iPadOS 16 may be delayed until new iPads ship
Apple is reportedly not releasing its upcoming iPadOS 16 software update at the same time as iOS 16 for multiple reasons.
Stage Manager
The company typically releases iOS and iPadOS updates at the same time, but a new Bloomberg report claims that it may take a different approach in 2022 by delaying the iPad software update by up to a month.
According to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter, Apple may not release iPadOS 16 until October because of the "ambitious effort to overhaul" the iPad's multitasking abilities.
Among other features, iPadOS 16 has a new multitasking mechanism called Stage Manager that allows users to resize windows, open multiple apps at the same time, and more.
Reportedly, Stage Manager has drawn criticism from beta testers for being buggy and confusing to use. Delaying its release date would allow Apple to focus on releasing iOS first before shifting resources to cleaning up iPadOS 16.
Bloomberg also claims that Apple's software releases have been behind schedule in 2022, even before the iPadOS delay. For example, Apple kicked off its iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 public beta phase later than it has in past years.
Additionally, pushing the release date of iPadOS 16 would bring its debut closer to the launch of new iPad hardware, which could include an iPad Pro with an M2 chip and an upgraded 10.2-inch iPad with USB-C.
Along with the new multitasking features, iPadOS 16 also adds a stock weather app, improved external display support, and some Mac-like abilities for productivity.
Read on AppleInsider
Stage Manager
The company typically releases iOS and iPadOS updates at the same time, but a new Bloomberg report claims that it may take a different approach in 2022 by delaying the iPad software update by up to a month.
According to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter, Apple may not release iPadOS 16 until October because of the "ambitious effort to overhaul" the iPad's multitasking abilities.
Among other features, iPadOS 16 has a new multitasking mechanism called Stage Manager that allows users to resize windows, open multiple apps at the same time, and more.
Reportedly, Stage Manager has drawn criticism from beta testers for being buggy and confusing to use. Delaying its release date would allow Apple to focus on releasing iOS first before shifting resources to cleaning up iPadOS 16.
Bloomberg also claims that Apple's software releases have been behind schedule in 2022, even before the iPadOS delay. For example, Apple kicked off its iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 public beta phase later than it has in past years.
Additionally, pushing the release date of iPadOS 16 would bring its debut closer to the launch of new iPad hardware, which could include an iPad Pro with an M2 chip and an upgraded 10.2-inch iPad with USB-C.
Along with the new multitasking features, iPadOS 16 also adds a stock weather app, improved external display support, and some Mac-like abilities for productivity.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
I think Apple will be making good progress if Stage Manager is solid on LG UltraFine monitors in landscape. Once you start branching out to HDMI, USBC, ultrawide, and monitor orientations, things are going to get wacky. It will take a long time for apps to be updated and for Apple to get drivers working well. They also have a lot work to support TB3/4 and USBC docks.
Only the base (core) iPad has consistently launched in September. The iPad mini has occasionally also launched the same month. The iPad Air and iPad Pro have never launched in September, either October/November if during the autumn.
Apple may combine the fall Mac and iPad announcements in October/early November presumably with corresponding macOS and iPadOS releases.
Apple's software QA has slid considerably over the past five years so I welcome any effort to improve software quality at launch. These days I postpone major OS upgrades until Q2 the following year (yes, I updated to iOS 15 and macOS Monterey in April) so a one month delay for iPadOS 16 won't affect me the slightest.
Remember that Apple tries to finalize their holiday product lineup by early/mid November so any hardware launches will either occur in Sep-Oct-Nov or slip to some time next year.
iPadOS 16 may be delayed until new iPads ship
It seems at this point that Apple is keeping around lots of bored developers with not very much to do. Their work revolves around annoying surface-level tweaks of already pretty good software.
Never forget that.
Remember that Apple's shareholders aren't just your little Aunt Bessie with her 10 shares or some AppleInsider fanboi with his one share. We're talking about the biggest mutual funds and ETFs on the market as well as billions in market cap in pension funds, retirement accounts, etc.
Furthermore Apple missing a deadline means its vendors (like LG, QCOM), manufacturing partners (like TSMC, Pegatron), etc. will all be negatively impacted. And therefore the shareholders of those corporations.
Apple management will generally do what is beneficial to its shareholders. And shareholders have expectations for Apple management concerning revenue, gross margin, profitability, expenses, etc.
Shipping a key product a quarter late and missing holiday quarter sales is not something that will please shareholders. Instead, Apple needs to make a better effort at keeping with anticipated timelines. If they need to scale back some software features or add more staff, so be it.
That's why this delay might be just a month, not four. Apple cannot afford to miss shipping new iPads before the holiday shopping season.
Btw, I got your order of Y2K t-shirts ready now. Where do you want them delivered to?
The date bound to the Y2K scenario was immutable, non negotiable, and uncontrollable. Nobody chose the Y2K date. The Y2K issue was handled as an impending crisis and damage control measures were taken to minimize the anticipated problems. Reacting to zero-day bugs is a damage control situation as well. But even with damage control, companies like Apple are going to fully test whatever they developed to respond to the threat prior to releasing it to the public.
Product and feature release dates are chosen by someone or a team, usually with qualified and rational input from the people who are doing the work, people who understand the market opportunity, and people who understand the amount of combined risk that the organization is taking on when they commit to a chosen target date. All of the variables that go into the release date decision, including "must have" and "nice to have" feature lists, have pros and cons and can be adjusted to maximize the benefits and minimize risk to the company and its stakeholders. This is all part of informed product development and release planning. Product release targets (what features and when) should be neither arbitrary nor imposed, they should negotiated and signed-off on by those who take ownership for the risk.
There's a big difference between informed and negotiated product/release planning and damage control. Each one has its place. However, if you are working for a company that routinely runs product development projects using damage control principles, you have my utmost sympathy. If you knowingly allow untested products/features to ship just to meet a date, I hope you have a very stout team of lawyers who are going to protect you from your irate customers and their lawyers.
Apple has done it before.
And yes, I also cashed my settlement check from the DVD player class action lawsuit.