I updated the ipad to iOS 5.1 this morning.  http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1504 Apple seem to be getting smarter with doing these updates for the ipad now it doesn’t have to be done through itunes.  So I got a pop-up message saying that it was available with a link (and an indication in the Settings list that there was an update available).  That took you through a licence terms screen to the installation process.    After a quick download and verification process the installation process was actually marked by the logo and a progress bar on the ipad screen.  That’s an improvement on the screen just going blank while it does the update.  The process took about 10 minutes from start to finish.  It still ends up just blanking out the screen at the end as far as I could tell and doesn’t seem to give any message that it has actually finished (which would be good).  But a really straightforward and painless experience.

Apple list the following updates in 5.1.  Probably few if any are relevant for me on the original ipad without a camera but never mind.

  • Japanese language support for Siri (availability may be limited during initial rollout)
  • Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
  • Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
  • Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
  • Redesigned Camera app for iPad
  • Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
  • Audio for TV shows and movies on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer
  • Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30 second rewind for iPad
  • Updated AT&T network indicator
  • Addresses bugs affecting battery life
  • Fixes an issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for outgoing calls