In this Year, iPadOS 16 will Launch Following iOS 16 "on its Own Schedule."
For Apple's release cycle, a significant change
Apple has confirmed that iPadOS 16.0 won't be available to the general public and that it won't be released until after iOS begins to roll out to phones. We have the ability to launch iPadOS on its own timeline, the business claimed in a statement to TechCrunch. After iOS, iPadOS will release version 16.1 this Fall as a free software update.
Even though Apple has historically released iPadOS and iOS simultaneously, this decoupling has always felt like a possibility ever since Apple separated out the operating system for the iPad as an independent entity in 2019.
(And in fact, little than a week after the confusing initial deployment of iOS 13, the first iteration of iPadOS was released as 13.1). Although Apple has a history of delaying certain improvements in its mobile operating systems, delaying the OS itself and skipping the initial release is a significant departure for the business.
This information, which backs up a story published by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman earlier this month, coincides with the launch of iPadOS 16.1's first beta. There don't appear to be any release notes for the 16.1 beta on Apple's developer website right now. Additionally, the business is launching a fresh version of iOS 16for iPhone developers, although it's for 16.0 and not 16.1.
When The Verge asked Apple for a comment on why the original version of iPadOS would not be released, they did not react right away. The Stage Manager multitasking system, which is the future OS's signature feature, has received a lot of negative feedback from users of the beta version.
Federico Viticci, a well-known iPad user, recently tweeted a request to Apple to delay the feature, stating that he had problems "every few minutes" and "UI issues everywhere" while using it. When my colleague David Pierce previewed the OS, he said he loathed Stage Manager. He said that some of the feature's design was "fundamentally flawed" in his opinion.
Even though it seems like iPadOS isn't ready for prime time, its delay might wind up making iPad owners who instantly switch to iOS 16 for their phones behave strangely. Based on the system's behaviour in the betas, messages modified on iOS will almost probably appear differently on an iPad, and it's difficult to predict how iPadOS will handle things like iCloud Shared Photo libraries. Additionally, as someone who regularly uses beta software, I can attest to how unpleasant it can be to get acclimated to capabilities on one device but not on another that uses a very similar OS. When I forget that my iPad doesn't yet support Passkeysor emoji dictation, I can see me being angry.
The delay of iPadOS also begs the question of what will happen to Stage Manager-equipped macOS Ventura. It's simpler to ignore on the Mac, though, because Apple's desktop OS isn't accustomed to receiving updates at the same time as the iPhone (I had to ask a coworker how to even activate it).
Even with the possible drawbacks, delaying the release of an OS if it isn't complete is probably a wise decision. Although Apple hasn't officially announced a release date for iPadOS (or iOS, for that matter), the wait is now slightly longer.
