
It’s been nearly four months since iOS 4.2 for the iPad was released, with AirPrint as one of the headline new features included in it. Initially, AirPrint was touted by Apple as bringing ‘universal’ wireless printing to the iPad and iOS.
By the time the 4.2 update was released that had been scaled back enormously – it offered wireless printing only to AirPrint-enabled printers and the list of those was pathetically short. Back in November the list contained only seven printers, all from only one manufacturer, HP.
Today I had a quick glance at Apple’s list of Airprint-enabled printers again – hoping and expecting that it would have expanded quite a bit. Sadly, it hasn’t. There are now only 17 printers on the list – still all from HP. I realize it is probably legal and licensing reasons that are crippling this list right now, not technology-related ones, but even so it strikes me as very lame on Apple’s part that they promised the world on this feature and they’ve not even come close to delivering on the promise.
Luckily if you use a Mac, there is this clever and painless tweak that enables you to use AirPrint with just about any printer you like.
I really hope will get things sorted out soon and make AirPrint somewhere at least close to as universal as it was promised to be.