First-Gen iPad May Not Get All Of iOS 5′s New Features

John Brownlee (8:54 am PDT, Jun 09 2011)

Unlike iOS 4, Apple’s promised not to leave any iOS devices behind with the jump to iOS 5, but older devices might lose some features. The iPhone 3GS under iOS 5 tellingly doesn’t support many of iOS’s new photo abilities, but even last year’s iPad might get the short thrift with the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system: users are reporting that the original iPad running iOS 5 does not support the new gesturing feature.

What’s gesturing? It allows you to use four or five fingers to swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, pinch to return to the home screen and swipe left or right to switch between apps.

Gesturing was present in the original iOS 4.3 betas, and is also promised to land in iOS 5, and indeed it does apparently work on the iPad 2 under iOS 5… but not the first-gen iPad.

It’s a strange omission, given that gesturing works just fine under iOS 4.3 on the iPad. Our guess is that while this could indicate that Apple’s is going to prune features from iOS 5, it’s most likely one of (many) bugs that are ubiquitous in Apple’s iOS developer previews, and will be fixed by the time the next beta comes around.

At least, we hope so: we’d hate to see Apple already looking for cool features to purge from their revolutionary, year-old tablet. What do you think? Bug or purposeful omission?

DON'T MISS
Here’s How To Enable Gesturing On Your Original iPad Under iOS 5 Beta [Jailbreak Tweak]

Apps you might like

33 comments »

http://www.facebook.com/ian.mccausland Ian McCausland
bug! Please, oh please, bug!
http://twitter.com/ksdulin Kevin Dulin
I’m hoping bug as i’ve been using these features on iOS 4.3 through the hack thing on my iPad 1 fine for months… Would hate to seem them go away with iOS 5, as they’re extremely useful!
http://twitter.com/mobile_justin Justin Ferrell
I was wondering why those features stopped working. It’s really annoying. Begging for a bug.
Anonymous
Also, isn’t AirPlay mirroring not supported by the iPad 1? Guessing it’s a processor limitation (or at least that’s what Apple will claim).

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QCP4WHWLUQHFIOP66SLEA7E5CA Hampus
Which I doubt, won’t be much more CPU heavy over wifi than a cable :p
They really can’t use CPU for an excuse for anything, they say ram and i might buy it, not for mirroring though

http://twitter.com/joseluis Jose Luis Benavente
As stated on the iOS 5 website, it’s seems taht the iPad also lost the iOS5 ability to mirror the iPad screen trought an Apple TV… :(
http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html#more

Anonymous
The first-gen never had that ability legitimately. Nor out via VGA. I got mine working, though, so it’s not impossible to do.

http://twitter.com/crcruz3 Carlos R. Cruz
Simply not true. I have an iPad 1 and unlocked gestures a month ago using a Developer account and it works just fine. Pinching, swiping left or right and swiping up to manage running apps…

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QCP4WHWLUQHFIOP66SLEA7E5CA Hampus
Doesn’t mean they can’t be assholes and disable it :p but yea, hope it’s a bug

http://twitter.com/crcruz3 Carlos R. Cruz
Just a bug. That´s all.
Ubuntu 9898
I have some Apple Developer UDID registration spots left for purchase if anyone is interested, you could then give iOS 5 a try. (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)
http://twitter.com/MachOSX Ali Razzouk
Please be a bug! :S
Joe Tech User
Welcome to how 1st and 2nd generation iPod Touch users feel! Just left behind…
Joe Tech User
Welcome to how 1st and 2nd generation iPod Touch users feel! Just left behind…

Anonymous
The devices are old. There is no way that Apple can keep you up to date on this stuff. Stop complaining, your devices already do more that what you paid for when you first bought them
Anonymous
Quit complaining. Tech changes. Get over it.

A$ht0n
Yeah, but Apple just randomly drops these devices. I believe the EULA says that the iPhone will get ‘all future upgrades’ so fail on Apple’s part

Felface
If it is an on purpose ommision it is certainly just marketing and spite

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PZ3LWO52I3UV7APUAG4FMIS264 Jay Max
It maybe marketing, but it’s not spite. Apple has of late been pursuing a more aggressive program of forced obsolescence.
“Holding onto that Apple device more than 2 years? Didn’t buy into the latest design? We’re going help you move on, thru software!”

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QCP4WHWLUQHFIOP66SLEA7E5CA Hampus
Sure hope it’s a bug…
But, if it ends up not being I guess ill just go in and enable it, Apples use of plists makes enabling or disabling many OS features pretty easy once you’re jailbroken.
BMWTwisty
Uhhh, that’d be “short shrift” not “thrift.”
Zlinden
Considering the dime’s worth of difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2, I’d be surprised if this were more than a bug. Unless Apple is implementing planned obsolescence.
Zlinden
Considering the dime’s worth of difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2, I’d be surprised if this were more than a bug. Unless Apple is implementing planned obsolescence.
Zlinden
Considering the dime’s worth of difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2, I’d be surprised if this were more than a bug. Unless Apple is implementing planned obsolescence.
Zlinden
Considering the dime’s worth of difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2, I’d be surprised if this were more than a bug. Unless Apple is implementing planned obsolescence.
http://www.facebook.com/iveywest Ivey West
My experience is that iOS5 is MUCH more buggy on my gen1 iPad than my iPhone4. But YMMV.
http://www.facebook.com/diego.moreira.carvalho Diego Carvalho
if it isn’t a bug, my new tablet will not be an iPad… Actually, my new phone is an Android after two iPhones (2G & 3GS) and a bunch of accessories that stopped to work after an iOS update…
Muthu Arumugam
Of course, this looks like a bug. I liked it when I saw this feature in iOS 4.3. Hope apple fixes along with lots of other crash bugs and UI improvements.
Hamidert
it is an intentional omission.
it is the way apple does!!!
Miguel Machado
I have multiple gestures running on my iPad, in 4.3.3 and I didn’t have any problem, but I prefer to think that is just a bug, because I cannot see any reason to retire this featured to a such recent device. On keynote we saw steve jobs saying that 3GS will not receive all featureds and saw that iPad is not capable to connect to apple tv, but I think that’s all…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1184772169 Devyl DyingLand
Now, i have the beta 2 on my ipad; again, no gesturing and no option in the settings!
i’m a developer and i’m really angry about apple and his store rules (and the time they need to check the in-app purchases…). now the cut off features that really worked nice on 4.3 (if you are an developer)?! my next pad will be an android or webos one… your systems are great apple, but your politics are really bad – the competitors doesn’t sleep… take care…
Calmmie@gmail.com
iOS 5 is useless for iPad first gen. I don’t see anything changed. Also he said that safari will be multitasking but it’s not. The tabs are not running at the same time. I wish I could go back to ios 4.
Commonsense
Do not update to iOS5 if you have a 1st gen ipad. There is not point, many of the new features are for ipad2 with camera. Also, you will take a huge performance hit. Stick with 4.3.5

About the author

John Brownlee is news editor here at Cult of Mac, and has also written about a lot of things for a lot of different places, including Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker, AMC, Geek and the Consumerist. He lives in Cambridge with his charming inamorata and a tiny budgerigar punningly christened after Nabokov's most famous pervert. You can follow him here on Twitter.

(sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)| Read more posts by John Brownlee.

Posted in News |