We’ve been made aware of some ongoing issues with apps crashing constantly on iPads running iOS 5, both iPad and iPad 2 are impacted with Safari being particularly sensitive and seemingly crashing anytime javascript or a video loads and sometimes with just general web browsing. At worst, Safari won’t even launch and crashes immediately, and often the application instability goes beyond Safari and impacts nearly all applications as well. First we’ll focus on resolving the Safari crashes, but if you’re having issues with multiple apps crashing you may want to jump down and go straight for a clean reinstallation of iOS 5.

Troubleshooting Tips for Safari Crashes on iPad & iOS 5

If the majority of crashes are centered around Safari, use these troubleshooting tips and see if the problem is resolved:

• Update to iOS 5.0.1 either manually, through iTunes, or using OTA
• Disable iCloud Bookmark Syncing: Tap on Settings > General > iCloud > switch Bookmark syncing to OFF
• Clear & Disable Autofill: Settings > Safari > Autofill > Clear All and then turn everything to “OFF”
• Clear Safari history and cookies: Tap on Settings > Safari > Clear History, Clear Cookies and Data
• Clear Safari stored data: Tap Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data > Remova All Website Data

Try using Safari again, for many users the above solutions help to prevent the crashing. If not, these secondary options may work as well:

• Disable iCloud Completely: Tap on Settings > General > iCloud > switch all to OFF
• Disable Javascript: Tap on Settings > Safari > Javascript > OFF

Yes, it’s annoying to not have iCloud or Javascript, but it’s more annoying to not be able to use Safari. If the above tips aren’t working, or if you need javascript, then the next idea is to manually erase and reinstall iOS 5.0.1 on the iPad, but not restore from a backup.

Performing a Clean iOS 5 Install on iPad

This is the most drastic approach because it will remove all data from the iPad, and the key for this to work is to not restore from a backup. In other words, you will lose all data on the device and have to manually setup things like iMessage again and then re-download apps and content from the iOS App Store.

Update to iOS 5.0.1 before continuing, but you already did this in the first troubleshooting step though, right?

1. Connect the iPad to a computer and launch iTunes
2. Find the iPad in iTunes device list and click on the “Summary” tab
3. Click on “Restore” under the Version section, and click “Don’t Back Up” when asked



4. Let iTunes restore the iPad, this will wipe all content and reinstall iOS 5.0.1
5. When finished, you will see the familiar ‘Connect to iTunes’ screen, do not restore from a backup, instead choose to “Set Up As New”

Note: Some Apple Store Geniuses are performing the clean install of iOS 5 from DFU mode. You are welcome to try that, although after reading through several threads on Apple’s Discussion Boards it does not seem to make a difference whether the device is restored from DFU or not, it’s more important to avoid the prior backup as it may contain corrupted data causing the crashes.

If you continue to have issues, there’s a slim chance of a hardware problem and contacting Apple may be the best bet. It’s also possible there are some lingering bugs in iOS 5 that impact only the iPad, and an update will resolve them with iOS 5.0.2 or iOS 5.1 whenever they come out. iOS 5.1 is currently available to developers as a beta, and is expected to be released to the public alongside iPad 3 in March.

You can now run Siri directly on the iPad 2, thanks to the recent A5 jailbreak and a few third party tools. While Siri works as expected and will answer your questions and inquiries, getting this all put together isn’t exactly for the impatient and it’s a somewhat lengthy procedure with a fair amount of setup required. If you’re interested in this, here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Jailbreak iPad 2 with Absinthe – must be on iOS 5.0.1
• Spire and iFile installed – free downloads via Cydia
• SiriProxy running on a computer – Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux

Jailbreaking and installing Spire are the easy parts, it’s really the SiriProxy aspect that requires the most work. It’s also not without risk, as iDB tells us:

This could make your iPad kick into “iPhone mode” which makes your screen look funky, as everything is sized for iPhone. A quick respring should fix this, but you’ve been warned. I had no problems with it, but it’s worth noting

Read the full walkthrough on how to set it up at iDB or check out their great video below to get an idea of what’s entailed in the process.

