I had the same issue with ALL my iPads. Couldn't activate with iTunes either because the devices didn't show up. But after a reboot of the mac they did and that way I was able to activate.
Let's first thank Apple for even supporting older generation devices. It is very difficult and not the $$$ thing to do for a corporation. It would be easier to remove legacy devices. Sounds like there is a certain group of devices that are impacted. It still could be related to early updating. In any event make sure you back up your device. If you are on older equipment I would recommend the wired iTunes clean update method described earlier. It sucks to be part of the group that is having problems but it happens from time to time especially when you have so many devices to consider. Good luck to those who are navigating the issues!
And thank God you're not dealing with an Android device, where updates come months late, if at all. Wife insists on Android, so I make sure she has a Nexus and will receive timely updates and patches.
Folks with Samsung, LG, HTC and others are at the mercy of both the hardware manufacturer and the carrier if they expect to receive an update or patch. That's a big reason why Android OS adoption is so fragmented among Jellybean through Marshmallow--many phone users are never provided an upgrade pathway.
It's easy to get caught in the boo-hoo of an iOS update gone wrong, but as stated above, it is remarkable so many iOS device owners are included in each advancement of iOS.
I updated two devices without issue (iPad Pro, iPhone 6). Two iPad 2's failed to activate, either on device or via iTunes. Talked to Apple Support for a while, tried everything we could think of, ended up doing a a full restore on each. Both activated fine after that. Perhaps something was forgotten in the updater, perhaps in the bootloader? Who knows. But a 'hold the home button and plug in the cable' restore worked like a champ.
Why are folks trying to upgrade such an old device in the first place? Do you really think you're going to have the same user experience as someone with current hardware?
I think you guys got your money's worth out of a device that is now SIX GENERATIONS OLD.
I can say this, because I shouldered on with my much beloved 4S far beyond its "best by" date. To keep the performance snappy I resisted the temptation to upgrade iOS past a certain point. In fact until this year, it remained on iOS 7, only updating APPS as needed.
Eventually, some app updates stopped working with this old OS, so I bit the bullet and leaped to 9. That served only to highlight just how far things had come (I have an iPad Pro 13" for comparison).
It seems the release of Apple's feature-packed iOS 9.3 update is not going over well with some users, as a small contingent of iPad owners are complaining of bricked hardware after attempting over-the-air and iTunes upgrades.
An unknown number of iPad owners, specifically those with second-generation models, are having trouble installing and activating the latest iOS version released Monday, according to posts on Apple's Support Communities forum and readers who reached out to AppleInsider.
The issue, which appears to be limited to older iPads, usually presents itself during the activation stage and multiple users have reported seeing authentication error messages. While the symptom suggests overly congested activation servers on Apple's end -- situation normal for a new firmware release -- some iPad owners have been waiting for 24 hours without luck.
A few Support pages forum members said they were able to work around the issue by downloading iOS 9.3 through iTunes on a Mac and installing over a hardwired USB connection, but others have attempted the same without success. Another method that proved effective for some is a full restore. It is recommended that users conduct a local or iCloud backup prior to restoring their device as the process erases all user data.
At least one Support Communities member affected by the potential bug took their device into a local Apple Store for help, but employees were unable to offer assistance.
Apple has not issued a statement regarding the matter and did not respond to a request for comment.
No problem with the install on my SSSLLLLOOOOWWWWWW iPad 3. Strange that the iPad 2 is having issues and Apple sold that iPad for quite some time. Even after the iPad 3 and I think iPad 4 was being sold as their lower cost tablet and it still having the 30-pi connector for 3rd party accessory's. There has to be a lot of them out there.
I updated two devices without issue (iPad Pro, iPhone 6). Two iPad 2's failed to activate, either on device or via iTunes. Talked to Apple Support for a while, tried everything we could think of, ended up doing a a full restore on each. Both activated fine after that. Perhaps something was forgotten in the updater, perhaps in the bootloader? Who knows. But a 'hold the home button and plug in the cable' restore worked like a champ.
The only problem with that is when the iPad is a person's only computer, as Apple has been positioning the iPad for years. No computer to plug it into. Add to that no Apple Store within 100 miles, and this kind of thing becomes a real problem.
Why are folks trying to upgrade such an old device in the first place?
Because a reminder to upgrade pops up daily until you do. And there's no way to turn it off, except to upgrade.
That's not true in my recent experience on either of my devices (as well as a iPad Air 2 and and iPad 3).
I was reminded perhaps twice per upgrade event. It usually stopped asking me about it after a couple of "No"s. I would not have tolerated daily nanny notes, a la Microsoft.
My kid hit the update pop up on our iPad 2 and 9.3 buggered it up. Only thing that fixed it was a hard restore. Not really a big deal for us, but just a pain.
Why are folks trying to upgrade such an old device in the first place? Do you really think you're going to have the same user experience as someone with current hardware?
.
It's a computer with a camera and microphone and (often) loads of personal information on it; it's *always* connected to the Internet. Apple's updates include security patches for publicly disclosed vulnerabilities. It's silly to not apply patches just like it's silly to expect the same user experience on old hardware.
For the record, I'm really happy that Apple keeps supporting hardware a few generations back and I'm *thrilled* that they have gone back as far as the iPad 2 with iOS 9. This level of support, more than anything else, is what sets Apple apart from anyone else doing mobile devices.
This problem bit me too. The exact problem seems to be hitting 2nd generation iPads with 3G quite a lot, and connecting to iTunes running on a computer does not fix the issue for quite a lot of us. For me, putting the iPad into DFU mode and restoring to factory default state and then recovering from a backup worked a charm. It's annoying, but that's what I get for installing on release day
Out of 7 iOS devices in the household, this was the only issue so far.
Comments
Folks with Samsung, LG, HTC and others are at the mercy of both the hardware manufacturer and the carrier if they expect to receive an update or patch. That's a big reason why Android OS adoption is so fragmented among Jellybean through Marshmallow--many phone users are never provided an upgrade pathway.
It's easy to get caught in the boo-hoo of an iOS update gone wrong, but as stated above, it is remarkable so many iOS device owners are included in each advancement of iOS.
Why are folks trying to upgrade such an old device in the first place? Do you really think you're going to have the same user experience as someone with current hardware?
I think you guys got your money's worth out of a device that is now SIX GENERATIONS OLD.
I can say this, because I shouldered on with my much beloved 4S far beyond its "best by" date. To keep the performance snappy I resisted the temptation to upgrade iOS past a certain point. In fact until this year, it remained on iOS 7, only updating APPS as needed.
Eventually, some app updates stopped working with this old OS, so I bit the bullet and leaped to 9. That served only to highlight just how far things had come (I have an iPad Pro 13" for comparison).
.
Larry
I was reminded perhaps twice per upgrade event. It usually stopped asking me about it after a couple of "No"s. I would not have tolerated daily nanny notes, a la Microsoft.
For the record, I'm really happy that Apple keeps supporting hardware a few generations back and I'm *thrilled* that they have gone back as far as the iPad 2 with iOS 9. This level of support, more than anything else, is what sets Apple apart from anyone else doing mobile devices.
Out of 7 iOS devices in the household, this was the only issue so far.