AppleInsider, and in a notice on the Apple product catalog on the Dell Managed Systems website. The company said it was working to resolve the issue as soon as possible so that the pending orders could be delivered.



Schools managed by the DOE can still order new Apple computers and servers through Dell Managed Services, and systems that do not rely on wireless connectivity can be approved for shipping despite the order suspension.



In an apologetic email, an Apple sales representative offered to help compile a list of any orders "for desktops or laptops that you DO NOT plan on using your wireless networks but rather want to have installed using standard wired ethernet hook-up" and to "work with Dell Managed Services to identify these orders and release them for installation now versus waiting for the wireless issue to be resolved."

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 44
    lablab Posts: 10member
    Hopefully, a bit of power play by a significant customer gets Apple to FINALLY fix this pervasive and extremly annoying bug many insignificant users face.
  • Reply 2 of 44
    steviet02steviet02 Posts: 594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lab View Post


    Hopefully, a bit of power play by a significant customer gets Apple to FINALLY fix this pervasive and extremly annoying bug many insignificant users face.



    Ditto....
  • Reply 3 of 44
    shaminoshamino Posts: 541member
    So what is this bug? My Mac (running 10.5.2) has had no Wi-Fi problems connecting to Actiontec (Verizon FiOS) and Linksys base stations.
  • Reply 4 of 44
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    I've had no issues with my Leopard iMac or my MB Air.



    However, I do notice that file copying to/from my Time Capsule runs at speeds that vary amazingly. (Like, 50k to 5MB per second!) Probably unrelated.
  • Reply 5 of 44
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Yeah, nice to see this sort of thing happen rather than they accept delivery and sue Apple 2 years later in a class-action lawsuit. I'm glad someone was on the ball and holding Apple accountable. Now we just have to get a major company to halt shipment on iMacs until they can display the "millions of colors" that were specified when the orders were placed
  • Reply 6 of 44
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Nice caption. It's false, but hey whatever grabs your privates.



    An accurate title:



    Mac shipment suspended for NYC Schools over WiFi flaw in OS X Leopard
  • Reply 7 of 44
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,338member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Nice caption. It's false, but hey whatever grabs your privates.



    An accurate title:



    Mac shipment suspended for NYC Schools over WiFi flaw in OS X Leopard



    I agree. The current title is open to misinterpretation.



    I don't quite understand what "flaw" they are referring to, though. Can someone elaborate for me?
  • Reply 8 of 44
    henrikmkhenrikmk Posts: 17member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nagromme View Post


    I've had no issues with my Leopard iMac or my MB Air.



    However, I do notice that file copying to/from my Time Capsule runs at speeds that vary amazingly. (Like, 50k to 5MB per second!) Probably unrelated.



    I see this with copying files from my Mac Mini to my Macbook via Wifi, but not the other way around: I copy a 20 MB file and the first 3-4 MB run OK. Afterwards its 50 kb/s tops and constant, but it still copies. If I stop and try again, the process is repeated exactly. Strange.
  • Reply 9 of 44
    tri3tri3 Posts: 20member
    I haven't had any wi-fi issues with my time capsule or linksys router. What are the issues?
  • Reply 10 of 44
    kasperkasper Posts: 941member, administrator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tri3 View Post


    I haven't had any wi-fi issues with my time capsule or linksys router. What are the issues?



    Our source information did not identify the specific issue.



    Sorry guys,



    K
  • Reply 11 of 44
    just_a_guyjust_a_guy Posts: 49member
    Um. this is just unfair for all the student's who's parents got them a mac becasue they needed it, and now can't get it!
  • Reply 12 of 44
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lab View Post


    Hopefully, a bit of power play by a significant customer gets Apple to FINALLY fix this pervasive and extremly annoying bug many insignificant users face.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by steviet02 View Post


    Ditto....



    Well it would seem we have two forum members right hear that are professing to have the same problem... Perhaps they would be kind enough to enlighten the rest of us... For something that is "pervasive and extremly annoying" most of us posting here so far know anything about it...



    Dave
  • Reply 13 of 44
    cubertcubert Posts: 728member
    I haven't had wi-fi connectivity issues at all and neither have my friends. It seems more likely it is an issue with how the NYC DOE set up their network.
  • Reply 14 of 44
    skottichanskottichan Posts: 193member
    Yeah, none of our Macs are having WiFi problems. At all.





    Now my Wii.... *throws it out the window*
  • Reply 15 of 44
    kikuchiyokikuchiyo Posts: 1member
    The flaw is with many MacBooks. Internet connection drops randomly, often re-setting automatically, sometimes every few minutes. The problem varies from somewhat annoying (pages won't load) to work stopping (pages REALLY won't load). Other computers with the same wireless router (including PCs) remain rock solid. Only those with Leopard drop out. (Or, according to others, Tiger too, after 10.4.10.) In fact, my MacBook worked flawlessly--never dropped--until 10.4.10. Now it's schizo.



