iOS 4.2 “Delayed” Due to iPad WiFi Issues, New GM Build Coming [Updated]
Two days ago we reported Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 were set to come out on Wednesday, with iOS 4.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to follow on Friday Nov. 12th — tomorrow. Mac OS X 10.6.5 indeed came out …
Context & Ripple Effects
MacStories had reported two days ago that Mac OS X 10.6.5, iTunes 10.1, and iOS 4.2 would land in sequence this week, with the mobile update due Friday, November 12th. Mac OS X 10.6.5 shipped on schedule; iTunes 10.1's timing was only ever rumored alongside it.
The iOS 4.2 leg has now slipped: TUAW carried a rumor of a delay of 'at least a week,' and a revised iPad build surfacing alongside a claimed November 24th launch points to the tablet itself as the blocker. The delay talk first surfaced November 11th, one day before the scheduled release — meaning Apple pulled the date rather than shipping on promise.
First-order effects
- iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users who expected iOS 4.2 today instead wait while Apple prepares a new GM build to replace the one already seeded to developers.
Second-order effects
- Apple's tightly choreographed release window breaks apart: 10.6.5 is out without its mobile companion, and any holiday-shopping-window marketing tied to the update now hangs on an unannounced date.
Third-order effects
- A hardware-specific WiFi defect forcing a full rebuild days before launch shows how a single device in Apple's unified iOS lineup can hold the entire release cadence hostage — and pushes Apple toward longer gaps between golden master and public ship when tablets are involved.
The trend: As iOS spans more devices with divergent hardware quirks, Apple's single synchronized OS updates are increasingly gated by the weakest link in the device matrix.