Apple on Mondahy posted iOS 5.1 beta 2 to the Developer Center. Along with cleaning up the release, 5.1 now gives an option of deleting photos from the Photo Stream and seeing those changes propagate elsewhere. Photos have to have been taken with an iOS 5.1 device, however, and they will only automatically vanish on other iOS 5.1 hardware.
Apple gave developers their first taste of significant post-5.0 updates with the first betas of iOS 5.1 and Xcode 4.3. The iOS update upgrades voice dictation on "supported devices," although it's presumed this still means just the iPhone 4S for now. So far, only programming interface changes are known to have come through the update, mostly those affecting peer-to-peer interfaces in DNS calls.
Continuing a day-long flood of software updates, Apple has released Aperture 3.2 and Xcode 4.2. As expected, the Aperture patch concentrates on compatibility with iCloud and iOS 5. Some other small enhancements have been made though, such as pinch-to-zoom automatically activating Zoom mode, and automatic launch in fullscreen mode if that was in use when the program was last quit. The Import window has gained an option to delete photos from iPhones and iPads after the images have been copied over.
The most recent source code for Clang -- the default compiler in Xcode -- now shows support for a quad-core Marvell processor, the ARM-based Armada XP, according to Ars Technica. The chip is notably built for low-powered cloud computing tasks. Support can only be enabled when an "open source" flag is left undefined, something believed to imply that only Apple's own Clang binaries can compile for the XP.
NVIDIA chief Jen-Hsun Huang in an interview Tuesday hinted at Windows 8 possibly supporting Windows Phone apps. They would require ARM chips, but he was confident apps written in the mobile OS would work with the new desktop OS' tile interface. He didn't say to CNET how much of this was based on deeper knowledge.
Apple at its Developer Center has posted iOS 5 beta 7 as well as corresponding iTunes 10.5 and Xcode 4.2 beta releases. The iOS update includes the expected bug fixes and improvements. Most of the changes aren't visible to users, although it limits how frequently an app can talk to iCloud in a short timespan.
On cue, Apple has posted to the Developer Center new test versions of iOS, iTunes, and Xcode. iOS 5 beta 6 primarily tackles bug fixes such as the ability to cope with syncing files changed outside of an app and fixes to Game Center and GameKit. Some bugs continue to remain, such as some iCloud storage commands.
Apple finished the week by giving its developer channel beta 4 of iOS 5. The update has few details but is the company's first ever update beyond its walls to come as an over-the-air update, not a manual install. The delivery may be a clue to a wind-down of testing as the company checks to make sure that updates can go live on a larger scale.
Shortly after Xcode 4 went missing from the Mac App Store, Apple has replaced it with an updated suite, Xcode 4.1. The software is used to develop apps for OS X and iOS, and in its new incarnation includes SDKs for both OS X Lion and iOS 4.3. It has also been made free, with the catch that the suite requires Lion to run.
Although OS X Lion is now available on the Mac App Store, Xcode 4 has temporarily gone missing, browsing shows. As of this writing the software isn't even discoverable through search. The suite is the primary tool for development of OS X and iOS apps.
Apple is now seeding the third betas of iOS 5 and iTunes 10.5, reports indicate. The latter is required to sync with devices running iOS 5 beta 3, which can include the iPad 1 and 2, the iPhone 3GS and 4 (GSM/CDMA), and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. A new iOS 5 release is also available for Apple TVs.
[Updated with additional details] The second private beta of iOS 5 has been released by Apple on their iOS developer website along with a second beta of iTunes 10.5, needed to test the major new feature in the iOS beta: wireless syncing. The company also released a second beta of AppleTV 2.0 software, and a second developer preview of XCode 4.2, AppleInsider reports.
As part of a slew of new developer software to accompany today's introduction of iOS 5, Apple has issued a warning that once installed, devices running the iOS 5 beta can only be upgraded to later betas and the final version, and cannot be downgraded back to earlier versions, according to a report from AppleInsider. The company has also issued a beta for iTunes 10.5, expected to accompany the release of Lion, a new developer preview of XCode 4.2, and Apple TV 2 software, which will improve Airplay support with iPad 2s.
