Apple releases iOS4.2, adds feature to find lost iPhone, iPad

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc released a version of its mobile operating system that helps users locate and lock missing devices. The update, called iOS 4.2, also brings features that had been available on the iPhone and iPod Touch to the iPad, including multitasking and folders for organizing applications.

Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who showed off some of the features in September, aims to woo holiday shoppers with the update. The new software includes a feature for printing wirelessly from Apple mobile devices through a Wi-Fi network. With the iPad's multitasking function, users can switch between applications without turning them off.

"iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season," Jobs said today in a statement.

The iPad, which went on sale in April, accounted for about 14 percent of Apple's revenue last quarter. The device established a market for tablet computers that blend the capabilities of a smartphone and notebook computer, leading rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co and Research In Motion Ltd to introduce competing models.

Lost and found

Apple's Find My iPhone feature is available as a free download from the company's App Store. It helps people locate their iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches on a map and play a sound when lost. Users can remotely lock or wipe all the data from lost devices, Apple said. The feature, which works with the latest versions of the devices, was previously available as part of Apple's $99-a-year MobileMe subscription.

The new operating system, available today, can be downloaded from Apple's iTunes. The update also adds Game Center to the iPad, a feature that had been available on the iPhone and iPod Touch. It lets gamers post scores to leader boards or challenge other owners of Apple mobile devices.