iPadOS 16 release date: reportedly delayed to October
iPadOS 16 release date: reportedly delayed to October
iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 expected in September, iPadOS and macOS in October
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
📆 Delay: Apple’s iPadOS 16 is expected to launch later than expected
🎃 Trick: The update is being pushed back to October, says a new report
🎭 Why? Apple’s Stage Manager multi-tasking is being refined
🧪 Test it now: Can’t wait? You can try the iPadOS 16 public beta today
😅 Don’t worry: iOS 16 and watchOS 9 are still expected in September
Apple’s iPadOS 16 release date won’t be until October, according to a new report today from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
This means the forthcoming iPad software update and still-September-bound iOS 16 are diverging a little more than they have already when it comes to new features. Apple’s watchOS update is likely to arrive in September, while macOS Venture was always expected in October alongside new Mac hardware.
Don’t worry, there’s no delay to the iPhone 14 release date (September 13 for the date, September 23 for first shipments… daily), which seems to be what most of my followers keep asking me about. But iPadOS 16 isn’t coming until a month later.
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What’s behind the iPadOS 16 delay?
Why the rare delay for iPadOS 16? Apparently, it has to do with Apple’s new multi-tasking interface called Stage Manager. It’s ambitious but hasn’t been getting the best reviews from beta testers.
It’s a macOS-like Mission-Control-style layout, but more critical to getting the iPad to feel like a multi-tasking machine. It includes a real dock at the bottom like we saw with iPadOS 15, but now up to four app layouts reside on the side of the screen in reserve. You can swap between apps, pair multiple apps into the four layouts, and have three resizable windows on the screen at once.
The good news is that the timing may make more sense, as Gurman reminds us that Apple is expected to launch new iPads in October, including an iPad Pro with its M2 chipset and a basic iPad 2022 with a USB-C port.
I’ll also gladly take spaced-out Apple updates during the hectic reviews period when everyone wants to launch new phones right before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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