Apple releases iTunes 10.1 beta to test in-app iOS 4.2 AirPrint
Alongside iOS 4.2 beta 2, Apple has also released iTunes 10.1 beta for developers to help them get their apps ready for the new firmware due in November.
This is a pre-release version of iTunes 10.1 beta to support testing of printing from your iOS app. Be sure to backup your iTunes content prior to installing iTunes 10.1 beta.
AirPrint to support wireless printing, along with AirPlay to support audio and video streaming are among the most prominent features.
[developer.apple.com, thanks for the tip DigitalLifeDad!]
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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Windows Support?
Yes there is a windows and a OSX version.
Eww. Windows.
Mmmmm......Windows!
Arent I lucky... My OSX lives inside my Windows lol http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/8319/osxinwin7.jpg
Something I don't understand: Why does iTunes need an update to help developers test AirPrint? I could see the dev tools being updated for this purpose, but why iTunes? My understanding was that AirPrint communicated either directly with a wireless printer or through a Mac running a beta version of Snow Leopard, not iTunes. What am I missing here?
Yeah, I still don't get the whole concept behind printing from your iOS device…!? I thought you had to print over Bonjour to the printer(s) connected to your Mac(s) which had to be running…!? Which is a bit tedious, but okay…
I still don't understand why I can't print directly to my WiFi enabled HP printer though…?! That's what I was hoping for…
And now we have AirPrint…?! Are we supposed to print via iTunes now…?! I'm confused…
@MILE
"I still don’t understand why I can’t print directly to my WiFi enabled HP printer though…?!"
I believe that is the plan, and currently I think that can happen with specific HP Eprint printers. Presumably, that functionality will be extended to other printers and brands, but I can't find confirmation of that anywhere. I have an Epson Workforce 600 WiFi printer, and I would hate to think that it wouldn't be supported eventually, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until the final version of 4.2 is released in November.
AirPrint is the general name for the printing functionality in iOS 4.2 and like many other Apple features it is probably a stack of protocols/formats such as Bonjour and Postscript (I don't think they have release any details really about AirPrint but I imagine it must use Postscript to support as many printers as possible without drivers).
So I'm guessing a printer would need to support both Postscript and Bonjour for it to work with AirPrint. Many higher level consumer printers support Postscript as do most business class printers, but not many will support Bonjour and that is what is probably being added to the HP Eprint printers.
Apple is trying to come up with a protocol that does not require printer specific drivers or a printer server, which is a good thing, but I don't know how well this will play with enterprise networks that already have printer infrastructure set up.
Well, whatever its is -- for me it still isn't working…!
I know of course that as of now I couldn't print directly to my WiFi printer, but even though it is connected to my Mac as well the iPad still refuses to "see" it…! Not sure why that's the case, so I guess I'll just have to wait for Beta 3 and at some point the final release and hope that it will work eventually…
Funny thing is that 3rd party apps recognize the printer on the network just fine and with the HP iOS app I can even connect to the printer directly, without going through Bonjour…! But as nice as that is, it's still a hassle "importing" the document you actually want to get printed -- as compared to Apple's simple implementation of just choosing the "Print" option with an app…
I have been using print n share with no problems yes you have to have the desktop version of we print running, but at this time I have no need to upgrade to a wifi printer. I had the impression that air print should in theory work with any printer connected to a pc or mac
So I quite simply state you actually establish a few outstanding ideas and I will post a number of suggestions to add to shortly.