14 DAY TRIAL // Two separate sources claim to have heard that Apple is struggling to fix a Wi-Fi bug inside iOS 4.2, prompting the company to push the public launch of the update into next week. One of the sources claims to have an exact launch date - November 16.
A report by iphonehellas.gr does little to inform readers about the actual reasons holding back the iOS 4.2 release.
However, the Greek web site does seem confident to report that a reliable source has chirped the following tidbit in their direction: “the iOS 4.2 will NOT be released today.”
Their report is dated November 12 (today), which is the date many believed would see iOS 4.2 launched to customers via iTunes.
While the site’s source may be wrong, the report seems pretty convincing, especially when you hear from MacStories.net that developers are signaling Wi-Fi issues with the iPad version of iOS 4.2 builds.
Apparently, iOS was on track for the widely reported November 12 release, but “due to last-minute WiFi connection issues experienced by many users running the GM build on the iPad,” iOS 4.2 has been delayed, the blog reports.
MacStories accurately predicted the release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 this week, but not that of iTunes 10.1, which should arrive ahead, or at least alongside iOS 4.2, to ensure compatibility between desktop computers and iDevices running the new firmware.
Back to the WiFi bug reported by iOS developers, it appears that even if the iPad manages to successfully connect to a local network, that connection is lost within minutes, the blog notes.
A common problem among testers, the WiFi bug is actually making it impossible to use the Safari web browser for some iPad iOS 4.2 testers, the blog claims to have been told.
Furthermore, Apple reportedly decided to delay the release of iOS 4.2 immediately after being notified by the bug, in order to fix it ahead of the public launch.
Apple may even release a second GM build as early as tomorrow, November 13, according to the people leaking this information.
As such, it is believed another week of testing is in store for the new iOS version. Apple reportedly plans to test the last iOS 4.2 build “vigorously.”