iPad 2 Antennagate-like Death Grip Discovered; Does It Matter How You Hold It?

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In case you have been operating an iPhone 4 since launch then you surely remember the Antennagate issue that basically would allow users to drop the connectivity of the handset by simply holding it “the wrong way.” Then it turned out that the design of the handset wasn’t perfect, as Apple came out with sort-of an apology and a limited free bumper case offer for affected users.

That never completely solved the issue, and even the Verizon iPhone 4, whose antenna was redesigned, wasn’t Death Grip-free. Although, unlike the GSM iPhone 4, the CDMA model didn’t really spur the same kind of negative public reaction and adverse press coverage so Apple seemed to have the whole antenna issue under control.

Today we hear that the iPad 2 comes with some sort of an Antennagate issue, as multiple users have reported that holding it a certain way will lead to Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The way to fix this is by either employing a case or by removing your hand from near the speaker grille. I’m sure Apple would tell you that’s not the proper way to hold the iPad 2 anyway when in landscape mode because you’d block the speaker too, won’t you?

What’s interesting about the iPad 2 is that Apple never came out with a special case for it. It simply launched that Smart Cover that’s not really a case, and it won’t help you prevent any Death Grip occurrences.

We also have a really bad video showing the Death Grip in action, and when I say really bad I mean that. There’s absolutely no lighting in it to actually prove the point so we definitely expect the user to record a similar Death Grip video during the day to prove the point. It would also make a lot more sense if the user would actually try to load some pages while recording everything.

I wouldn’t be as seriously concerned with this iPad 2 Death Grip scenario since it will not affect you the same way the iPhone 4 Death Grip did. Why? Because the iPhone 4 issue appeared when you held the device in a usual position, despite what Steve Jobs said, while the iPad 2 Death Grip would only appear in certain situations and therefore it wouldn’t cripple your basic iPad 2 experience.

Have you been affected by this iPad 2 apparent issue?