Apple’s long-awaited universal iOS update is available today to everyone using a post-3G iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. The big features have been well-known and the release candidate’s been out for a while, but Apple still managed to add a few surprises to the
The biggest upgrade is for iPad users, who get their first crack at some of the new features first introduced for iPhone 4: application multitasking, the ability to organize apps into folders, a unified e-mail inbox, Apple’s Game Center for social gaming and AirPrint for remote printing from the iPad to selected printers.
The most hotly awaited feature is probably AirPlay, which is all-new to iOS 4.2. AirPlay allows for video and audio streaming from iOS handheld devices to Apple TV, the iOS-powered set-top box.
One nice surprise is that Find My iPhone, which used to require a paid MobileMe subscription, is now free for any iOS 4.2 device, including iPad and iPod Touch. It will be available as a separate download from the App Store; log in with either your MobileMe or Apple ID, and you can locate your missing device on a map and have it display a message, play a sound, or even remotely lock/wipe it if it’s gone for good.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about iOS 4.2 from our intrepid Apple reporter Brian Chen. Meanwhile, I’m off to see whether 4.2 might finally make my iPhone 3G workable or if it’s iOS 3 for me forever.
Apple’s iOS 4.2 Available Today for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch [Apple Press Release]
See Also:
- iOS 4.2 Goes Gold Master, iPad Gains New Multitask Bar
- iOS 4.2 First Look: iPad Gets Multitasking, Printing
- IOS 4.2 Beta Adds Tethering to iPad
- IOS 4.2 Update 'Delayed,' Despite No Official Launch Date
- IOS 4.2 Changes iPad Screen-Lock Switch to Mute Button
- Apple Announces New Versions of iOS
- Rumor: Apple's iOS Printing Crippled on Release
- Apple's 'Find my iPhone' App Almost Impossible to Use
- IPhone and iPad Lost in the Trash, Found With MobileMe
Authors: Tim Carmody