It appears the release of Apple's latest iOS update, version 9.3, is bricking iPad 2 devices.

According to posts on Apple's Support Communities forum, iPad owners, particularly those with second-generation models, are experiencing problems when installing and activating the latest iOS version.

The ‘bricking' arises during the activation stage, as many users have reported seeing an authentication error message which displays, "Cannot activate because the activation server is temporarily not available", to which they are then unable to use the tablet.

There are claims that the Apple servers are overworked and are struggling to cope with mass software installations, however some iPad users claim to have been waiting for their iPads to restart for over 24 hours.

Some users have suggested downloading the iOS 9.3 update through iTunes and update their devices through a wired USB connection on a Windows PC or a Mac, however users on the Apple Support Communities forum have disagreed.

Apple are yet to provide a statement and a fix; iPad 2 owners or older should perhaps skip the update for now.

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