iOS 4 for iPad Available Now
Update 2: iOS 4.2 download is now available for iPad, get it now!
Update: iOS 4.2 for iPad has been confirmed by Apple to be available in November. This will be the unifying iOS 4 release across i-devices in Apple’s product lineup, and it will bring many new features to the iPad such as multitasking, folders, AirPlay, print support, and more.
If you own an iPad and you want to run the latest version of Apple’s mobile iOS, you’ll have to wait a few more months. A report from AppleInsider looks to confirm the release date of iOS 4 for iPad as November of 2010, this is in line with Apple’s statement during WWDC that OS4 will reach iPad in the Fall.
iPad & iPhone builds of iOS have different features
iPad owners have been left out of the recent release of iOS 4 with it’s new features, as Apple readies an iPad specific OS build for the device. Polls indicate that most iPad users want multitasking and folder support the most out of iOS 4, but due to Apple splitting the builds they’re not missing out on all of the features of the newer OS. The current version of iOS 3.2 supports the use of a bluetooth keyboard with iPad, which is a feature that otherwise is only in iOS 4 for iPhone and iPod touch. Reports indicate that when iOS 4 reaches the iPad, it will come as iOS 4.1 and it will finally combine the differing iPhone and iPad builds of iOS into a single unified operating system.
Updated iPad coming in Fall?
Could the release of iOS 4 for iPad coincide with the release of an updated iPad? That’s what some in the rumormill are suggesting, and it doesn’t seem too unlikely considering the current iPhone 4 has features that the iPad doesn’t; most notably twice the RAM at 512MB, dual cameras with FaceTime support, and the stunning PPI & screen resolution of the Retina display. With these prominent feature differences, an updated iPad alongside the update iOS would bridge the hardware and feature gaps of the two devices.
Update: Rumors continue to circulate about a new iPad with camera and FaceTime compatibility coming in the Fall.