iPadOS 16 is reportedly delayed until new iPads arrive in October

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who is typically quite reliable with such things, has a new report claiming that iPadOS 16 is being delayed by about a month. Citing the common “people with knowledge of the matter,” Gurman says that instead of releasing the new iPhone and iPad operating system updates at the same time, Apple will release iOS 16 in September as expected but iPadOS 16 will come in October.

It’s not uncommon for macOS to follow a few weeks after iOS, but the iPad software has always been updated on the same schedule as its iPhone sibling. Since iPadOS split from iOS in 2019, the two operating systems have arrived on the same day. Gurman says all of Apple’s software updates are running just a little behind schedule this year (the Public Betas launched a little later than usual, for example), but not drastically so.

There are several reasons for the delayed release, according to Gurman:

• It would line up better with rumored new iPad hardware (M2 iPad Pros and a new entry-level iPad with USB-C).
• It will give Apple more time to work out issues with Stage Manager, the new iPad and Mac multitasking interface.
• It will free resources to work on iOS 16, so it is in better shape upon release in September.

It could also mean that Apple’s second fall event will focus on Macs and iPads. In recent years, Apple’s iPad releases have been somewhat unpredictable, and this year, the M2 iPad Pro could arrive alongside the M2 Macs. As for macOS Ventura, it is expected to release in October as well, though that is typical in recent years.

As usual, Apple declined to comment on his report.