Apple is now seeding two important software updates to developers. The first is a new build of Mac OS X Lion, identified as 11A444d. Although the file measures approximately 1.22GB, the code is not marked under a "Preview 3" header, implying that it is instead a third build of Preview 2. No details of changes or additions have been listed by Apple.
Two more software updates have been released by Apple, most importantly Xcode 4.0.2. The update is essential for iOS developers, as it adds compatibility with the new iOS 4.3.2 firmware. It also incorporates an assortment of bugfixes, for example addressing mapping models in Core Data, OpenGL ES apps in iOS Simulator, and LLVM compiler 2.0.
Re-enabling experimental multi-touch gestures in the final iOS 4.3 firmware is a comparatively simple process, users point out. The beta firmware implemented special four- and five-finger gestures for the iPad which allowed people to jump to the homescreen, bring up the task switcher or swipe between apps. Even before the v4.3 gold master was introduced, however, it was known that the extra commands would not be enabled in public code by default.
Apple is working on an official magazine template to be included in a future version of Xcode, a rumor claims. Much of Mac and iOS development is governed by Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, which attempt to dictate standard appearance and behavior for software. To encourage and simplify their adoption, some templates are by default bundled with Xcode.
After an extended production period, Apple has at last released the finished version of Xcode 4. The software is Apple's central tool for developers, capable of programming both Mac and iOS titles. Some upgrades over earlier releases include a new, mostly single-window interface, Fix-it auto-correction, full support for C++ in the LLVM compiler and integration of Interface Builder into the Xcode IDE.
In parallel with the release of the iOS 4.3 gold master, Apple is also seeding a second Xcode 4 GM, developers say. The software is identified as build 4A304a, and accessible by registered Mac or iOS coders. People beta-testing Mac OS X Lion must install a separate set of tools.
Apple has taken the unusual step of reseeding the gold master of Xcode 4, people with access to the development tool say. Rather than fixing any bugs however, the new software simply includes updated documentation, no longer insisting that Mac OS X Lion is required. In reality, Xcode 4 only requires a computer running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later.
Apple appears to be nearing the launch date for its Xcode 4 suite of developer utilities, as the company briefly slipped the golden master. The build was posted by Apple earlier today, according to a Twitter post from developer Michael Jurewitz, though the company later pulled the release and switched back to the previous preview.
Apple has released a third beta of iOS 4.3 via the iOS Dev Center. As anticipated, the new code is listed as build 8F5166b. Developers can download a bundle of Xcode 3.2.6 and the new SDK, as well as separate firmware distributions for the iPad, the iPhone 4 and 3GS, and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch.
Apple has posted a second beta of iOS 4.3 for developers by way of the iOS Dev Center. Any new features and code references are so far undiscovered, but the release is accompanied by matching versions of Xcode and the Apple TV firmware. Still missing is support for running v4.3 on the iPhone 3G or second-gen iPod touch, suggesting that Apple is indeed leaving v4.2.1 as the last iOS update for the devices.
The sixth developer preview of the upcoming Xcode 4 was posted to Apple's Mac and iOS developer support sites today,bringing a new command-line tool, called "iprofiler," for measuring app performance. The new version, which was last updated in November, also adds a new framework for in-app performance evaluation, and includes many enhancements and bug fixes from the previous version.
Apple today posted Build 4A225 of its forthcoming XCode 4, now shaping up as a significant upgrade for developers. This fifth preview version brings a number of new features, including independent and assistant editor panes with their own histories, independent and "tearable" tabs, new configurable alerts and more. The new preview build also enhances tab behavior, general preferences and editor views, among other changes.
Apple has released Xcode 4 preview 4 to developers for continued beta testing ahead of the official release. The programming utility features a new single-window interface, with an iTunes-style navigation bar for search functions and other list. The top offers a Jump Bar, allowing users to quickly switch between different levels.
Apple today made a rare about-face in policy today and reversed its ban on third-party development tools for iOS 4. The company said it was now "relaxing all restrictions" on what was allowed and would let developers write iPad and iPhone apps with Adobe's Flash CS5 or other kits beyond Xcode. The only limit is that the finished apps can't download any code of their own, it said.
Apple has released a third preview of Xcode 4, the latest set of developer tools for Mac OS and iOS platforms. Version 4 transitions to a single-winder interface, combining a navigation toolbar, which offers search and list content, with a Jump Bar that can be used to quickly switch between various levels.
