As expected, Apple released iOS 5 Beta 2 today to all registered developers, making this the second release of iOS 5 released publicly. While it’s still clearly months away from completion, Beta 2 includes several bug fixes and enhancements, including improved battery life on all devices.
All developers are urged to download this update as soon as possible, in order to submit accurate feedback to Apple, as well as develop their future Apps for an updated platform. If you’re not an authorized developer, don’t update to Beta 2 yet, since it seems to fix the workaround to skip the activation process, which we reported on earlier this month.
Since this story is still developing, it’s as of yet unclear what’s new in this build.
Becoming an authorized developer, however, has no particular requirements, other than a free Apple ID. Any user can purchase a subscription from Apple’s Developer Connection site for $99, as well as an additional $99 if they wish to have access to Mac OS X Betas as well. We must say, however, that a developer subscription, as the name implies, is aimed at developers, or at least people who are used to trying out experimental software. Bugs are expected, maybe even some major ones.
iOS 5 was released earlier this month at WWDC, Apple’s annual developer-targeted conference. Among many of the new features present in this release, the most prominent include a new to-do system known as Reminders; enhancements to Mobile Safari; iMessage, a new exclusive instant messaging client for iOS users; and a built-in set up wizard, eliminating the need for a computer connection in order configure the handset. You can read more about the new iOS on our write-up.
If you have jailbroken iOS 5, stay away from this update, since it’s likely to plug the vulnerability that allowed the jailbreak in Beta 1. A new method will likely be available within the next couple of weeks, although expect frequent updates until the final version of iOS 5 is released, which is planned for sometime this fall.
What are you waiting for? Launch iTunes (be sure you’re using version 10.5) and install this update. It’s wonderful to see iOS 5 come together. We’ll tell you about improvements in this build as we come across it. Meanwhile, be sure to update your devices.
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