Some OS X Yosemite Users Plagued With Wi-Fi Connection Issues

Since OS X Yosemite's October 16 launch, MacRumors has been receiving a number of complaints from users who have been experiencing Wi-Fi issues. Extensive threads about Wi-Fi problems have surfaced on both the MacRumors forums and on Apple's own Support Communities as well, suggesting there are quite a few users who are seeing Wi-Fi connection issues after installing Yosemite.



According to the complaints, Wi-Fi connections are sometimes extremely slow, resulting in long loading times, and in some cases, users are seeing their Wi-Fi connections disconnect continually after just a few minutes of being connected.

Since upgrading to Yosemite, my previously-stable (with Mavericks) wifi connection keeps dropping. I have to click the wifi icon and re-select my network every minute or two. I have turned off bluetooth and uninstalled/reinstalled wifi and my networks. I have rebooted multiple times. No luck so far. It appears that others are having similar problems.

The problems appear to be affecting a wide range of different MacBooks, different routers, and users in different locations. A number of different fixes have been suggested on various forums, but it does not appear that any one solution works for everyone, suggesting there may be an issue with Yosemite that needs to be addressed in a future update.



Some users have had luck disabling Bluetooth, turning off Handoff, creating new Network Locations, doing a clean Yosemite install, setting a router to "G-mode only," turning off Dropbox syncing, disabling WPA router encryption, or turning off all proxies in Network preferences, but other users have not been able to solve their Wi-Fi problems at all even attempting all of the above listed solutions. Swapping to a 2.4GHz band has, however, worked for a large number of users.



Apple support representatives have supplied users with different solutions that have included removing excess preferred networks in the Network section of System Preferences and resetting the System Management Controller.



OS X Daily has written an in-depth tutorial on how to fix the Wi-Fi problems in OS X Yosemite, which involves several steps like deleting preference files, creating custom DNS settings, and refreshing the discoveryd service, but for users who can't find a fix, the site recommends downgrading to OS X Mavericks until Yosemite is updated.



Users attempting any of the highly technical fixes above should make a Time Machine backup ahead of time and use caution when deleting any system files. Thus far, there is no word on when a Yosemite update might come as Apple has not yet released any betas to developers.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:43PM, October 30

iCloud Services Currently Down for Some Users [Mac Blog]

It appears that many individuals are currently experiencing issues with iCloud, with several people reporting difficulties receiving/sending iCloud mail and logging into iCloud.com. Users attempting to access iCloud.com are receiving the following error message: "iCloud encountered an error while trying to connect to the server."





Users appear to have been experiencing issues for the last half an hour or so, but Apple's System Status page does not list any downtime and some users are still able to access the service, suggesting the outage is regional.



Over the last several months, iCloud has been down multiple times, with the longest outage happening just over a month ago. In July, a small percentage of users were unable to access iCloud Mail for approximately 27 hours.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:43PM, August 21

MOS Reach Offers Modern Power Solution with Standard Socket, 2 USB Ports [iOS Blog]

MOS Reach is a simple new power solution from MOS, a company that has previously released products like the magnetic MOS and MOS Menos, designed to organize cables in an intuitive way.



MOS Reach combines a three-prong power outlet and dual USB ports with a three-foot cable and a slim profile that is easy to mount on walls and surfaces, relocating power outlets that are inconveniently placed behind and under furniture.





Using adhesive, the MOS Reach can be stuck to a wall or on top of a desk, making it easier to charge iOS devices, Macs, and other electronics. It is designed to be flexible, bending and twisting around "any kind of furniture or obstruction" and it also includes magnets and MOS cable ties to keep cables attached when not plugged into a device.

Features:



- Reach gives you easy access to power outlets that are otherwise obstructed by furniture--no more crawling under desks or shimmying behind dressers to charge your devices.



- Reach has been designed to be as unobtrusive as possible and its compact size ensures that it's never in the way whether you use it on your desk, your nightstand, or your wall.



- Reach consolidates your power outlets and USB wall adapters into an attractive moveable all-in-one power solution.



- Reach helps you cut down on cable clutter by making clever use of Neodymium magnets in conjunction with MOS cable ties to keep out-of-use cables out of the way until you need them.

MOS Reach is able to charge laptops with its power port, and its two USB ports have enough capacity (3.1 amps) to charge the iPad and the iPhone. The cable is encased in a soft-touch TPE jacket that is softer than the PVC typically used, according to MOS.






The MOS Reach is available in both black and white for $25 for the first 800 backers, with prices going up to $30 after that. The MOS Reach is expected to ship in January of 2015.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:43PM, June 26

App Store and iTunes Store Currently Down for Some Users

Apple's iTunes Store and App Store appear to be down for many users on both iOS devices and desktops, with attempts to access the stores resulting in one of several error messages such as "Cannot Connect to App Store" and "The item you've requested is not currently available in the U.S. store."



Issues seem to have begun this morning, as several users noted an inability to download the Skype app following its release. Some users attempting to download the app received a message indicating the app was no longer available for download.





The iTunes Store does not appear to be loading content for affected users, with the Music, Movies, TV Shows Books, App Store, and Podcasts section of iTunes all giving error messages. Search remains functional on the desktop, however.



For the App Store, some users are having trouble loading multiple sections, including Featured, Top Charts, and Near Me, while other users are able to access certain sections like Top Charts. The Purchased and Update tabs appear functional, with the Purchased tab able to download apps, and search is also down. The Apple TV appears to be experiencing issues as well.



Apple's System Status page is not currently reporting any outages.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:43PM, June 12

Your iOS and Android games could soon run on Xbox Live

Game Center on iOS has always been a bit of a let down. As a bare bones social network to keep track of your friends and achievements, it does its job, but it can't compete with the functionality of most gaming networks. That's why Microsoft is thinking about expanding its hugely popular Xbox Live to every mobile platform under the sun.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 06:43PM, March 03