Beta

If history is any indication, iOS 7 Beta 2 could drop today

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2013

It's been two weeks since Apple released the first beta of iOS 7 to its registered developers. A lot has been written about it and way more ink will be spent as subsequent betas get released and thoroughly tested before iOS 7 is eventually ready for prime time this Fall. If history is anything to go by and if you trust reliable sources in the know, today is the day iOS 7 Beta 2 arrives.

If iDB is part of your daily routine, you should be among the first to know when a new beta hits Apple's servers. Also, count on our resident team to take a closer look at the new beta and report back about everything there is to know about feature changes.

Stay tuned...

Apple testing system-wide integration of LinkedIn in iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2013

Move over Twitter and Facebook, it looks like Apple is planning to add a third social network to the system-wide share sheet in iOS 7. According to code-based references found inside the first beta, the company is testing deep LinkedIn integration.

Similar to the setup with the two aforementioned networks, the code points to a single-sign-on system for LinkedIn accounts. This would allow users to easily post content, such as Web URLs, to LinkedIn from native and third party applications...

Hidden settings in iOS 7 beta show extra gesture, multitasking and folder options

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2013

As folks continue to dig through the first beta of iOS 7 that Apple seeded to developers last week, more details regarding the all-new OS continue to surface. Today, hidden settings have been discovered in the software with new gesture, multitasking and folder options.

The existence of these settings seems to suggest that Apple is testing a couple of unannounced features in the beta, including system-wide gestures like edge swipes and corner swipes, and the ability to both hide pre-installed apps and create folders within folders...

Hands-on with Apple TV 5.4 Beta: iTunes Radio, Conference Room Display, custom subtitles

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 17, 2013

To go along with the recently released iOS 7 Beta 1, Apple has also made a companion Apple TV beta software available for download to its registered developers. The pre-release code enables such new capabilities as iTunes Radio free music streaming, a new Conference Room Display setting and fully customizable subtitles.

The first beta of what would later become the Apple TV 5.4 software update was posted to Apple's portal for developers after last Monday's keynote. The pre-release version is meant to be used for testing AirPlay with third-party iOS apps. As we haven't had a chance to cover it extensively, here's what to expect in terms of features...

Features MIA in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

I'm sure technophiles by now are aware that Apple restricts beta code to registered developers, but that didn't stop iOS 7 Beta 1 from popping up in a lot of places on the web.

You can't blame the curious types for wanting to get a taste of Apple's most important software upgrade since the iPhone's inception.

But as a side-effect, those unfamiliar with Apple's betas are taking to blogs to write about crashes, UI inconsistencies and allegedly missing features. To be fair, teething issues are the norm for major software releases, let alone betas.

But tell that to concerned citizens who are blogging about iOS 7 "issues". We've scourged the web for top complaints in order to lay out Apple's thought process and explain why some features are "missing" in the first beta and what can be expected from upcoming beta releases...

What iOS 7 running on iPad might look like

Cody Lee ∙ June 16, 2013

Apple surprised a lot of folks last week when it announced that the first beta of iOS 7, it's next generation mobile software, would only be available to registered developers on the iPhone and iPod touch. Last year, Apple released a beta for all 3 of its mobile devices.

The reason behind Apple's decision to forego releasing the first beta on the iPad isn't clear. But for those of you wondering how the redesigned operating system looks on the popular tablet, we've come across several screenshots of just that—iOS 7 running on an iPad straight from the Xcode simulator...

Calm down, it’s only a beta

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 15, 2013

Now that Apple's iOS 7 is out of the bag, everyone seems to have an opinion on whether it hits the mark. If there was one word we would use to describe Apple's latest version of its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software it would probably be 'polarizing' and with good reason. After all, iOS 7 is undoubtedly the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone was introduced all those years ago.

But one thing does appear to be getting lost in all the hysteria surrounding iOS 7. One thing that people do seem to be forgetting not just when forging their opinions on Apple's new direction, but when condemning existing App Store apps with poor reviews due to compatibility.

Calm down dear, it's only a beta...

Apple makes ‘iWork for iCloud’ beta available to developers

Cody Lee ∙ June 13, 2013

Alongside OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, Apple showed off its new web-based 'iWork for iCloud' software suite during its Monday keynote. The suite, similar to Google Docs and Office 360, allows users to view and edit iWork, and other documents right from their browser. And Apple just activated a beta version of it for registered developers...

What happened to all of the curse words in iTunes Radio?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

As expected, Apple introduced a new streaming music service on Monday during its WWDC keynote. It's built into the Music app in iOS 7, and it plays full songs, at random, based on a genre, album or artist of your choosing. It's a lot like Pandora.

But it's better than Pandora. I can't explain it, but I've been using it non stop the past two days and it almost always feels like the DJ is playing my song. Maybe it's magic. Or maybe it's my 5+ years of iTunes purchase history. Either way, it rocks.

My only complaint about the service is that, for some reason, there doesn't seem to be any music with explicit lyrics. Even with rap songs, all I get are edited versions. So I have to ask, Apple, what happened to all of the curse words in iTunes Radio?

iOS 7 beta 1 download available today for developers

Sébastien Page ∙ June 10, 2013

Eager to get your hands on all the goodness that's packed in iOS 7? The good news is that if you're a developer, you can get access to it today, assuming you can get into the Dev Center, which is crawling under massive amounts of traffic right now.

Everybody else, you'll have to wait for the Fall to be able to enjoy iOS 7, once it becomes available to the general public...

OS X 10.8.4 build 12E55 seeded to developers

Cody Lee ∙ May 24, 2013

Registered OS X developers may be interested to know that Apple has seeded a new build of OS X 10.8.4 today. The update marks the eighth beta of the firmware, and comes just 9 days after the previous release. As before, As before Apple is asking developers to focus on specific areas of the OS, namely Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers and Safari...

New evidence shows 802.11ac headed to future Macs

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 9, 2013

Are you ready for faster wireless speeds? How about better range? If so, then you'll be happy to hear that new evidence shows that Apple is implementing 802.11ac support into its latest version of its desktop OS.

The OS X 10.8.4 beta release, that we told you about earlier, contains code not contained in previous versions of the OS. This code suggests that Apple is adding Gigabit wireless support, which is also known as 802.11ac, to future Mac hardware.