Home Final iOS 5 Beta Builds Almost Ready to Deploy: Are Developers Ready?

Final iOS 5 Beta Builds Almost Ready to Deploy: Are Developers Ready?

We are in the final stretch of iOS 5 beta as the iPhone 5 is expected to launch in early October. According to Boy Genius Report, iOS 5 Beta 8 is expected to be released this Friday, Sept. 16. The final Gold Masters build is expected to drop a week later, on Sept. 23. Developers, are you ready with your final preparations for the newest version of the iPhone?

In conversations with developers, iOS 5 beta is just about ready to go. They really like the split keyboard functions and feel that it is now stable enough that it runs just as well as iOS 4.3. Battery life, always a problem in early betas, has been fixed. There are still a “few nagging bugs” as one developer put it, but the timeline is well in place for a launch in the next several weeks.

Putting The Final Touches On Apps and Games

At this point, Apple and developers have the primary functions of iOS 5 patched and ready to run. What it comes down to now is making sure that apps can port efficiently to iOS 5 with optimal functionality. For instance, one developer wonders why HBO Go cannot even launch on iOS 5 while another mobile game developer is having problems with his game crashing ever minute or so. So, while iOS 5 itself maybe be stable, applications and games are not quite ready.

Undoubtedly, there will be several apps (hundreds or maybe thousands) that either will not work on iOS 5 or the developers are too negligent to update their software so that it will work, at least at launch. This is a problem for all mobile operating systems, not just iOS. Every time a new build comes out, the apps need to be updated to make sure they work. Yet, most mobile developers have no excuse at this point since they have had literally all summer and into the fall to follow the iOS 5 beta updates and act accordingly.

What Are Your Experiences?

One issue that a developer mentioned was that the Wi-Fi sync is still pretty tricky. Android’s wireless sync works well though it is still can be buggy, depending on if you are using data or Wi-Fi.

A question for developers: What testing applications are you using to run your apps through iOS 5 beta? Does something like Cucumber (iCuke) fit your needs? What is the best testing framework on the market right now?

Without violating any non-disclosure agreements (or you can post anonymously), what are your thoughts on the final builds of iOS 5 beta? Let us know in the comments.

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