Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers
Apple this morning released yet another beta version of its iOS 5 software to developers, marking the sixth since offering a test version of the software in June.Boy Genius Report has posted a full change log of the update, and it appears to be mostly bug fixes, short of some additions to interface builder, the tools that let developers put together their applications. As BGR also notes, unlike the last beta, this one is not requiring developers to do a clean wipe of their testing devices ahead of installing the software. Apple has said it will release iOS 5 to users as a free update this fall. The company typically seeds several beta versions of its major software releases to developers ahead of time to work out any bugs and give the developers time to integrate new features and APIs into their applications. This is just the latest in a long series of software releases leading up to the public availability. AppleSo far, Apple has released a new version of the software every couple of weeks:• iOS 5 beta 1 on 6/6• iOS 5 beta 2 on 6/24• iOS 5 beta 3 on 7/11• iOS 5 beta 4 on 7/22• iOS 5 beta 5 on 8/6Of note, today's release comes some two days after a supposed release date found inside the code of the previous developer build.The new version of the software brings an overhaul of the notifications system, alongside a new messaging platform called iMessage that lets iOS users text and chat with one another free of charge. The software is also deeply tied to Apple's upcoming iCloud service, which will be used to ferry photos, applications, and settings back and forth between iOS devices, as well as serve as a free backup solution.Along with the new beta build of iOS 5, Apple released a new developer build of iWork for iOS that includes tie-ins to its upcoming iCloud service. The company also offered updated betas of iTunes 10.5, Apple TV software, and a new developer preview of Xcode 4.2. Update at 4:43 p.m. PT: TechCrunch notes that along with the bug fixes, this latest beta brings the end of life for Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs. Those are the identification codes, akin to serial numbers, that are associated with the device, regardless of the user, which have commonly been used by analytics and third-party advertising networks. As part of iOS 5 beta 6, developers are now being encouraged to create their own unique identifiers, specific to an application.
