Mike Peterson
Apple is reportedly not releasing its upcoming iPadOS 16 software update at the same time as iOS 16 for multiple reasons.
The company typically releases iOS and iPadOS updates at the same time, but a new Bloomberg report claims that it may take a different approach in 2022 by delaying the iPad software update by up to a month.
According to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter, Apple may not release iPadOS 16 until October because of the "ambitious effort to overhaul" the iPad's multitasking abilities.
Among other features, iPadOS 16 has a new multitasking mechanism called Stage Manager that allows users to resize windows, open multiple apps at the same time, and more.
Reportedly, Stage Manager has drawn criticism from beta testers for being buggy and confusing to use. Delaying its release date would allow Apple to focus on releasing iOS first before shifting resources to cleaning up iPadOS 16.
Bloomberg also claims that Apple's software releases have been behind schedule in 2022, even before the iPadOS delay. For example, Apple kicked off its iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 public beta phase later than it has in past years.
Additionally, pushing the release date of iPadOS 16 would bring its debut closer to the launch of new iPad hardware, which could include an iPad Pro with an M2 chip and an upgraded 10.2-inch iPad with USB-C.
Along with the new multitasking features, iPadOS 16 also adds a stock weather app, improved external display support, and some Mac-like abilities for productivity.
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18 Comments
Well, that would be disappointing, but I’ll wait a month for them to iron out the bugs.
Not disappointed at all. Good decision!
I'm not sure I'm buying this. Of the three, iPadOS seems the most ready to launch. macOS is definitely the least ready. It's stable, but as implemented on macOS Stage Manager just doesn't seem useful even were it bug free.
I buy it from a couple if perspectives. Stage Manager with an external display still needs a lot more work, like 1 year of driver work to cover all the idiosyncrasies of various external monitors, and 3rd party apps need more time to update to size classes, and have it work on external monitors.
I think Apple will be making good progress if Stage Manager is solid on LG UltraFine monitors in landscape. Once you start branching out to HDMI, USBC, ultrawide, and monitor orientations, things are going to get wacky. It will take a long time for apps to be updated and for Apple to get drivers working well. They also have a lot work to support TB3/4 and USBC docks.
iPadOS delayed, or new iPads delayed?