Why are MacBooks so slow using Wifi?

The irony is I've had to jump on my Windows PC to troubleshoot. Not a single issue with any device in the house connecting to the Wifi and using internet. Just the MacBook Air. Why hasn't Apple addressed this? I can see by the numerous posts and questions this is a very common issue that has been going on for years and the concerning thing is how many similar posts to mine don't seem to get resolved.
Feel duped by Apple and all the hype about their PCs versus Windows based PCs. Paid double for my laptop and yes it looks pretty and is nice and small, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Isn't the point you don't have to be a computer geek to make these things run.
Too bad the laptops aren't as handy as the phones and IPads.
Dissapointed,

If MacBooks are inherently slow when using Wi-Fi then there is something wrong with all of mine, because they run like blazes.
kellyhasdogs wrote:
... I can see by the numerous posts and questions this is a very common issue that has been going on for years and the concerning thing is how many similar posts to mine don't seem to get resolved.
Your Mac obviously performed well when you bought it, or you would have either immediately returned it for a 100% refund or called AppleCare, who would have fixed it. If AppleCare is no longer an option for you then you have to provide specific details, ask others to help you, and then patiently wait for competent assistance. The only questions that remain unresolved are the ones that lack those requirements. There is an abundance of useful information on this site that will help, if you want to fix your problem and not just rant about it.
Specific guidance requires specific details - until you can provide them read the following:
OS X Mountain Lion: If your Mac runs slowly The article is very cursory, but be sure to read through to the end. Unfortunately the "Repair a disk" link at the end points to nothing useful, so use this one: Disk Utility.
General purpose Mac troubleshooting guide: Isolating issues in Mac OS X
Creating a temporary account to isolate user-specific problems: Isolating an issue by using another user account
Memory limitations: Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being used
Identifying resource hogs and other tips: Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity
To identify potential hardware problems: Apple Hardware Test
To resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance, use Disk Utility.
Safe Mode or "Safe Boot" is a troubleshooting mode that bypasses all third party system extensions and loads only required system components. Read about it: Starting up in Safe Mode
To repair a potentially corrupt hard disk, so that you may recover its data prior to replacing it, and subsequently reinstall Mac OS X: OS X Recovery (applies only to Lion and later versions of OS X)

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I have the same issue, no way to find a solution, I am searching all the support pages...

Why are Macbooks so much more expensive in NZ compared to US?

Hi,
Just wondering why the apple products are so much more expensive in NZ than in US. I am looking at getting a new macbook pro 17" and saw it is NZ$4149, and US$2500. So I used the exchange rates to convert US$2500 to NZ$. It came to approx $3000. So why are they making us pay another $1000 in NZ??

Economies of scale most likely.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Economies_of_scale
Your question should be looked at in the opposite "Why are US citizens getting a discount?"
If you compare the two economies and what people tend to buy perhaps that would shed some light.
Perhaps the "Apple halo effect" doesn't reach OZ?

Why YOUTUBE is SO SLOW via WiFi while other application with normal speed

My Iphone 3gs version 3.1.2 (7d11)
having problems with the video streaming from You Tube if I use WifI but 3G is fine though tested the speed WiFi is faster than 3G provided by my carrier.
* Play YOUTUBE with WiFi, it will load slowly to its first 3-6seconds and then stop, wait for long time and press play again and it will move bit to another 1 sc or 2 sc and I have to keep press, hold and wait for the buffering but turn out nothing. BUt play with 3G then it is normal though have the video quality/resolution might not as good as Wifi
* quiktime video play smoothly, safari speed good, apps store download good, testspeed in iphone normal.
* use PC to access WiFi and play videos on YouTube is Normal.
* change the router setting as per many people here advice from 802.11g TO 802.11b OR Channel ID: Channel 9 (2452 Mhz)
Beacon Interval: 50
RTS/CTS Threshold: 2305 (Also try 1500, 2305 works better for me though)
Fragmentation Threshold: 2304 (Also try 1024, 2304 works better for me though)
DTIM: 1
Protocol: 802.11 b
It WORKS for AWHILE after few hours then back to the same problem again!!! SO FRUSTRATED!!! APPLE PLEASE HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!!!!

