Edible Apple

Apple today announced that iOS 4.2 will be available today (1 PM Eastern) for download for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users. iOS 4.2 brings with it over 100 new features such as AirPlay, AirPring, Unified Inbox, and especially exciting for iPad users, Multitasking and Folders functionality.

AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS users also will be able to use AirPort Express and AirPlay to stream wirelessly to any stereo or powered speakers, or directly to AirPlay-enabled speakers coming to market in the months ahead.

AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers. A selection of AirPrint enabled printers including the HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro and HP Officejet will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to any printer that supports AirPrint.

“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season,” Steve Jobs said in an Apple press release. “Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit.”

But the real kicker to the iOS 4.2 update, and what makes the update a must-have and immediate download, is that the Find my iPhonefeature (which also works for the iPad and iPod Touch) is now free for all users even if they don’t have a MobileMe subscription.

The Find My iPhone app is a free download on the App Store and lets users easily locate a missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. Users can even remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Some other iOS 4.2 features of note include TV rentals for iPad users, the ability to search and highlight specific words on web pages in Safari (finally!), enhanced enterprise support, and support for 25 additional languages.

Related: An amazing Find my iPhone success story.