Apple iOS 4.2 Upgrade Released for the iPhone 4, iPod touch, iPad Discussion

[Ed Hardy]

Apple has made an upgrade to iOS 4.2 available for the most recent versions of its smartphone, handheld, and tablet. The new version brings support for wireless printing to all of these devices, as well as other enhancements.

Read the full content of this Article: Apple iOS 4.2 Upgrade Released for the iPhone 4, iPod touch, iPad

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[Ed Hardy]

So far, iTunes is still telling me that iOS 3.2.2 is the most recent operating system version for my iPad.

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[Ed Hardy]

Downloaded and installing now.

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[Ed Hardy]

I've successful installed iOS 4.2 on the iPad, and so far everything looks fine. I'll continue running some tests and report back.

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[r0k]

I updated my iPad but my iPhone 4 can wait. I don't care about printing (right now) so I can wait for that feature. But going without multitasking on my iPad was beginning to feel neanderthal and I found myself putting up with the smaller screen on my iPhone 4 more and more often just for the multitasking. Hopefully OS 4.2 will restore my iPad's place as the device I use most often because I do love the large screen.

I'm looking forward to folders as well. I have about 200 apps on 5 pages on my iPhone but it took 11 pages on my iPad. OS 4.2 couldn't come quickly enough for my purposes. Whew.

I started the upgrade about 6pm. I found out I had skipped the iTunes 10.1 upgrade so I let that run first. Then iTunes wanted me to transfer my purchases. After a half an hour waiting for that to go nowhere I overrode all the warnings and let the OS upgrade run. I came back 2-1/2 hours later to find my device off. I touched the home button and found it in portrait. I switched the orientation lock switch and it was now a mute switch. Upgrade done. I don't know how long it really took but I was off doing something else and I'm just happy it was done when I got around to coming back to my computer.

[lelisa13p]

Ive been upgrading my iPad since 3:15 pm and still am in process. iTunes has been backing up my iPad for the past 2+ hours and this is by far the suckiest install I've had in my 2 years of upgrades. If I couldn't visually measure the load bar by aligning it to the text above it, I'd doubt that anything was happening at all. At this rate, I'll be at least another hour or more, putting the grand total to nearly 7 freakin' hours. My iPhone & Touch are going to have to wait for another day. Sheesh.

I'm too far in to quit now so will just drag on.

UPDATE: Just heard the iPad beep that it had finally finished reloading the content replaced after the new iOS went in. Time is 10:50 pm, a lapsed time of 7 hours 35 minutes to completion of iPad upgrade. *sigh*

[lelisa13p]

Well, after all that drama, my iPad is quite the little beauty now!

I'm just finishing upgrading my iPhone and it took less than an hour.

I don't remember if anyone mentioned this but with the upgrade to 4.2.1 comes a FREE "Find My iPad" service thru MobileMe, even if you don't have MM set up as a paid subscriber. The instructions on how to do this are here. The service is valid for any device that you upgraded to the new OS (all 3 of mine will benefit from this.) Download the app from the App Store after you register and try it out. It's very cool and allows for remote locking and/or wiping data using another device or a computer while tracking the item by satellite. Of course, we all hope that we never need to use this seriously.

[Green Loontern]

I haven't updated my iPhone 3GS to 4.2 yet, but I hear the feature I wanted most - AirPrint - is missing (for the 99.9% of folks who don't have the right HP printer).

Can anyone confirm?

[r0k]

I don't plan to ever own another HP printer. I like the quality of their printers, I just don't like their drivers and software. I had a bad experience with an HP PSC 2510 where HP support tried to sell me a new printer rather than solve my Win XP issues with their crappy 700 megabyte print driver. Now that Windows is a fading memory in our household, all our Macs can print to that printer quite easily using the 30 Meg OS X driver. Since then, I have bought only Brother printers because they list OS X and Linux on the outside of the box and they have worked flawlessly since I bought them.

As for Airprint, I think that feature is more aimed at public printers in libraries, etc. For now, I have brother print & scan and I'm waiting for them to make it work with their laser printers and not just their inkjets. Printing from my iThings is a low priority for me right now anyway. I can vnc to my Macbook if I want something printed.

I love 4.2 on my iPad. Very nice. I finally have multitasking and folders. I didn't bother to upgrade my iPhone 4 because it already had multitasking with OS 4.1.something. I may get around to it in the next day or two or I may decide to wait a little longer. My iPad works fine. Wifi works fine. It does seem a little slower, though. I am getting lower framerates in Aircoaster than I was getting before the iOS 4.2 upgrade. That's ok. I'd rather have multitasking than framerate in games. I need to test netflix next and make sure it doesn't stutter. Of course now I can be listening to Pandora while doing something else. Sweet!

I wouldn't say that OS 4.2 makes the iPad a "replacement computer". For many users, that was already the case. I would say OS 4.2 adds another set of critical capabilities that makes the iPad a credible solution for many users. I had started using my iPhone more and more when it got multitasking and it annoyed me to keep coming back to apps on my iPad and seeing them in their "cold" state. Not any more. With TJ Maxx offering the iPad for $399 and OS 4.2 out, this thing stands to set even more all time sales records.

[michali]

My upgrade went quite well on the second try....took about two hours. I like the multitasking and folders. Printing is not important to me. It is exciting to have some new features.

Finding the ipad and itouch app is a neat feature, though mine shows up a few streets away from my house!