Apple CEO Steve Jobs has stated in a response to a customer inquiry that the iPad will gain printing capabilities in the future. When asked, “Why no printing on the iPad?,” Jobs issued a typically terse response, saying only “It will come.” While some apps offer the ability to print wirelessly to certain wireless-enabled printers, Apple has yet to provide OS-level printing support for any of its iPhone OS-based devices.
iPhone OS 4 will feature spellcheck and word replacement features, according to an AppleInsider report. Initially available solely on the iPad in its iPhone OS 3.2 software, the features will underline misspelled words with a dotted red line, and use the OS’ built-in cut/copy/paste interface to offer a “Replace” feature, with likely replacement words appearing once the replace option is chosen. Apple is expected to release iPhone OS 4 for the iPhone and iPod touch this summer.
A large number of iPads being sold on eBay are going to customers in foreign markets. The New York Times reports that 65 percent of iPads sold on the online auction service are being purchased by international users, with a large spike coming in mid-April when Apple announced the delay of its international iPad roll out. According to the report, users in the UAE paid on average $537 over the retail price for the iPad, more than anywhere else; 550 iPads have been sold to users in the UK, more than anywhere else, followed closely by Canada and Australia.
The iPad recently helped an Arkansas woman recover her stolen purse. Fox 16 reports that Jill Henley had her purse stolen with the iPad she received as a Mother’s Day gift inside, along with her credit cards, iPhone, iPod, and a Nintendo DS. Although the thief had wisely turned off Henley’s iPhone, he did not turn off the iPad, which reported its location to the authorities via MobileMe’s Find My iPad service, allowing police to track down and arrest the perpetrator.