(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac)
We already know that iOS 4.2 will bring a veritable bounty of goodies to our beloved iPads come November, but a new discovery in the second beta version reveals that Internet tethering may also be on deck -- at least for those outside of the U.S.
9to5Mac is reporting that Internet tethering options for the iPad 3G have been found lurking within the iOS 4.2 second beta made available to developers this week. Sure, that contradicts what Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a Swedish DJ back in March, but who says Cupertino can’t have a change of heart once in a while?
Tethering has long been available for the iPhone, allowing other devices to use your handset as a 3G modem. Apple’s exclusive U.S. carrier, AT&T, was one of the last to finally offer the service, forcing customers to switch to a capped data plan with an extra fee tacked on for the “privilege.” Given that the U.S. iPad 3G data plan is capped at 2GB for your $25, tethering might not be the best thing to offer anyway -- but hey, that’s for the user to judge.
Unfortunately, it appears any hope of Internet tethering on the iPad 3G may be aimed at European users anyway, since nothing that 9to5Mac was able to do could get the settings pane to appear on their U.S. device.
In any event, the settings are lurking within the iOS 4.2 beta firmware, meaning that tethering is in the cards for some point in the future. 9to5Mac believes the function “may even launch with iOS 4.2 in November.” We shall see…
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