(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)
If you’ve been waiting anxiously to get your hands on iOS 4.2 to take advantage of the highly touted AirPrint functionality, you may want to sit down while reading this -- Apple may be delaying the feature “indefinitely” for Mac and Windows PCs, meaning it will only work with a handful of newer printers from HP.
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple’s AirPrint technology may have hit a substantial roadblock this week due to “last minute stability and compatibility problems” which may bench the use of the iOS 4.2-based wireless printing ability indefinitely on Mac and Windows computers.
First announced on September 1 as part of the November iOS 4.2 update, Apple made it quite clear that the AirPrint technology would work with shared printers on a Mac or PC, as well as directly with recent models of HP printers.
"AirPrint is Apple’s powerful new printing architecture that matches the simplicity of iOS -- no set up, no configuration, no printer drivers and no software to download," said Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller in a company press release back on September 1. "iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to an HP ePrint printer or to a printer shared on a Mac or PC."
Rumors began to swirl on Tuesday that the AirPrint functionality on Mac and Windows may now be significantly delayed -- if not cancelled altogether. A developer on the Apple Developer forums inquired about AirPrint compatibility back on November 3 and was told by Apple Tech Support: “Support for AirPrint on Windows and Mac has been cancelled. We will be in contact with you if another opportunity arises in the future.”
AppleInsider was able to confirm that neither the Apple Developer website nor the iOS 4.2 gold master release notes make reference to AirPrint support for Mac or Windows -- in fact, the release notes from the November 1 GM only mention that "iOS 4.2 devices can print wirelessly only to printers that support AirPrint and are running the latest available firmware."
AirPrint will certainly not be much of a marquee feature for the iOS 4.2 update without Mac and Windows support -- especially if it’s only useful with a handful of recent HP printers that use ePrint, which includes several Photosmart models as well as the ENVY 100. Such support on the Mac side relies on the pending Mac OS X 10.6.5 update, which was expected as early as last week but received at least two more developer seeds this week, which could indicate that there is indeed trouble in paradise.
The iOS 4.2 update is expected later this week, and also brings the wireless AirPlay streaming technology which allows mobile users to play their music and videos to the second-generation Apple TV with the tap of a button. At the moment, this feature is also crippled in the iOS 4.2 gold master -- users can send audio but not video to the Apple TV, presumably because the diminutive black box also requires an update to enable the feature.
Rumors abound that Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 will arrive on Wednesday, with iOS 4.2 coming on Friday -- so it remains to be seen how all of this will play out.
Updated: 9to5Mac is reporting that a MacForums member fired off a concerned missive to Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the subject of AirPrint, and it appears that the rumors of the service being pulled from iOS 4.2 may be just that. According to Jobs himself, "AirPrint has not been pulled. Don’t believe everything you read."
AirPrint is clearly still part of the iOS 4.2 gold master and Apple has a prominently-posted page about the update coming to the iPad which clearly outlines the service as part of the package, touting the ability to "Print mail, photos, web pages, and more directly to a printer on a wireless network." Jobs doesn't specifically confirm Mac and Windows support in his e-mail reply, but hope springs eternal at any rate.
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