If you think it’s more trouble than it’s worth, there are rumors that the iPad 3 may include Siri as well, but that won’t be known for certain one way or another until around March.

The A5 jailbreak tool Greenpois0n Absinthe has been updated to version 0.3, the third release is relatively minor but includes a few bug fixes and adds support for Linux. As before and as the name implies, the app focuses on jailbreaking A5 based hardware only, meaning the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, both of which must be running iOS 5.

If you already are jailbroken with the Abinsthe utility, v0.3 offers no advantages to you and does not need to be run again. If this is the first time you’ve run the tool, follow our guide on how to jailbreak iPhone 4S or iPad 2 with Absinthe.

Download Absinthe 0.3

• Download for Mac
• Download for Windows
• Download for Linux

If you don’t have an iPhone 4S or iPad 2, you can still use redsn0w to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1.

The Greenpois0n Absinthe A5 jailbreak utility for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on iOS 5 has been updated to version 0.2, and now includes a Windows release alongside the Mac OS X version.

In addition to bringing the jailbreak to Windows PC’s, the new version aims to resolve some of the earlier database problems, white screen errors, and white icon errors that some users encountered during the process. If you had problems with the first version of Absinthe and gave up on jailbreaking, try again with this version. If you’re already jailbroken, you don’t need to bother and this version doesn’t offer any changes to you.

Instructions on how to use Absinthe A5 for jailbreaking are the same for both Mac and Windows PC’s, and continue to only support A5 hardware, including iPhone 4S with iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1, and iPad 2 with iOS 5.0.1.

Download Greenpois0n Absinthe A5 Jailbreak v0.2

• Download now – Mac OS X
• Download now – Windows

After the jailbreak has finished on the device, if you hit an error remember to enable VPN from Settings > Network to cause the reboot.

The newly released and highly anticipated Absinthe A5 jailbreak is the first public jailbreak for iPhone 4S users and the first jailbreak for iPad 2 with iOS 5. If you’ve been waiting for an untethered jailbreak for either device with iOS 5, this is it, and it’s very easy to use. Absinthe is compatible with iPhone 4S or iPad 2 running the following iOS builds:

• iPhone 4S iOS 5.0 – build 9A334, iOS 5.0.1 builds 9A405 or 9A406
• iPad 2: iOS 5.0.1 – build 9A405

Backup your iOS device before proceeding, you can do this manually with iTunes.

Jailbreak iPhone 4S or iPad 2 on iOS 5 using Absinthe

• Download Absinthe A5 tool – (Mac OS X) (Windows)
• Connect the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the computer
• Launch Absinthe and click on “Jailbreak” and let the device sit and run the jailbreak, this may take a while



• When the jailbreak is finished, you’ll see an Absinthe icon on the home screen, tap on that to load the Greenpois0n site and download Cydia

The device is now jailbroken. This is a fully untethered jailbreak, meaning you can reboot at will without the need for boot assistance from an application or computer.

Troubleshooting: If you see an “Error establishing a database connection” error during the process, just wait it out and try again, or start a VPN tunnel through Settings > Network > VPN > ON (via @pod2g). The Absinthe Greenpois0n servers are swamped by the initial demand but things should even out shortly.

The hotly anticipated jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 is finally here, providing an untethered jailbreak for either A5-based device running iOS 5.0.1. Put together by the Chronic Dev Team who are known for making Greenpois0n, the utility is called Absinthe A5 and it is hot off the presses.

Backup your iPhone or iPad before using Absinthe! This is an early release jailbreak and could have some bugs to iron out still.

Download Absinthe A5

• Download now – (Mac OS X)
• Download now – Windows
• Download now – Linux (soon)

A Linux version will be released shortly and we’ll update when links are available.

