Apple will apparently delay its new iPadOS by about a month this year. According to a report by the financial news agency Bloomberg, citing informed circles, the tablet operating system should not be released until October instead of, as is usually the case, together with the next iOS in September.
“Staggered Release” on iPhone and iPad
Apple usually separates the releases of new operating systems as follows: iOS, iPadOS and watchOS appear in September, followed by macOS in October. In 2022, iOS and watchOS should come in September, iPadOS and macOS in October. Internally, there is currently talk of a delay of “about a month” for the tablet operating system. The reason for the delay in iPadOS 16 is said to be work on the new multitasking feature Stage Manager. The fresh function allows window management on Apple tablets for the first time, albeit with restrictions. Stage Manager is also said to be part of macOS 13 aka Ventura. The feature can be optionally activated on both the iPad and the Mac.
In the current beta phase of iPadOS 16, Stage Manager caused criticism among developers and end users. There are still various bugs and incompatibilities. In addition, the interface is by no means self-explanatory. Furthermore, Apple Stage Manager only wants to limit devices with an M1 chip – i.e. current iPad Pro models and the iPad Air 5 – although older devices should also be able to use the technology. It is still completely unclear whether the group will give way here.
Fit the iPad Pro M2?
With a “staggered release”, Apple could gain some breathing room during development and test the function better. In addition, the new operating system could then appear closer to possible new iPads that are expected in autumn – including an iPad Pro with an M2 chip and an entry-level iPad with USB. The first indications that there could be delays were already apparent during the rollout of the current beta versions: these came quite late compared to the previous year.
Apple declined to comment on the report. iPadOS 16 comes with other improvements in addition to Stage Manager. These include an overhauled lockscreen, a better color manager and improved support for external displays, the latter two features again being limited to M1 machines. The new features from iOS 16 are also included, including iMessage with an editing function, a new home app and more. Apple also took pity and brought its weather app to the iPad for the first time.
