Steve Jobs is reported to have confirmed by email that the switch on the side of your iPad will forever be a mute switch from iOS 4.2 onwards, and that users won’t be given the option to change it back to an orientation lock.
When the iPad was first released, the switch on the side of the device was an orientation lock, and many users were very fond of this function. In the most recent iOS firmware, the function of the iPad’s switch has changed to enable users to quickly mute the device, just like they can on the iPhone.
One iPad user, named Robert, sent an email to Jobs himself to ask whether the iPad switch will always be a mute button from iOS 4.2:
“In IOS 4.2 for iPad is the switch on the side going to be the mute and not screen orientation lock from now on?”
Jobs replied with a simple “Yep.” and then Robert asked whether users might be given the option to customize the function of the switch:
“Are you planning to make that a changeable option?”
Jobs provided another simple reply: “Nope.”
So, your iPad switch will always be a mute button from iOS 4.2. As an iPad user myself, I have to say I’m a little disappointed that the switch has changed to a mute button – although it’s only a slight change, I felt the orientation lock was much more useful. Turning the iPad to silent was easy enough already in iOS 3.2.x by just holding down the volume button.
[via 9to5 Mac]