    Don't believe it's real? Take a look at the Apple forums under MacBook-->Internet and Networking



    One thread has 51,000 views and 618 replies. Another has 9,000 views and 145 replies.



    If you haven't seen this flaw with your MacBook, just be thankful. But, believe me, this is real. I hope this pressure helps Apple get on the ball.
  • Reply 16 of 44
    rmansfieldrmansfield Posts: 12member
    This has been a huge issue that Apple has been ignoring for quite a while. It's affecting me and quite a few others.



    Here is one of MANY such threads on the Apple support forums:

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....readID=1231631
  • Reply 17 of 44
    lablab Posts: 10member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    Well it would seem we have two forum members right hear that are professing to have the same problem... Perhaps they would be kind enough to enlighten the rest of us... For something that is "pervasive and extremly annoying" most of us posting here so far know anything about it...



    Dave



    I don't know the exact issue the NY DOE is facing. My case is as follows (in short):



    MacBook+10.4.11+WPA2=

    MacBook+10.5.0+WPA2= (for most, problems started here)

    MacBook+10.5.1+WPA2= (lost connection after seconds, later unable to connect at all, spent hours)

    MacBook+10.5.2+WPA2= (I had hoped for a solution...)

    MacBook+10.5.2+WPA1=\ (my temporary solution)



    You'll be able to find lots of discussions in the Apple forums. The reason doesn't always seem to be the same, but just a few examples:

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=6643660

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=6466793

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....readID=1231631

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....readID=1008143



    Some friends of mine had problems with their Macbooks right out of the box...
  • Reply 18 of 44
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lab View Post


    I don't know the exact issue the NY DOE is facing. My case is as follows (in short):



    MacBook+10.5.2+WPA2= (I had hoped for a solution...)

    MacBook+10.5.2+WPA1=\ (my temporary solution)



    That sucks and I feel for you... I come with my own tale of insanity that revolved around 10.2 or 10.3 (can't remember) mounting SMB shares (hosted by W2k3 servers) and Mac users trying to save Excel files while other people had them open in read only mode... The files would get TOTALLY NUKED!!!! Yea that would be BAD in a research environment...



    Talk about a circle jerk...



    Apple -- It's W2k3

    Apple -- It could also be the MacBU who wrote Office 2004

    MS Server Group -- Its Apple

    MacBU -- Its Apple



    Blah blah blah -- static static static...



    Problem went unfixed for close to a yea IIRC - I **think** 10.4 had the fix in it... but OH what a nightmare!!



    Dave
  • Reply 19 of 44
    nymacguynymacguy Posts: 1member
    This problem rendered my imac g5 un-useable the day Leopard was installed back in October. Reinstalled Leopard, then wiped it clean and reinstalled...yada yada yada, been on the phone with AppleCare for hours and they finally admitted this is a bug. I have had no use of my computer for almost 6 months. It is outrageous! I'm glad that some of you aren't experiencing this problem but for those of use that are, it is so bad that the wireless simple doesn't work at all. The machine worked fine with Tiger, now I can't use it. Some lawyer needs to jump on this! Shame on Apple for their handling of this situation!









    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rmansfield View Post


    This has been a huge issue that Apple has been ignoring for quite a while. It's affecting me and quite a few others.



    Here is one of MANY such threads on the Apple support forums:

    http://discussions.apple.com/thread....readID=1231631



  • Reply 20 of 44
    diskimagediskimage Posts: 89member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kikuchiyo View Post


    The flaw is with many MacBooks. Internet connection drops randomly, often re-setting automatically, sometimes every few minutes. The problem varies from somewhat annoying (pages won't load) to work stopping (pages REALLY won't load). Other computers with the same wireless router (including PCs) remain rock solid. Only those with Leopard drop out. (Or, according to others, Tiger too, after 10.4.10.) In fact, my MacBook worked flawlessly--never dropped--until 10.4.10. Now it's schizo.



    Don't believe it's real? Take a look at the Apple forums under MacBook-->Internet and Networking



    One thread has 51,000 views and 618 replies. Another has 9,000 views and 145 replies.



    If you haven't seen this flaw with your MacBook, just be thankful. But, believe me, this is real. I hope this pressure helps Apple get on the ball.



    I have noticed this with my MacBook running 10.4.11 but I did not think it was an issue. It is very minor on my MacBook, it only looses its connection for a second or two every so often. This is not usually a problem unless I am downloading a big file or playing an online game. I just thought it was one of those things that happens with WIFI.
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