Apple Delays or Cancels Support for AirPrint Via Shared Printers on Macs and PCs?

[timothevs]

Just came across this article on MacStories.net

http://www.macstories.net/news/rumor-apple-has-cancelled-support-for-airprint-on-mac-and-pc/

Can any devs confirm/deny this? If indeed it is true, the usefulness of AirPrint just went down dramatically.

 

[Zcott]

Seriously hoping this isn't true, but it looks like it is...

 

[IrishVixen]

Hope that's not the case, or this "feature" becomes nearly useless as most of us are not going to run out and buy a new printer just to get this to work. I currently use PrintNShare through my Mac with mixed but decent results; still, was hoping 4.2 would be an improvement.

 

[Theraker007]

if I have my printer connected through a time machine router does that matter at all?

 

[andiwm2003]

They should just drop the entire current printing and replace it with real printing like drivers for all printers, through routers, airprint and via Dock to USB cable. It's ridiculous that a $800 computer that is over 50 times as fast as my first Mac can't print.

 

[hcho3]

It's magical device. You don't need to print.
I will stick with my 4.2 GM for a long time before they fix this crap.

 

[Zcott]

They should just drop the entire current printing and replace it with real printing like drivers for all printers, through routers, airprint and via Dock to USB cable. It's ridiculous that a $800 computer that is over 50 times as fast as my first Mac can't print.

To carry all the printer drivers required takes up about a gigabyte, which on a 16gb device is a not insignificant amount. Airprint worked (I assume!) by handing over all the driver-based work to the shared Mac or PC, which in turn printed the document. It's really the best solution to a difficult problem, and I don't see any other way around it.

 

[azentropy]

They should just drop the entire current printing and replace it with real printing like drivers for all printers, through routers, airprint and via Dock to USB cable. It's ridiculous that a $800 computer that is over 50 times as fast as my first Mac can't print.

No thanks! AirPrint as well as using Mac or pc printer sharing is a MUCH more elegant solution since it is completely driverless.

 

[andiwm2003]

To carry all the printer drivers required takes up about a gigabyte, which on a 16gb device is a not insignificant amount. Airprint worked (I assume!) by handing over all the driver-based work to the shared Mac or PC, which in turn printed the document. It's really the best solution to a difficult problem, and I don't see any other way around it.

well, its not a solution since I and many others can't print at all unless we buy a new printer. I'd rather have a setup program through itunes that allows me to select the relevant drivers for me if I don't want to carry all drivers. Currently you either need to buy a new printer or boot you computer up. But then I'd rather print from the computer right away. Not a good solution.

No thanks! AirPrint as well as using Mac or pc printer sharing is a MUCH more elegant solution since it is completely driverless.

No it's not driverless since the drivers need to be on your computer and your computer needs to be around and running to be able to print. Needing to go to Best Buy and buy a new printer is not really an elegant solution.......

 

[Maclver]

AirPrint Delayed?

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...or_airprint_through_macs_and_windows_pcs.html


On the Apple Developer forums, one developer claims that Apple Tech Support told him that "support for AirPrint on Windows and Mac has been cancelled." The limitation of AirPrint to a select few HP printers would severely limit the usefulness of the feature, forcing most users to purchase a new printer to take advantage of it. Users, especially business users, have been greatly looking forward to the wireless printing feature, which was promised to be easy to use and to work with any printer connected to a Mac or PC, and will undoubtedly be disappointed to discover that AirPrint has been hobbled by a lack of Mac or PC support.

Adding to the confusion of whether support for the feature has been removed, developers have reported being able to print to Macs using earlier versions of Mac OS X 10.6.5 and the iOS 4.2 GM, as well as Windows PCs via the iTunes 10.1 Beta 2 for Windows, although it is unclear whether AirPrint support for Macs is still functioning in the latest Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta released Monday,.

Rumors suggest that Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 will arrive Wednesday, with iOS 4.2 coming on Friday at 10 a.m.

Though AirPrint support for Mac and PC printing may have been delayed, it's clear that Apple is committed to developing wireless printing on the iOS. In September, a batch of patent applications for Apple's AirPlay and AirPrint communications protocols hinted that the company has big plans for the wireless printing feature.


I don't buy this.. but who knows.. Im actually looking forward to this feature

 

[goobot]

Doubts

 

[Don Kosak]

Wow, hope this rumor is not true.

I end up storing my documents in the cloud, then printing from my Mac. It hasn't been a big deal, but printing directly would be handy.

 

[Warbrain]

"Apple's Tech Support" isn't going to know if it was cancelled or not. That's a waste of time.

I'll try it in a second and see what happens. Sound good?

 

[Warbrain]

10.6.5 on my MacBook. 4.2 GM on my iPad. Printer is made by Canon. That alone means it isn't on the list from Apple...

Printed just fine. Both printers showed up in my list on my iPad. I printed 3 copies of the same page.

The only way this is getting pulled is if something is pulled out of 10.6.5. I'm not saying it hasn't been but I highly doubt it at this point.

 

[jaw04005]

"Apple's Tech Support" isn't going to know if it was cancelled or not. That's a waste of time.

I'll try it in a second and see what happens. Sound good?

Considering where the message was posted, the ADC iOS 4.2 Beta forum (that's under still under NDA, BTW), he probably contacted ADC Support.

