9 to 5 Mac reports that iPhone 3G owners have been struck with yet another blow, this time with the apparent removal of AirPlay functionality in the golden master version of iOS 4.2. The feature had been functional on the iPhone 3G in earlier developer builds, but appears to have been removed in the homestretch.
After speaking to multiple developers and users testing out the iOS 4.2 betas, we have determined that AirPlay did in fact work on the iPhone 3G at one point, meaning the AirPlay functionality was definitely removed from Apple's two-year-old iPhone at its GM stage.
The report notes that Apple's product page for the Apple TV claims that AirPlay functionality is coming on "all iOS 4 devices", but the company has apparently changed its mind about iPhone 3G compatibility for unknown reasons.
The change is not the first to see the iPhone 3G lose access to a feature that had been enabled in the development process. Early developer builds of iOS 4.1 offered access to Game Center functionality for all iOS 4-compatible devices, but Apple later disabled the feature for the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch before finally restoring compatibility for the second-generation iPod touch but leaving it out of the public release for the iPhone 3G.
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