MacBook Air Wi-Fi problems 'captured' by Apple

Apple is holding its hands up to defective Wi-Fi on the brand new MacBook Air, according to reports.

Announced just weeks ago, the 2013 MacBook Air has already seen irate customers complaining their Wi-Fi cuts out, prompting Apple to instruct staff to corral the offending machines and issue replacements.

"In the United States," says Apple, according to 9to5Mac, "Apple Geniuses and Advisors should capture MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) and MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013) computers with any Wi-Fi issues." This gives us a pleasing mental picture of Geniuses running around the Apple Store with butterfly nets trying to capture errant MacBooks.

Once captured, the offending Air is shipped off to Apple to be tortured for more information on what exactly is causing the problem, while the customer is sent on their merry way with a replacement laptop.

Many new MacBook Aironauts report their sleek and slim new laptops connect to the Web at first, but then lose connection and can't reconnect unless restarted. The issue seems to be related to the fact the new Air is the first to use high-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi, designed to triple the speed of connection to the Internet over previous models.

"If the computer does not qualify for capture," Apple continues, "troubleshoot for the specific issue. If necessary, arrange for service."

The new skinny MacBook models are powered by the latest Intel Haswell chips, which promise better performance with improved battery life -- up to 12 hours for the 13-inch model, in fact.

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