Apple is not here-just us users like you.
If the problem is wifi, troubleshooting should focus on your wifi network.

Help needed to troubleshoot why my MacBook Pro repeatedly drops wifi connection

We run Mac & PC laptops, iPhone, iPad on occasion, with ATT DSL, 2Wire 2701HG-B Router. First 6 months of enjoying my Mac, no trouble. Then things started to go south. Been dealing with this problem of dropped internet connection for over a year. Got a new router--the 2Wire 2701, finally got a new phone line put in from the outside to inside. It now seems like the MacBook Pro drops the signal far more than the PC. It seems worse when I'm at my desk, which is only a room away from the router. It can drop the signal about every 3rd or 4th click on the internet. The Networks Diagnostics will show red buttons on the Server and Internet. Been testing other areas of the house, and find it seems better in these other areas, dropping far less. Hard to tell, because the problem comes and goes, like the sun. iPhone has dropped connection on occasion. iPad has occasional slow download of YouTube. Neither of those are troubling.
I tried checking with the Airport Utility, but it tells me it can't find any Airport. I obviously understand very, very little of this. Any help would be appreciated.

Which os are you using?
Change your router channel. Sometimes this is all you will have to do.
Power cycling the router. Read the router's user manual or contact their tech support for instructions.
System Preferences/Internet & Network/Network
Unlock the padlock
Locations: Automatic
Highlight Airport
Click the Assist Me button
In the popup window click the Diagnostic button.
System Preferences/Network- Unlock padlock. Highlight Airport. Network Name-select your name. Click on the Advanced button. Airport/Preferred Networks-delete all that is not your network.
Place a check mark next to "Remember networks this computer has joined." Click the OK button and lock the padlock. Restart your computer.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1920 Mac OS: How to release and renew a DHCP lease
No internet connection (wireless)
Check to see if an extra entry is present in the DNS Tab for your wireless connection (System Preferences/Network/Airport/Advanced/DNS).
Delete all extra entries that you find.
Place a check mark next to "Remember networks this computer has joined."
Other resources to check into:
Troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues in OS X Lion and Mac OS X v10.6
Netspot
How to diagnose and resolve Wi-Fi slow-downs
Pv6 troubleshooting
Mac OS X 10.6 Help: Solving problems with connecting to the Internet
What Affects Wireless Internet?
Solutions for connecting to the Internet, setting up a small network, and troubleshooting

Why are Macbooks made out of plastic?

I have ordered a Macbook and it should be here in about a week. As I read these discussions I'm getting concerned that since the Macbook is plastic, it is going to develop cracks and pieces of plastic will start falling off. That never happened with my old Dell laptop. I haven't told my wife I ordered the Mac so she's going to freak a little a lot probably) in that I'm paying $1800 for a laptop, especially if the case starts cracking and falling apart, while the case on her $700 Dell PC is still in good shape. Is there any good reason that the Macbook is made of plastic?

I read these discussions I'm getting concerned that since the Macbook is plastic, it is going to develop cracks and pieces of plastic will start falling off.
Mine is almost two years old and I have no cracks or broken plastic. Keep in mind, Apple has sold millions of MacBooks and the Apple Discussions is only the emergency room of the hospital. You're not going to see posts from the millions and millions of MacBook owners who are NOT having a problem. They're not visiting the emergency room. iBooks were plastic from 1999 until they were discontinued in 2006. Apple has had plenty of time to research the options and since this is a user-to-user forum, none of us can speak for why Apple has made decisions like this. So, you're not going to find an answer to your question here.
-Doug

WHY are MACS so slow on internet vs PC's??

