Apple continues to prepare its third party developers for the release of iOS 5, the next major version of its mobile operating system. On Wednesday the company released beta 7 of iOS 5 to those developers, along with new beta versions of iTunes 10.5, the Apple TV software, and Xcode 4.2. While the exact change log is supposed to not be released to the public, Boy Genius Report has gotten hold of it anyway and posted all of the details.
This particular beta release doesn"t have any new features. It"s mainly about fixing bugs and solving some issues from previous beta versions. That likely means that Apple is getting closer to finalizing iOS 5 for its public debut. Apple is expected to release iOS 5 for free to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users around the time it launches the long awaited iPhone 5 smartphone and the iPod hardware refresh. At the moment the smart money is for that to happen around the end of September or the beginning of October. It will also be the first Apple hardware launch without its founder Steve Jobs in charge.
In terms of its new features, Apple has already revealed that iOS 5 will have support for Apple"s new iCloud, WiFi syncing with Windows PC as well as the Mac, the new Notification Center, setting up an iPhone without the need for a Mac or Windows PC and lots more.