Apple iOS 4.2 Update Release for iPad (Also for iPod and iPhone)

The much-awaited update of iOS 4.2 from Apple is finally available to the public officially. Now you can fire up your iTunes and get the [number] MB update. This update will bring the much awaited multitasking feature to the iPad which disappointed Apple fanboys after the initial OS of the iPad, iOS 4.1 does not support multitasking even though it has been presented in the keynote by Steve Jobs during the unveiling of the iPhone 4. This iOS 4.2 update will bring the iPad closer to the purpose of a netbook replacement. Other features brought onboard by iOS 4.2 are folders, unified inbox, AirPlay wireless streaming and AirPrint wireless printing.

Steve Jobs said this update “makes the iPad a completely new product.” Apple pre-dominated the tablet market with iPad beginning April 2010 before other competitors started coming out with their own versions of touchscreen tablet to cash in on the hype, popularity and uptrend generated by the iPad. South Korea's Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab which runs on Android and has a smaller 7 inch screen and Canada's Research In Motion (RIM) who makes the Blackberry, are going to launch a version of theirs in the PlayBook.

Many of the features in iOS 4.2 were already available for the latest versions of the iPhone and the iPod touch but not for the iPad. So the victors are the iPad owners. With multitasking, iPad users can now switch between applications instantly and run multiple apps in parallel, something which the iPhone 4 users have been enjoying. Applications can now be organised into folders with a drag-and-drop feature. E-mail features a unified inbox for users with more than one account while Game Centre lets users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch play against friends or other opponents and discover games that others are playing.

A new feature called AirPlay streams music, video and photos wirelessly from the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to a television set equipped with Apple TV, Apple's TV set-top box.AirPrint allows an iPad owner to wirelessly print documents or photos to AirPrint-enabled printers.
Apple said that 40,000 applications have been created for the iPad and 300,000 for the iPhone and iPod touch. It would be difficult for the other makers to match the iPad’s popularity, so look forward to more dominance by the Cupertino giant.