Here’s some very good news for owners of an original iPad. The first update for iOS 5 – iOS 5.0.1 – will ad multitasking gestures for the original iPad.
These slick new gestures – which were added to the iPad 2 with the release of iOS 5 – allow you to use four or five fingers to: pinch inwards to return to the home screen from any app, swipe up to launch the multitasking bar, and swipe left or right between apps. They’re one of my favorite things about iOS 5 and they make it much easier and faster to do things on the iPad – especially in terms of rapid app switching.
There was never any good reason that I’m aware of to not have these gestures available on the original iPad – so it is very good to see that they’ll be added in the first iOS 5 update. Hopefully this update will be released quite soon, as it also address some battery life issues and a security and the iPad 2 passcode bypass security vulnerability.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I am so happy about this! I was so disappointed that I didn’t have access to these gestures and felt like Apple was abandoning me already when I have only owned my iPad for less than a year.
It was ridiculous. I was able (as an official developer) to use the gestures for over six months, ever since February. And then with the iOS 5 public release, they’re arbitrarily removed. I’d LOVE to get insight on what made that happen. :(
Oh well at least it was only a month without. Ha!
I have an original iPad and I’ve held back from downloading iOS 5 because of concerns that this will slow down the machine. Much chatter on the web about this. What is your take on this situation?
I think that might be more of an issue for an older iOS device like the iPhone 3GS, not so much the original iPad.
I have an original iPad in the house that is shared by my wife and daughter and used by me on occasion for testing and such. I haven’t seen any notable slowdown since putting iOS 5 on it, and have not had any complaints from my wife or daughter either.
Thank you.
I’m still on a first gen, and it runs like the clappers. Despite the ipad being in its third gen, the original ipad is still a pretty capable device in my view. I have to update now, because I’m an app developer and I’m starting to get requests for ipad apps with a camera, but for now, the ol’ ipad one is still a stallion of a machine.