Not sure what to do? Read our guide on how to jailbreak iPad 2 or iPhone 4S with Absinthe for iOS 5.0.1, it’s very easy.

Specific compatibility with Absinthe is as follows:

• iPhone 4S: iOS 5.0 (9A334) and both builds of iOS 5.0.1 (9A405, 9A406)
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi, GSM, CDMA: iOS 5.0.1

Again, this is for A5 CPU hardware only, other devices can jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 with Redsn0w.

The Dev Team warns iPhone 4S users who want a software unlock to stay on iOS 5.0 or build 9A405 of iOS 5.0.1. There is no expected release of an accompanying software unlock.

An iPad 3 with “a full HD display” will arrive in March, according to a new report from Digitimes, who cites industry sources in Taiwan. According to Digitimes, Apple will launch the iPad 3 in the coming months of 2012, with it’s primary new feature being the retina display:

The iPad 3 will come with a QXGA (1,536×2,048 pixels) display and longer battery life although its other hardware specifications may not be so amazing as expected, said the sources.

Digitimes also mentions that the existing iPad 2 will likely see a price drop $100 to about $399 in order to better compete with other tablet offerings:

Apple will take the advantage of the iPad 3 launch to slash the price of its iPad 2 to US$399, the sources claimed.

Much of this is in line with the rumors from last November regarding the iPad 3, although Digitimes then goes off the deep-end and suggests that an “iPad 4″ will be released in October of 2012, an unlikely scenario.

The highly anticipated jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1 is coming as soon as next week, according to a recent tweet from the hacker pod2g, who is working on the project. The comment suggested a hurdle for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2′s A5 processor has been overcome, and stated that “With some luck we could expect a release in a week.”

@Pod2g is the same developer who uncovered the untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 that was released in a variety of popular jailbreak tools, including redsn0w, PwnageTool, and Corona. The upcoming jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 is also expected to be untethered, meaning the device will be able to reboot freely without the assistance of a software boot tethered to a computer.

This will be the first jailbreak available for the iPhone 4S, and the first jailbreak for iPad 2 running iOS 5.

By using AirPlay and the video mirroring feature, you can broadcast live images / video from your iPhone’s camera directly to an Apple TV on the same network.

To do this, you’ll need iOS 5 or later, an Apple TV, and the AirPlay compatible iPhone 4S or iPad 2 with a camera. All hardware must be on the same wireless network as well. With those requirements met, here’s how to set up the live camera broadcast:

On the Apple TV:

• Go to Settings > AirPlay > turn Airplay ON

From the iPhone 4S or iPad 2:

• Double click the home button and swipe to the right, then tap on the AirPlay button
• Select the Apple TV and enable Mirroring
• Now click the Home button again and tap on the Camera app to start the live feed

Assuming you did this all correctly, the Apple TV will export whatever the iPhone camera sees live, thanks to the video mirroring feature.

This fun little trick was found on TUAW, who suggests you can use the camera mirroring feature to look at your ear or nose… LOL.

Whatever use you find for this one, have fun!

Looking to get an iPad 2 for the holidays? By far the cheapest place to buy one right now is directly through Apple’s very own online refurb store, where prices are discounted up to $100.

If you’re thinking that refurbished gear is sketchy, think again, because Apple’s refurbished iPads all come with the exact same 1-year warranty of a brand new iPad, plus all refurbs include a brand new battery and outer shell, guaranteeing the device will look and feel brand new. At these discounts and with the same Apple warranty, these prices are hard to beat.

Models are available in both black and white:

• iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi: $419
• iPad 2 32GB Wi-Fi: $499
• iPad 2 64GB Wi-Fi: $599
• iPad 2 16GB 3G: $549
• iPad 2 32GB 3G: $629
• iPad 2 64GB 3G: $729

Check them out on store.apple.com

Availability of the 3G models is dependent on the carrier you want, with the 64GB AT&T models currently being sold out. These will probably sell out quick, so move fast if you want to get one.