However, I'm skeptical that even ADC Support would know at this point.

 

[flopticalcube]

Warbrain, are you running the latest 10.6.5 beta and iTunes beta?

 

[Warbrain]

Warbrain, are you running the latest 10.6.5 beta and iTunes beta?

Latest iTunes beta but not the latest 10.6.5. Had to recover from a nasty crash last night so I used what I had around which is the version of 10.6.5 included with the iOS betas.

I'll download and install it and update here. I suspect it'll be the same result.

 

[flopticalcube]

Latest iTunes beta but not the latest 10.6.5. Had to recover from a nasty crash last night so I used what I had around which is the version of 10.6.5 included with the iOS betas.

I'll download and install it and update here. I suspect it'll be the same result.

Thanks. Looking forward to your results.

 

[Warbrain]

Thanks. Looking forward to your results.

Just installed the latest 10.6.5...no go. Printed something, said it was sending to the printer, but nothing came out. Nothing showed up in the multitasking bar, either.

Edit: Tried it from the iPhone. Same thing happened. The functionality is there in the iPad but it's not there in OS X 10.6.5.

 

[flopticalcube]

Just installed the latest 10.5.6...no go. Printed something, said it was sending to the printer, but nothing came out. Nothing showed up in the multitasking bar, either.

So it's been pulled then. Bastards.

 

[Warbrain]

So it's been pulled then. Bastards.

Pulled from 10.6.5. I can confirm it's not related to iTunes on the OS X side as it worked with the latest iTunes beta but the older version of 10.6.5. This could be why we're seeing 10.6.6 builds now.

It's odd, though. Both iOS devices see my printers, neither of which support AirPrint by themselves. So iOS can see them but the handshake from computer-to-printer isn't there.

You can see it below:

 

[Amazing Iceman]

HP has recently released Universal Printer drivers for Windows:
One for PCL and another one for Postscript printers.

Both sets of drivers are very small and can adapt to different printer configurations (such as different trays, supported sizes, etc.).

So why can't they do that for the iPad? It's so simple that other developers have already created printing apps for iPad that don't require a new printer that support ePrint or AirPrint or a printer shared by a Mac or PC.

In reality, you can print a plain text document by using telnet to access port 9100 of a networked HP printer and pasting your text, then exiting telnet.

So why can't Apple at least just add a generic PCL or PS universal driver?

Also, as far as I know, ePrint requires an Internet connection to work, as it uses SMTP to print (is this an accurate statement?).

The day iOS 4.2 is launched, we will know if this rumor was true or false. one thing for sure, I'm not rushing to buy a new printer just to be able to print on the iPad.

 

[Warbrain]

HP has recently released Universal Printer drivers for Windows:
One for PCL and another one for Postscript printers.

Both sets of drivers are very small and can adapt to different printer configurations (such as different trays, supported sizes, etc.).

So why can't they do that for the iPad? It's so simple that other developers have already created printing apps for iPad that don't require a new printer that support ePrint or AirPrint or a printer shared by a Mac or PC.

In reality, you can print a plain text document by using telnet to access port 9100 of a networked HP printer and pasting your text, then exiting telnet.

So why can't Apple at least just add a generic PCL or PS universal driver?

Also, as far as I know, ePrint requires an Internet connection to work, as it uses SMTP to print (is this an accurate statement?).

The day iOS 4.2 is launched, we will know if this rumor was true or false. one thing for sure, I'm not rushing to buy a new printer just to be able to print on the iPad.

I confirmed it as working in early betas of 10.6.5 but not in the latest. Wouldnt surprise me if this ends up as an iOS 5 feature.

 

[MacRumors]

Apple Delays or Cancels Support for AirPrint Via Shared Printers on Macs and PCs?

MacStories reports that Apple appears to have canceled support for printing from iOS devices to shared printers attached to Macs and Windows PCs. The last-minute change would appear to put a crimp in the utility of the company's AirPrint service scheduled to be launched on iOS 4.2 in the very near future.

We have been told from a few Mac developers that a few days ago Apple removed all the references to printing via OS X 10.6.5 and PCs both from Readme files and other online documentation posted in the iOS developer center. It seems like all that's now mentioned in the release notes are the aforementioned HP networked printers, as if the shared printing option never existed.

According to one developer who contacted Apple technical support regarding the removal, Apple has indeed canceled AirPrint support through shared printers, and it is unclear if the company even has plans to offer it in the future.

So, here is the reply from Apple Tech Support when contacted:

"Support for AirPrint on Windows and Mac has been cancelled. We will be in contact with you if another opportunity arises in the future."

While some developers have claimed that the feature does indeed work under the iOS 4.2 golden master when used with the Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta version made available to iOS developers for AirPrint testing, claims have arisen that issues with "instabilities and incompatibilities" have forced Apple to remove the functionality.

Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1, which had been set to bring the AirPrint support to Macs and Windows PCs, have been rumored to see a release tomorrow, with iOS 4.2 claimed to be set to follow on Friday.

Article Link: Apple Delays or Cancels Support for AirPrint Via Shared Printers on Macs and PCs?

 

[rlelek]

Are You Serious?

Are You Serious?

I wonder what the motive is.

Dislike.