Wait, you're saying a beta release of ios7 isn't beta? Even if it is mostly the same for gA that doesn't discount it being beta software right now.
>Wait, you're saying a beta release of ios7 isn't beta? Even if it is mostly the same for gA that doesn't discount it being beta software right now
Sure, it's beta, as in "buggy, still under development, and not released yet".
What I mean it's not beta in the way the parent mentioned it (and some people use it): that there is any chance in hell it will change in any substantial way.
They might fix some bugs and add/remove a few things, but 99% of what you see now will be there in the fall release.
OS X/iOS betas shown in WWDC are not like some website or app beta that iterates between point releases and can be very different by the time it comes out. They are pretty much baked.
RC would be a better name for it.
Nothing. They were always pragmatic about it, not "relentless".
And it's not a beta. The final version is coming in very short time, so it will be 98% the same. What it is is a FIRST version (iteration) of the new design. It will improve in iOS 8 and later versions.
People always go crazy when discussing Apple and forget basic facts.
Like, the original iPhone, and ALL subsequent models, where chastised for this pain point or the other. And all pain points (from lack of third party apps, to multitasking, to copy/paste, to the 4's antenna etc) where addressed, in a satisfying matter, in later versions.
People also forget how OS X went from barely usable (10.1) to highly capable and mature (10.4 and forward) functionality wise, or how the UI changed from "lickable candy buttons, heavy stripes and metal windows" to the subdued 10.8 look we now have.
People only remember "relentless pursuit of quality". But they forget that that "pursuit" comes in iterations and years, not just on every first version they introduce.
Actually, a decade old advice among Apple faithfuls, at least with regards to hardware, is: avoid buying a 1st iteration Apple product -- it will likely have some issue to be fixed in later versions or production runs.