Updates to the profile and innards of the iPad 2 weren’t the only additions to the release, with a reworked operating system, iOS 4.3.The iOS 4.3 mobile operating system that runs iPhones and iPads is said by Apple to make browsing on Safari faster, includes iTunes Home Sharing, an updated version of AirPlay, options for changing the side switch to either screen-rotation lock or mute (a pet peeve for many iPad users) as well as the ability to use the latest iPad as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The iOS 4.3 update will be made available for download for iPads, iPhones and iPod touch users on March 11 (but Australian consumers won’t get to try it out on an iPad 2 until its launch on March 25).
An update to JavaScript processing with the Nitro JavaScript engine is meant to improve performance while web browsing on the iPad.
iTunes Home Sharing is Apple’s version of media streaming around the home, allowing users to play music and videos on Apple products from an iTunes library via Wi-Fi.
AirPlay updates allow users to view streamed third party app and website content on Apple TV via Wi-Fi. In addition is the ability to stream video content from the iPad’s dual cameras directly to Apple TV.
Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, has been adamant about saving battery life as a key selling point to the new iPad, so the Wi-Fi hotspot feature turns itself off when it isn’t being used to save battery life.
