Google Cloud Print - iPad Printing Solution

So it seems Google have solved the problem of printing with the iPad before Apple could come up way a decent solution.

Presenting Google Cloud Print, the new service from Google that will enable you to send your documents up into the cloud and back down to any printer that you want, well kind of.

Both the iPad and the upcoming Google Chrome OS have some serious printing problems to overcome, Chrome OS doesn't have drivers so it won't identify and talk to printers from what we can make out so far and the Apple iPad? Well, they haven't even tried to offer a solution, instead they are leaving it to developers to create apps and figure it out for them.

So Google have taken matters into their own well financed hands and created the Cloud Print Solution. It's very early days yet but the idea is to send a request over to Google's servers and let them ready the data for whichever printer you choose to print to. You'll need a Cloud Print compatible printer or desktop machine with Cloud Print software installed by the looks of it.

Here's Google's explanation so far: "Rather than rely on the local operating system (or drivers) to print, apps can use Google Cloud Print to submit and manage print jobs. Google Cloud Print will then be responsible for sending the print job to the appropriate printer with the particular options the user selected, and returning the job status to the app."

We like the sound of this for use with our iPads, so hurry up and get it up and running Google!