Yesterday, Apple released a beta of iOS 4.3 to software developers. The new version of the iPad/iPhone software incorporates a bunch of new features, the most significant of which is a slew of new multitouch gestures.
From the iOS 4.3 release notes:
This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad. You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the public to understand how these gestures work with your apps.
Macrumors has a short little video demonstration on the new gestures:
How awesome is being able to 4 finger swipe to switch between apps? Having to double tap the home button and swipe through a list feels incredibly clunky in comparison. Anyone with a multitouch enabled Macbook knows how time saving the multi-finger swipe shortcuts can be.
In fact, according to one of Boy Genius Report’s Apple sources, the ability to access the home screen through a pinch gesture may obviate the need for future versions of iPads and iPhones to have a home button at all.
Our source said Apple employees are already testing iPads and iPhones with no home buttons on the Apple campus, and it’s possible we will see this new change materialize with the next-generation iPad and iPhone devices set to launch this year.
It may make the devices look sexier, but we like the ability to navigate our iPhones with one hand. It’s going to be nigh impossible to do the four/five finger pinching motion while holding the phone in one hand. We’d need another way to take screenshots too.
In addition to the new gestures, iPad users will be delighted to know that we can once again use the toggle switch to lock screen orientation again. There’ll be a new option in the settings to switch between controlling that or muting the device. Hallelujah.
There’s also a bunch of other minor updates, including mobile hotspot functionality, a new font for notepad, a slightly updated keyboard design, enabling Air Play support for 3rd party app developers, and some other things. If you’re interested in the details, check out this comprehensive report on Macstories.
