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Apple's iOS 4.2 released, and its problems never cease
November 23rd, 2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
The freshly released Apple iOS 4.2 is running into a myriad of problems. Less than 24 hours old, the software update is plagued with quirks and limited AirPlay support.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The mobile operating system refresh brings folders and multitasking to the iPad for the first time. The exciting new feature, AirPlay, a feature that lets you stream content from your iOS device to an Apple TV and AirPrint, which allows you to print to select printers on a wireless network were hotly anticipated.
However - it appears that AirPlay isn't all it's cracked up to be. AirPlay works really well with stock Apple iOS applications such as YouTube, Photos and iPod, both video and audio - but that's about it.
Many other video playback applications won't work with AirPlay. You can't stream video from your iOS device's Safari Web browser.
Blogger John Gruber also said you can't use AirPlay to stream a video shot using your iPhone to an Apple TV. "That's an obvious feature, right? Shoot a video on your iPhone, then play it back for family and friends on your big TV via AirPlay," Gruber said.
Many users were perturbed to find that after upgrading to iOS 4.2 their music, video and podcasts were no longer in the iPod application. It turns out that iOS 4.2 has a quirky bug causing some iOS devices to fail to recognize iPod content. One solution on Apple's forums that appears to fix the problem is to sync your iOS device with iTunes, and click on the triangle next to your iOS device icon in iTunes' left sidebar. Then you select the "Music" heading underneath your device to see the music library on your handset. You then select a song on your iOS device and play it, and then sync your device one more time, and content should return.
Apple has more iOS goodies for Web apps in iOS 4.2. Besides improvements to mobile Safari's HTML 5 support, Web developers can now use the accelerometers found in iOS devices to enhance their Web apps. Accelerometers are able to sense the orientation of your device, which allows iOS handsets to switch from portrait to landscape view and is a key component in iOS gaming.
If you'd like to try the new feature out, point your iOS device's Safari browser to ad.ag/wjmtgt. The sample site lets you move a red ball back and forth across your screen by tipping your device. For best results lock your screen orientation before trying it out.