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Apple to charge upgrade fee for iPads moving to iOS 4? (update: unlikely)

As if waiting around until fall to get iOS 4 weren't enough of a downer for iPad owners, the latest rumor we're hearing is that they'll have to pay a fee in order to do so. That's right, for the privilege of waiting patiently to get some semblance of multitasking on your slate device, you'll have to pony up the cash -- or so the story goes. Stuff has it on strong authority from app developers in the know that Apple will be asking for a (relatively small) tithe from those wishing to update their iPads when the leaves start turning amber. We'd advise keeping the pitchforks stowed for now -- at least until there's some solid corroboration for this -- but then it's not like Apple hasn't done this before.

Update: Apple's iPad licensing docs have been known to carry a provision that the "next major iPad OS software release" will be free, although iOS 4 and the word "free" do not happen to coincide in the same sentence -- overall though, that renders this rumor rather less likely to materialize.