Apple reveals iPadOS 16.1 coming October 24
In its announcements of the new iPad and iPad Pro models, Apple has also specified that iPadOS 16.1 will be available just ahead of the devices' October 26 release date.

Apple has previously only confirmed that iPadOS 16 was delayed, that the first release would in fact be iPadOS 16.1, and that it would be coming in October. Now it's revealed the specific date that the OS will be available to download.
"iPadOS 16, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, is available beginning Monday, October 24, and ships for free with the new iPad," says Apple. "iPadOS 16 will be available as a free software update for iPad (5th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and all iPad Pro models."
Apple announcements refer only to iPadOS 16, not even mentioning that it will be iPadOS 16.1. But the company does stress how the update offers particular features that it suggests the new iPads will particularly suited for.
They include iCloud Shared Photo Library and Mail updates for the iPad, and Stage Manager for the iPad Pro.
Read on AppleInsider

Apple has previously only confirmed that iPadOS 16 was delayed, that the first release would in fact be iPadOS 16.1, and that it would be coming in October. Now it's revealed the specific date that the OS will be available to download.
"iPadOS 16, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, is available beginning Monday, October 24, and ships for free with the new iPad," says Apple. "iPadOS 16 will be available as a free software update for iPad (5th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and all iPad Pro models."
Apple announcements refer only to iPadOS 16, not even mentioning that it will be iPadOS 16.1. But the company does stress how the update offers particular features that it suggests the new iPads will particularly suited for.
They include iCloud Shared Photo Library and Mail updates for the iPad, and Stage Manager for the iPad Pro.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Six more days it is.
Now if iPadOS was available to download today, that would imply one week less development and time to fix bugs.
Do you think iPadOS 16 is at the point where software QA issues aren't on the front burner?
Personally I think Apple's software QA quality has plummeted in recent years and have stopped installing new versions upon release. I won't upgrade to iOS 16 until April 2023. My iPad mini will also stay on version 15 until April 2023. My Mac mini 2018 is on macOS Monterey and won't be upgraded to Ventura, again in April 2023.
I skipped Crapalina completely, jumping straight from Big Sur to Monterey in April this year.
My understanding (at least from years ago) is that Apple stops signing the older iPadOS/iOS version about a week after the new one releases and going back is impossible after that. Of course, there might be some trick way to work around this but I have no knowledge of this. Waiting a few days before installing would shorten your trial window.
It's easier to revert back to an older version of macOS since Apple doesn't use version signatures to prevent installation of previous versions.