I have a fast connection and even those that really know MACS (hack n tosh groups - meaning they really know how to edit KEXT files) say the same thing.
If I launch Safari, Firefox, whatever, on a MAC wired, (ethernet) it is always slower to load the page whereas on the same connection with a PC, its about instant, what is THIS problem? Also, at the Apple store, I have a friend that says that this is always a complaint from recent switchers. Windows just works so much faster and when you are used to a page loading in 200 milliseconds, 1-2 seconds DOES SEEM like a long time. I see this all the time.
Any ideas and will they ever fix this issue? It will download fine but for everyday browsing, it is just so much slower.
Thanks. Doubt there is a fix but if there is, would like to try and hear it.

My Mac is much faster than my work machine, and the work machine is on a T-3 line.
Also note, the nomenclature of Macs:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=503342&tstart=10
The speed on the internet varies based not on operating system but based on browser rendering engine, website design, status of driver/firmware for routers, corrupt cache and cookies of specific web browsers, and hardware being used.
To improve the connection on web browsing, use a browser designed to understand the specific website being browsed. My FAQ* should help on that account:
http://www.macmaps.com/browser.html
To improve the connection on WiFi access see this FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/WIFI1048.html
Also empty caches, and remove unnecessary cookies from your web browser.
And make sure your disk space isn't too full*:
http://www.macmaps.com/diskfull.html
If performance is lacking still, tell us the website and the browser used, and we can tell you if an alternative works better, or if we think it is the hardware or firmware of the hardware you are using which is slowing you down.
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Why are nd filters still used with digital?

I'm kind of new to the world of DSLRs, but it just occurred to me from what I know, that nd filters should really be a thing of the past. I mean nd filters are just there to reduce the amount of light right? This is such a basic thing to do when dealing with digital imaging. Other than holding onto the past, why wouldn't there be a way to set your ISO as low as 1? Or am I just totally missing something? I know some professional digital video cameras like the sony f65 have internal nd filters, but unless that's a software thing, then that also seems a bit silly. Can someone educate me if I'm not understanding.
Cheers,
Cg.
Canon 6D,Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, Sigma 1.4 x EX DG Teleconverter, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake, Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM, Pentax 400mm f/5.6

Many "effects" filters are no longer required as the effects can be applied with digital editing software... so while it's true that many filters are "a thing of the past", ND filters are _not_ actually "effects" filters. What they do cannot be simulated by editing an image.
An "good" ND filter wont change the look of the image itself... everything should appear sharp and without any color cast. What it does... is change your shooting CIRCUMSTANCES.
Suppose I'm shooting with an outdoor "fill" flash on a sunny day and my flash can't do "high speed sync" mode... so I'm limited to max flash sync shutters speeds of, say, 1/200th (this varies based on your specific camera model.) The "Sunny 16" rule says that I the normal exposure for full mid-day sun using f/16 is to use the inverse of the ISO as the shutter speed. So at a low base ISO of ISO 100, that'd be 1/100th. But the side-effect of f/16 is a _very_ broad depth of field and suppose I want a deliberately blurred background. I can increase the shutter to 1/200th and this will let me drop my f-stop to f/11... but that's still a LOT of depth of field and no nicely blurred background. If I wanted to bring that down to, say, f/4... I'd have to find a way to dump 3 full stops worth of light. I can't just drop the f-stop to f/4 and increase the shutter by 3 stops to 1/1600th because that's WELL beyond flash-sync speed and my flash (for purposes of this example) can't do high-speed sync.
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The final images in these examples would still have the same amount of light and there'd be no tint or color-cast on the images... what you're REALLY doing is changing your shooting "circumstances" which allows you to use different exposure settings than would otherwise be possible without the filter.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Tim
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

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It could be your second display.
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Off...
On...

Why are my apple calendars using GMT time zone?

My iPhone and iPad are using the GMT time zone. Why???

