New Apple iPad in wi-fi trouble?

Apple's new iPad has trouble picking up and holding on to wi-fi signals, say users. A thread on Apple's official forums has 144 posts from angry users, and has been read by 5,000 people, Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

"This is a problem Apple - you need to fix it," says one user.

"The laptop wifi reception is as strong as it gets, but the iPad only registers a weak signal. Anyone else having similar problems? Any suggestions?" Daily Mail quoted one user as saying.

Other Apple launches have been blighted by similar problems, including the original iPad and some models of iBook, the newspaper said.

The news comes as users complain that a hidden "upgrade" to the new machine has meant that many older smart covers - the magnetic covers used by Apple which turn on the machine automatically when opened - won't work.

The problem is particularly bad with third-party covers made by companies other than Apple, but older official Apple covers also fail to work, the paper added.