The rumor mill continues to churn, especially as we near the fall season and, ultimately, new products from Apple. The company itself typically tries to stick to an annual routine when it comes to new launches, but sometimes it has to make some tweaks. And apparently this year will see a minor change of action when it comes to the iPadOS 16 release window.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is going to delay the public launch of iPadOS 16 to sometime in October. That would mean it would see a delay of about a month, depending on when it finally launches. Apple typically releases new software at the end of September, but sometimes it has to add some more time to the mix to work out the finer details and kinks.
For those more interested in iOS 16, the report indicates Apple is going to stick to its late-September release date for that software update. So no change there. For now, anyway.
As for the reason why iPadOS 16 is getting a slight delay? Stage Manager, the new multitasking feature that is a major bullet point element for the new software. The report indicates Apple is going to use the extra time to improve the feature, however there’s no word on just what is changing. It’s possible Apple is making some major changes to Stage Manager ahead of the rescheduled release window, or perhaps it’s all just minor elements that need to be smoothed out.
From the original report:
During beta testing, the system has drawn criticism from some developers and users for its bugs, a confusing interface and lack of compatibility with most iPads. Staggering the release schedule will also allow Apple to put more engineering resources into completing iOS 16, the software update that will come included with the iPhone 14 in September.
Now, it also may line up with new iPad hardware getting launched, too. That’s what the original article suggests, saying Apple is planning to launch new iPad models sometime in October as well. If that does pan out, we may see a new iPad Pro with Apple’s M2 processor, along with a new entry-level iPad that makes the switch to USB-C from Lightning.
It’s already August, which means we ultimately don’t have much longer to wait before Apple makes all of this official. So, while it sounds like we’re going to be waiting a bit longer for iPadOS 16, it’s possible things change and Apple continues to rework the launch. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.