I'd like to bump this and add to it....We have a 30Mbps broadband connection with Aiport Express providing the wireless. When Apple TV is streaming Netflix, all other devices are virtually useless. I test each device on speedtest.net and they are all now 1-2Mbps and less, often stalling out. HOWEVER, if I stream Netflix on my wirelessly connected Mac Mini, all other devices consistently test at 22Mbps+. What is going on? I'm tempted to toss my Apple TV. Any time someone uses the Apple TV, the internet slows to a crawl, AirPlay stutters and stops, etc. Shut off Apple TV and we can simultaneously stream Netflix, etc. on 5 devices and the internet runs smooth. It makes no sense why Apple TV is doing this but I have tested it and 100% of the time, Apple TV is the culprit.

Why are we locked to use Walkman, when it **bleep** as it is now?

Hi,
Is it really that hard to add good functionality to the Walkman app? We are forced to use it but we don't get the functionality we need! It would be so simple to set which folder to scan!
I really would like to use it, if i could set it not to scan and play my ringtones, my WhatsApp voice messages and other sounds as music.
Yeah yeah, i know some of you will start thinking of the .nomedia file solution...
IT DOES NOT WORK!
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NO!
Why?

Can't help with the app itself but as for your headset only working with the app is wrong, Open smart connect then tap on the headset in the list then Throw to this device - Now everything will go through the headset
For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled. Richard P. Feynman

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Why are my speeds slow?

Yes, another boring question about broadband speeds. Sorry!
I moved to BT Broadband from another ISP a couple of weeks ago in the hope of getting better speeds. A BT Speedtester test when I was with my previous ISP said that my download speed was 3218 Kbps and that the IP Profile for my line was 7150 Kbps. Since my move to BT the download speed is a little better than that, usually in the 3500 to 3700 range but with a low of 2340 Kbps.
When I placed my order with BT I was told, "We estimate your maximum download connection speed will be 8 Mbps. However, download speeds can vary and your actual download speed will fall within the range of 7.0 Mbps and 8.0 Mbps." Clearly I'm not achieving anything like that.
Today's result:
Download speed achieved during the test was - 3662 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 600-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8128 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 7150 Kbps
And details from my Home Hub Manager:
Connection Information
Line state:
Connected
Connection time:
14 days, 14:56:30
Downstream:
7.938 Mbps
Upstream:
448 Kbps
ADSL Settings
VPI/VCI:
0/38
Type:
PPPoA
Modulation:
G.992.1 Annex A
Latency type:
Interleaved
Noise margin (Down/Up):
14.6 dB / 26.0 dB
Line attenuation (Down/Up):
13.5 dB / 5.5 dB
Output power (Down/Up):
17.9 dBm / 12.1 dBm
FEC Events (Down/Up):
19718 / 19
CRC Events (Down/Up):
67 / 7
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote):
0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote):
0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote):
0 / 0
HEC Events (Down/Up):
344 / 5
Error Seconds (Local/Remote):
51 / 4
I've done a quiet line test and couldn't hear any noise on the line.
My Home Hub is connected to an extension phone socket, largely because the master socket is up in my loft and is now covered with about a foot and a half of insulation. However, in the past when I was trying to troubleshoot speed issues with my previous ISP I did cart my desktop computer up into the loft and connected my router to the test socket but speeds didn't improve at all. I therefore don't think the problem is with the phone wiring inside my house.
I know my speeds aren't disastrous but at the same time they're only about half of what I was promised by BT. As things stand, I would have been just as well to have stayed with my previous ISP and thus to have avoided the hassle of moving my account.
Can anyone suggest why my speeds are mediocre and what might be done to improve them? I'll be very grateful for any advice.

you have an 8mb connection with the correct profile of 7150 but your throughput/download is lower than I would expect at 3662. would have expected 6500/7000. check your exchange here for problems http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/mso.php
http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/?
http://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/service_status
http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/15036
using telephone extension cable does usually help your connection
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Why is it when I use WiFi I get better Youtube video quality than on 3G?

Topic. And does WiFi use up more juice than 3G then?

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Why are first connections slow and subsequent ones very slow or won't connect?

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Why are MacBooks so slow using Wifi?

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