The reasons for the 4.2 delay?
Agree. And that's why I think the 4.2 release has been pushed out so far. If Apple were just updating Xcode and iOS for the current iPad, 4.2 might have already been released.
I think Apple must adding support for App Store on the next-gen iPad and the new Apple TV. Increasing the 2011 iPad's pixel size to 1280x720 seems like a no-brainer. That would bring iPad up to the minimum HD spec, which would be great for marketing purposes, and it would make it easier for Apple to support HDTV-resolution Apps (and HDTV-resolution iAds).
How would it make HDTV-resolution Apps and iAds easier? Well, let's assume that Apple wants to make it possible to create "universal" apps for iPhone / iPad / Apple TV. Currently, iOS App resolution is 960x640 for iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G. HDTV resolution is 1920x1080, or exactly twice the horizontal resolution of iOS 4.0/4.1. 960 x 2 = 1920. The same line doubling trick that was done for iOS 3.x apps on iOS 4.x could be done for iOS 4.1 apps on Apple TV with iOS 4.2.
I am not an iOS developer (yet) so I'm not completely sure what you need to do to make your App run on both iPhone 4 / iPod touch 4G and iPad. But I've heard that some developers were forced to re-do all the graphics in their apps for iPad with iOS 3.2. Ouch. It would be awkward at best to scale Apps up from 960 to 1024 pixels, with possible aliasing and other artifacts.
Eventually, Apps could be written at 1920 horizontal pixels natively so they would look great on your HDTV set in your living room. And HD Apps could be scaled down to iPad with an easy 2/3 crunch (if iPad goes to 1280 horizontal resolution) and scaled down to iPhone / iPod touch with an even easier 1/2 crunch.
The harder thing to do will be to bridge the gap between handheld multi-touch with iDevices and remote-control multi-touch with Apple TV. There are any number of ways of doing that, and I'm sure Apple has worked it all out like they always do.
This is another huge reason for writing all "universal" iOS apps at full HDTV 1920 resolution. You could run an App on your iPhone and stream video to your Apple TV at 1920x1080, if and when Apple TV supports 1080p output. (And I believe the only reason for lack of 1080p support is limited bandwith. 1080p video files are about 2x the size of 720p files.)
If Apple can establish themselves as a solid internet-TV player with iOS and App Store, they will have reached an amazing goal. They will have made iOS compatible with screen sizes from 3.5" up to 60"+. (With the exception of the 13" - 30" laptop / desktop screen size range. For now.)
... The real allure of iPhone/Touch/iPad games is the direct interaction you get with the touch based screen where you can directly manipulate things on the screen you're looking at and probably also the portability/immediate access of it. These effects are completely lost when a traditional non touch based screen like a TV set is used for games. ...
Agree. And that's why I think the 4.2 release has been pushed out so far. If Apple were just updating Xcode and iOS for the current iPad, 4.2 might have already been released.
I think Apple must adding support for App Store on the next-gen iPad and the new Apple TV. Increasing the 2011 iPad's pixel size to 1280x720 seems like a no-brainer. That would bring iPad up to the minimum HD spec, which would be great for marketing purposes, and it would make it easier for Apple to support HDTV-resolution Apps (and HDTV-resolution iAds).
How would it make HDTV-resolution Apps and iAds easier? Well, let's assume that Apple wants to make it possible to create "universal" apps for iPhone / iPad / Apple TV. Currently, iOS App resolution is 960x640 for iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G. HDTV resolution is 1920x1080, or exactly twice the horizontal resolution of iOS 4.0/4.1. 960 x 2 = 1920. The same line doubling trick that was done for iOS 3.x apps on iOS 4.x could be done for iOS 4.1 apps on Apple TV with iOS 4.2.
I am not an iOS developer (yet) so I'm not completely sure what you need to do to make your App run on both iPhone 4 / iPod touch 4G and iPad. But I've heard that some developers were forced to re-do all the graphics in their apps for iPad with iOS 3.2. Ouch. It would be awkward at best to scale Apps up from 960 to 1024 pixels, with possible aliasing and other artifacts.
Eventually, Apps could be written at 1920 horizontal pixels natively so they would look great on your HDTV set in your living room. And HD Apps could be scaled down to iPad with an easy 2/3 crunch (if iPad goes to 1280 horizontal resolution) and scaled down to iPhone / iPod touch with an even easier 1/2 crunch.
The harder thing to do will be to bridge the gap between handheld multi-touch with iDevices and remote-control multi-touch with Apple TV. There are any number of ways of doing that, and I'm sure Apple has worked it all out like they always do.
... Mark my words, people will be amazed when they see that they can watch episodes of "Dancing With The Stars" on their big screen HDTV just by Airplaying it from their ABC iphone app and be able to vote and interact right on the iPad. Once that takes off, more content providers will make the iOS devices a must-have source for their content just like they do now with cable, satellite, DVD, and Blu Ray. ...
This is another huge reason for writing all "universal" iOS apps at full HDTV 1920 resolution. You could run an App on your iPhone and stream video to your Apple TV at 1920x1080, if and when Apple TV supports 1080p output. (And I believe the only reason for lack of 1080p support is limited bandwith. 1080p video files are about 2x the size of 720p files.)
If Apple can establish themselves as a solid internet-TV player with iOS and App Store, they will have reached an amazing goal. They will have made iOS compatible with screen sizes from 3.5" up to 60"+. (With the exception of the 13" - 30" laptop / desktop screen size range. For now.)