Rumors of Apple charging iPad owners for iOS 4 upgrade are false

A new rumor that Apple may charge users to upgrade the iPad to iOS 4 this fall is specifically contradicted by Apple's own licensing agreement, which states that the next major software update will be free to iPad owners.

Citing "top secret plans" from an anonymous source, Stuff.tv wrote on Tuesday that Apple currently plans to charge iPad owners for the software upgrade. The source did not provide a price, but the U.K.-based magazine suggested it would be around Â£5.

The source reportedly told the magazine that the plans to charge are "definite." It reached out to Apple for a comment, and the Cupertino, Calif., company responded that it doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.

However, as AppleInsider noted back in March, the company's iPad licensing agreements specifically state that the "next major iPad OS software release" will be free for hardware owners, casting some doubt on the rumor. Releases beyond that, however, may come with a charge.

"For example, if your iPad originally shipped with iPad 3.x software, Apple would provide you with any iPad OS software updates it might release up to and including the iPad 4.x software release," the licensing agreement reads. "Such updates and releases may not necessarily include all of the new software features that Apple releases for newer iPad models."

In addition, Apple's recently launched iAds mobile advertising platform requires iOS 4 to appear in App Store software. By charging iPad owners to upgrade to the latest mobile operating system version, Apple could limit the number of users who can view its new interactive ads.

But it would not be unprecedented for Apple to charge for an upgrade, as previous software releases came with a fee for iPod touch users, due to an accounting issue. However, casting even more doubt on the latest rumor is the fact that Apple recently did away with that fee, as the iOS 4 upgrade is free for iPod touch owners.

In June, a profile of Apple's iAds service suggested that iOS 4 would launch for the iPad in November. Some features of the operating system upgrade, including Bluetooth keyboard support, are already supported in the iPad-exclusive iOS 3.2 mobile operating system.

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40 Comments

elmcityweb

said about 13 years ago

I remember hearing this rumor before the iPad was even released. Apple would charge for os updates, allowing one freebie. We'll soon see.

nealg

said about 13 years ago

If free for iPod touch owners, I doubt that they will charge iPad owners for the upgrade. There may be features that can't be used, like facetime, without adding some extra equipment(which I think is a possibility that Apple or some third party might come up with) but I think Apple will want as many people as possible on the new OS.

It would seem this is another one of those rumors brought up strictly to hurt Apple's share price, from my perspective. Especially since it comes out right before earnings.

Just my opinion though. Good luck out there today

katonah

said about 13 years ago

Will OS4 allow you to print from an Ipad?

That's what I want to know.

diddy

said about 13 years ago

Wasn’t IOS 4.0 for the Touch free long after previous upgrades (like 3.0) were paid? I thought that was one of the things that benefited from the new accounting rules was that Apple no longer had to account things on monthly payment regarding upgrades or whatever.

jeffdm

said about 13 years ago

Seems like the first update not being charged would be the nice thing to do. With handheld devices, the industry habit seems to be to not even offer major updates for older devices, at any price short of just buying an all-new unit.

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