iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a 'completely new product', says Apple chief Steve Jobs

APPLE says iOS 4.2 for the iPad turns the tablet into a "completely new product". What do you think?

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs says iOS 4.2 "makes the iPad a completely new product". Picture: The Australian

APPLE has released a new version of its mobile operating system, bringing multitasking, folders, wireless printing and a unified inbox to the iPad.

Apple said iOS 4.2 for the iPad, the iPhone and iPad Touch offered more than 100 new features for the popular devices.

"(It) makes the iPad a completely new product," said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs of the software, which can be downloaded for free from iTunes.

"The iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit," he said.

Apple got the jump on its competitors with the launch of the iPad in April but a number of rivals have launched, or are planning to launch, their own touchscreen tablet computers, including Samsung and Research In Motion, the maker of the Blackberry.

Many of the features in iOS 4.2 were already available for the latest versions of the iPhone and the iPod Touch but not for the iPad.

Apple said iPad users could now switch between applications instantly and run more than one at a time — playing a music program like Pandora, for example, while running another application.

Applications can also now be organised into folders with a drag-and-drop feature.

Email features a unified inbox for users with more than one account while "Game Centre" lets users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch play against friends or other opponents and discover games that others are playing.

A new feature called "AirPlay" streams music, video and photos wirelessly from the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch to a television set equipped with Apple TV, Apple's TV set-top box.

"AirPrint" allows an iPad owner to wirelessly print documents or photos to AirPrint-enabled printers from Hewlett-Packard.

Apple said 40,000 applications had been created so far for the iPad and 300,000 for the iPhone and iPod Touch.