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Apple’s next iOS software upgrade is supposed to introduce wireless printing to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, but early reports suggest that the print feature won’t fully work as promised.
When Steve Jobs introduced AirPrint as a new feature in iOS 4.2, he said it would enable Apple’s mobile devices to print without needing to install drivers or additional software. He explained that AirPrint would work with printers shared on a network by a Mac or PC, or with HP printers that market themselves as AirPrint-compatible.
However, Mac app programmers told MacStories that Apple had removed references to shared printing in Apple’s developer support documentation, and one developer heard the shared-printing feature had been removed because of instability and incompatibility with some printers.
Also, Apple just released the latest Mac OS update (10.6.5), and some have reported that shared printing indeed is not supported through AirPrint.
A statement from an Apple spokeswoman also does not mention support for shared printing:
“With iOS 4.2 available this month, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can print to directly to AirPrint compatible printers without the need to install drivers or download software. HP is bringing AirPrint to their fall lineup of ePrint printers including the Photosmart, Officejet, Officejet Pro and LaserJet Pro series.”
For now, it looks like AirPrint is only going to print with a few HP printers labeled as AirPrint-compatible, so it won’t be very useful for many customers. We’ll know for sure when iOS 4.2 officially ships — presumably soon because the near-final version recently released for iOS developers.
It seemed too good to be true when Apple said that the next iOS software update would introduce simple, pain-free wireless printing. Printers, as anyone who’s ever used a computer should already know, are a royal pain in the rear, and it looks like Apple hasn’t solved the problem yet.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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