Apple has sent an email to developers notifying them that their iCloud libraries housing iTunes Match data will be wiped on Monday, September 26th at 9AM PDT. The reason for the wipe is to "improve the overall quality and reliability" of the service. The news comes after Apple wiped all the iCloud backup data on Thursday, September 22nd.
We believe these are preparations for Apple to launch the final Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 5. Apple had been planning to declare iOS 5 as GM on Friday, September 23rd, though we haven't heard confirmation yet if that had actually taken place. Also on schedule was to start installing iOS 5 GM onto new devices in their factories on Monday, September 26th. Assuming all this has remained on schedule, we expect the final GM version of iOS 5 to be release to developers as early as next week.
iCloud and iTunes Match services have been running in developer beta for the last couple of months. The public release is scheduled for "Fall", and it seems likely Apple will announce the ship date at their rumored October 4th media event.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker.
In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week.
Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far.
Apple Intelligence for Siri
Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products.
Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year.
Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2.
HomePod mini 2
In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...
This is a private beta as very distinct from a public beta.
The deletion is to avoid problems in the future, as some of the data stores might have changed during the beta development.
This. A million times over this.
The developer program is just that...a program for developers. I almost wish there was a requirement to prove you are actively developing for the platform to keep your membership.
I have this same feeling. Apple understands how to make so many amazing products but they really fall down when it comes to web services for some reason.
This is a private beta as very distinct from a public beta.
The deletion is to avoid problems in the future, as some of the data stores might have changed during the beta development.
The developer program is just that...a program for developers. I almost wish there was a requirement to prove you are actively developing for the platform to keep your membership.
The issue is that the vast majority are using the program as part of a "buy your UDID a copy of iOS5". None of those people actively report bugs, they just complain and submit negative app reviews.
I haven't seen Apple get Internet services right except for the iTunes Store (in its original form).
It seems problematic that Apple's idea of increasing the reliability and quality of a service is to delete all of users' server-side data. Like most of of us here, I'm not an expert on Internet services, not even a little bit. But it seems like betas usually grow into a mature product. Gmail didn't force users to delete all their e-mail as it grew. Other companies fail and fix. Apple tends to have a slash and burn mentality.
You know Tripod is still hosting some sites I created back in the late 90s? Apple has destroyed every Internet service offering it's offered when it came out with a new idea. eWorld, iTools, .Mac, MobileMe. I've paid for those except for iTools, and while I don't remember the details of what's about to happen with the iCloud transition (Apple seems to obfuscate that information), I am not trusting that my MobileMe gallery is going to be around or that my iDisk data won't disappear. I've lost enough e-mail through MobileMe to know it's possible at any time. And these are paid services. I never paid Tripod a dime, and it's still hosting the first web-sites I ever made.
As a layman, it seems to me it's a bad sign if you need a fresh start to mature a beta. I would love for Apple to prove me wrong.
Quite the rant, but this is very different. This is a brand new feature that they were very clear would be deleted near the end of the beta. Same thing with device backups on iCloud. it wasn't a surprise to anyone as they were telling devs from day one that stuff would be deleted as time went on.
I'm with you, I have lost stuff with MobileMe, too. Just be sure to judge appropriately.
I just gotta ask the question. Am I in the minority? Never lost anything on iTools, .Mac or MobileMe. I even having over 10,000 emails in my inbox dating back to 2003 today.
