iPad hung during iOS update...a plea to Apple

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DGruntled

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iPad hung during iOS update...reinstalling iTunes is not always the solution

Had a problem earlier in the week while migrating my library from my old PC to my new one. After the migration I chose to update the iPad iOS from within iTunes, got an error message that there was a problem with the update, and then had the problem that the iPad was 'invisible' to iTunes and could not be recognised, no matter what I did.

I tried different USB ports, different cables, uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes, rolled back in Windows and then reinstalled iTUnes, all to no avail, the iPad stayed in recovery mode, and invisible.

I have resolved the issue, which I will document here...but before that. It is interesting that there are so many examples of this sort of problem on various forums - customers who get an error during an update of iTunes or iOS which results in their iPad becoming 'invisible' to iTunes no matter what they try.

And there are many people for whom the standard advice (try another USB port, check your cable, uninstall/reinstall iTunes) doesn't work. As I said, I did a complete rollback and reinstall to no avail. So iTunes itself was not the real problem, which is why so many of these user issues are resolved by users in forums by taking the iPad back to Apple store and getting a new one. It seems even the boys and girls in blue can't easily resolve the problem with machines hung up and made invisible by faulty updates.

In my case it was instructive that while iTunes could not see the iPad, it could see my other Apple devices, including other iPads. That told me the faulty iOS install had left a software hook in my iPad/iTunes interface which was the problem.

I was lucky in that this problem happened to my while I was migrating my library from one PC to another. So I plugged the 'invisible' iPad into my old PC and 'presto' it was recognised and successfully recovered, updated and restored.

Then I could plug it into the new PC and 'double presto' it was visible again. Without reinstalling iTunes yet again.

Reinstall iTunes? Replace iPad? This seems such a waste of time and material when the real problem is the update process, not iTunes or the hardware.
 
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kornchild2002

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It is interesting that there are so many examples of this sort of problem on various forums - customers who get an error during an update of iTunes or iOS which results in their iPad becoming 'invisible' to iTunes no matter what they try.
That is part of the problem. People who have issues are always going to be heard over those that don't have any problems. Most people who register on a set of forums have some type of issue. In fact, the majority of forum members have a problem, register, post their issue, get it resolved, and never come back. That holds true for iLounge or any other set of technical forums whether it be for Android, Windows, the PS3, whatever. You can't base the experience of a device as a whole on different sets of forums since they are not representative of the entire population using said product. Forums represent a very small minority of people.

No, how about you just fix your buggy update routine so this doesn't happen to people Apple?
iLounge is not run, monitored, or has any affiliation with Apple. You would have better luck going up to a brick wall telling it about your problems than you would of actually getting in contact with Apple through iLounge and its forums. Apple provides one year of tech support for all of their products. If you have issues during that period, you can always e-mail them or even visit your local Apple Store for one-on-one support.
 

DGruntled

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Duh. I do know this is not an Apple forum, and I am not commenting on the general experience of this device. I am highlighting a particular issue for the benefit of those who experience the issue. If you haven't experienced this, I am glad for you!

But I posted this exact post on the Apple support forum and it was removed by administrators. I have asked for it to be reinstated, and hope it is, but in the meantime I posted it here. I have now edited a little to accomodate your feedback.

The intent of my posting here was to warn people that the 'invisible iPad' syndrome, which many many users are confronted with because of the buggy update process, may not necessarily require that they return their iPad to their Apple store and get it replaced. There is enough waste in this world without perfectly good iPads being trashed just because Apple can't sort out its update process in iTunes.

I suggest that if people experience this problem:

- people try the usual trouble shooting suggestions (once): try another usb port, check the usb cable

- if possible, check to see whether iTunes recognises other iPods or iPads. If so, it is very unlikely that uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes will actually help!

- use iTunes on another PC to recover the problem iPad and then restore it on your usual PC from a backup

- contact Apple and ask them to fix this issue once and for all.

I have had this issue happen to me on two different PCs now, and in two different scenarios, so it is not a PC specific or hardware specific issue and it is always related to the update process. On my old PC I could not update iTunes from within the iTunes program - if I tried to do so, the install would hang and my iPad would become 'invisible'. In that case, the only solution was to download a fresh copy of the latest version of iTunes, uninstall and reinstall. This latest problem happened updating the iOS version from within iTunes.

I don't care if people with problems are over represented on forums, it does not change the reality than many many people report this issue. The Apple update process within iTunes is very vulnerable to errors occuring during the update process, and it should be fixed.

People seem to be going to Apple stores and replacing perfectly good iPads because of it!

Do you really want to live on a planet where expensive technology is thrown away just because it is easier for the manufacturer to do so, than to fix their software?

What kind of sick logic is that?
 
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kornchild2002

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Do you really want to live on a planet where expensive technology is thrown away just because it is easier for the manufacturer to do so, than to fix their software?

What kind of sick logic is that?
Any iPad that is returned to Apple is eventually refurbished and put back into circulation so there is very little waste coming out on their end. So an iPad that is taken into an Apple store isn't just thrown in the trash can or "safely" e-recycled out to a third world with mercury running in the streets. It is sent back to a contracted company here in the U.S. (and a few other countries) where people work on the products putting new parts in them and are eventually shipped back to Apple. No faulty parts means there is no waste coming out.

So your issues is from the software but, if someone takes in an iPad doing this and gets a refurbished unit, the iPad they give back to Apple won't be thrown away or have any parts taken out of it. The iPad will simply go back into Apple's recirculation pool for people who have that particular iPad so that when they bring their in, Apple will give them the refurbished unit.
 

DGruntled

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And all the kittens you take to the animal welfare shelter end up in nice homes with rosy cheeked children who feed them cream.

Sorry, but that isn't true. My local Apple store said they recycle them using 'an authorised e-waste recycler'.

The point remains, the update software is broken.

And it is the same for iOS5, just check the forums.
 

Code Monkey

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Sorry, but that isn't true. My local Apple store said they recycle them using 'an authorised e-waste recycler'.
After they've been broken down for parts and reassembled, about the only thing that gets automatically binned is the aluminum shell and the battery.

Apple sells refurbished products 365 days a year, they aren't magically producing these millions of refurbished devices out of thin air.
 

DGruntled

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So only part of it is thrown away...I feel much better. Especially knowing there IS NOTHING WRONG with many of these iPads, as stated in the OP. It is the iOS update that is broken, not the iPad. I just hope more people read this post before they trash perfectly good hardware because of a broken OS.
 

kornchild2002

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You still aren't getting it. They aren't throwing away perfectly good iDevices, especially ones as new as the iPad. You can huff and blow all you want but it won't change the facts. Yes, Apple pollutes a lot especially when you combine their contributions with those from Foxconn (the real polluter here), the company that makes all of Apple's products. That still doesn't make them this big, evil, tar covered, environmental enemy that you keep saying they are. You can either look at the facts that Apple is not throwing away perfectly good iPads or you can keep making your statement. Clearly I am wrong when it comes to this matter as I don't have any insider knowledge as to how big companies work. It's not like I work for the EPA or anything. Oh wait...
 
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