Apple Releases iOS 4.2 Update

Apple has confirmed the release of iOS 4.2 – the latest update to Apple’s mobile operating system – offering new features and capabilities for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Most notably, the software upgrade will bring multi-tasking to the iPad, allowing users to switch between applications instantly without shortening the device’s battery life. The update also brings new features to the iPad including Folders, allowing users to organise their apps with drag-and-drop, and Unified Inbox with threaded message view.

“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season”, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit.”

Enterprise support

According to Apple, iOS 4.2 brings enhanced enterprise support for the iPad, including stronger security features, new device management capabilities and improved enterprise integration. It also adds support for 25 additional languages, including Korean, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.

Other features of the update include AirPrint, which allows users to print their documents or photos wirelessly, and AirPlay, which enables users to stream music, video and photos wirelessly from their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to Apple TV. Game Center turns the various i-Devices into a multiplayer-centric gaming platform, matching players to new opponents and displaying top scores.

The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is also now available as a free app, helping users to locate a missing device either by GPS or using sound. Users can remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Jobs steps up to competition

Since Apple’s 18 October earnings call, during which he made a surprise appearance, Jobs has launched a series of blistering attacks against Google Android and BlackBerry -Maker Research In Motion (RIM), his company’s two top competitors in the mobile space.

“We’ve now passed RIM, and I don’t see them catching up with us in the immediate future,” he told the assembled analysts and media during the call. “I think it’s going to be a challenge for them to create a competitive platform … With 300,000 apps in Apple’s App Store, RIM has a high mountain to climb.”

Jobs then swivelled his cannons to bombard Google. “[Google CEO] Eric Schmidt point out that they’re activating 200,000 [Android] units per day,” he said. “By comparison, Apple has activated 270,000 units per day, on average.”

Research firm Strategy Analytics estimates the iPad’s worldwide share of the tablet market at 95.5 percent. Despite that strength, however, Apple faces a rising tide of competition from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and RIM’s PlayBook. Early 2011 will see the release of still more tablets running Android, Palm webOS, and Windows 7.

Meanwhile, new rumours suggest Apple’s work on a next-generation iPad is already well underway, with additions such as a front-facing camera and support for both GSM and CDMA networks.

Additional reporting by Nicholas Kolakowski