A discovery today suggests Qualcomm has quietly begun hiring for what could be a deeper commitment to a CDMA iPhone. A position for an iPhone Developer Guru would come onboard to "develop the most challenging product of your life." AppleInsider's finding has requirements that center primarily around iOS development, such as Xcode.
Having just released Preview 2 to developers, Apple is also providing further public details on upcoming changes to Xcode 4. The programming tool is most notably switching to a single-window interface, merging several older ones together. On the left is an iTunes-style navigation bar, combining search and lists of material such as project files and debugging data. At the top is the Jump Bar, which speeds up switching between different levels of content.
Apple has released a second preview of the upcoming Xcode 4 suite to developers. Version 4 is said to be completely overhauled for Mac and iOS, with a variety of new features and improvements. The update combines functionality from Xcode and Interface Builder into a single utility.
Google started off the week by launching a beta of App Inventor for Android to attract developers to its platform. The tool uses MIT's Open Blocks to construct apps visually, placing interface elements and linking them to events. No coding is needed, and the system is simple enough that Google expects that high school students could create apps of their own.
The Federal Trade Commission is formally launching an investigation into Apple's ban on cross-compiling tools for making iOS apps, sources leaked out on Saturday. Following negotiation with the Department of Justice, the FTC will determine whether or not Apple is being anti-competitive by preventing Adobe Flash CS5 and other tools from creating native iPad, iPhone and iPod touch apps. When the investigation would start wasn't known.
Microsoft today denied that Steve Ballmer would present at Apple's WWDC. It follows a questionable rumor that Microsoft's Steve Ballmer would make a presentation at the conference in roughly two weeks. Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry believed the Microsoft CEO was penciled in for seven minutes of time at the keynote and would talk about a new version of Visual Studio 2010 that would produce iPad, iPhone and Mac apps.
Adobe isn't going to avoid HTML5 development to drive Flash, company CTO Kevin Lynch said in a brief talk today. He argued that Adobe didn't see the universal standard as a threat and would make "great" tools to produce for HTML5. Whether that would involve Flash-to-HTML5 conversion, a more advanced Dreamweaver or other tools wasn't part of the discussion.
MacNN has reviewed NimbleKit, a framework for Xcode that allows users to write simple apps for Apple handhelds without having to work in Objective C. It uses tools like HTML, JavaScript and CSS, including a JavaScript API that bridges between a user's code and the iPhone OS. This allows the creation of native iPhone controls with a JavaScript function call.
Wired today insisted that its magazine app for tablets will still reach the iPad despite being built using Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone tool. Publisher Conde Nast said it was working with Adobe to develop the reader with the middleware but was adamant that it would still pass Apple's iPhone 4.0 guidelines, which explicitly ban cross-compiling software like the Flash CS5 component.
Absoft has announced a new plug-in for Apple's latest development platform, Xcode 3.1. The Absoft add-on lets users program in Fortran within Xcode, via support of the company's special IDE. Both 32- and 64-bit compilers are present, and users additionally have access to Absoft's Fx3 debugger, MRWE framework and third-party libraries. Resulting programs can be composed entirely of Fortran, or a mix of Fortran and C++.
Bare Bones has released v9.0 of BBEdit, its text and code editing software. The key addition to the software is said to be the addition of Projects, which replace file groups, and allow users to directly create, delete and rename files and folders. The contents of Projects can be searched, as well as processed through text factories.
Absoft has announced significant gains in debugging Fortran code on the Mac platform when combining its Fx3 debugger with Apple's recently released Xcode 3.1 update (which provides additional debugging capabilities to developers). The combination of the two tools allows developers to view and modify values of program variables, which can be located in COMMON blocks, allocated in static storage or declared in Fortran 90 modules. The tools can work in both 32- and 64-bit executables and are multi-processor aware.
Apple has released an update to its developer tools, Xcode Tools 3.1. Xcode 3.1b was previously available as part of the iPhone SDK and is now as a standalone package for Mac OS developers as well. Addressing security issues, the new update fixes an arbitrary code execution and a WebObjects session ID disclosure. Requirements for Xcode tools 3.1 are an Apple Developer Connection membership and OS X 10.5 or higher. Xcode is available for Mac OS developers and as part of the final iPhone SDK; both are free for ADC members. [updated]
