Apple Releases IOS 4.3 Beta To Developers

m2pc writes "Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta to developers. New features include: Developer access to AirPlay API, Four and Five-finger gestures, and the return of the hardware orientation lock for iPad, a feature that upset many when Apple suddenly removed this feature with no software option to re-enable it. Also interesting to note is the lack of mention of the Mobile Hotspot feature rumored to be included in 4.3 for all iOS devices by the Verizon announcement yesterday."

Comments

Hehe

[copponex]

the return of the hardware orientation lock for iPad, a feature that upset many when Apple suddenly removed this feature with no software option to re-enable it

If there's one thing an Apple user needs, it's the ability to take things lying down.

Hotspot -- Verizon exclusive -- for a while?

[swb]

I see this as some kind of Verizon exclusive for a while. Apple probably had to give Verizon something to keep the phone from being junked up with VZW Crapware, and hotspot functionality was an easy one.

For one, it's an Android feature and Apple would like to sell iPhones to a lot of the people who bought Androids because it was either Verizon or nothing. For another, AT&T was a weak sister when it came to tethering and they probably won't whine about a short-term VZW exclusive iPhone feature they'd probably rather not support.

Long-term, it's hard not to see AT&T & VZW iPhones having the same feature sets eventually (within the limits of their respective network technologies, eg simultaneous voice/data) since the carriers are pretty much now directly competing. I know I wouldn't re-up with AT&T next summer if the iPhone for AT&T was somehow inferior to Verizon's model.

All in all, I think this will be a win for iPhone users. Apple is less beholden to one carrier, and the carriers are forced to keep up with each other's features & pricing.

Re:Hotspot -- Verizon exclusive -- for a while?

[catmistake]

Also interesting to note is the lack of mention of the Mobile Hotspot feature rumored to be included in 4.3 for all iOS devices by the Verizon announcement yesterday."

Nope. Actually, it was mentioned by some leaky devs:
they even provided screen shots

Now that it settled... How do we stop AT&T from double charging for data? Pay for 2GB data, you should be able to use it how you wish... why would it matter to AT&T whether that data was going directly to iPhone, or by proxy to another device? It's still data you pay for.

someone must have an idea... it doesn't seem legal for them to do this for anyone but the "true" unlimited users.

Re:Hotspot -- Verizon exclusive -- for a while?

[mini me]

Hotspot apparently works on Rogers right now.

I, unfortunately, am unable to verify the claims. But this screenshot looks pretty legit: http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5767/photojan1251329pm.jpg

From what I gather it is a carrier enable-able feature. If AT&T does not support it, it is due to their call, not Apple's.

Re:Hotspot -- Verizon exclusive -- for a while?

[catmistake]

replying to my own post here...

When AT&T or Verizon charges for 2GB data, and then they charge again for tethering or hotspoting that data, what they are effectivelydoing is this. And, if I remember my John Grisham, each time they mail a bill out double charging for the data, they are committing mail fraud, and each offense is punishable up to 5 years, not to be served concurrently.

I know there's some sharp lawyers here... let's go get AT&T!!

Re:Hotspot -- Verizon exclusive -- for a while?

[catmistake]

AT&T has several partnerships with Qwest and other regional bells to use their Hotspots. I'm not being charged by the use of it. It's a feature in my Qwest DSL contract.

I'm not talking about hotspots around town... down at the McD's or Starbucks. I'm talking about turning your iPhone into a hotspot (functions the same way as tethering). But thanks for responding.

Re:anyone else here...

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

anyone else here... miss the days when ios meant Cisco?

As someone who worked with them and had to use their products and put up with their business practices... dear Zeus no!

The summary is wrong.

[teh31337one]

ars and Engadget both say there is a wifi hotspot feature.

Hardware Orientation Lock

[exomondo]

return of the hardware orientation lock for iPad

I still can't understand why they took that away and left the 'press & hold the volume key to go to 0%' in there...the orientation lock button was WAY more useful than the mute button, maybe not so much on an iphone but definitely on the ipad.

Re:Hardware Orientation Lock

[Caerdwyn]

The fact that it's reverting to what it was before suggests otherwise.

Re:anyone else here...

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

...miss the days when ios meant Cisco?

Is this the complaint we default back to when there hasn't been any reason to bitch about the iPhone in a while?

Does it fix wireless battery drain issue?

[LordKronos]

Does this update fix the wireless battery drain issue that popped up in the 4.0 release? On both my ipod touch 2G and my wife's ipod touch 3g, we used to be able to leave wireless on all the time. We could let the thing sit in sleep mode for 2 or 3 weeks, turn it back on, and the battery would still be charged. Now if you don't explicitly turn off wireless when the device is sleeping, the battery will be completely dead in 24-48 hours. There are a ton of people with this problem, but (as usual) apples refuses to acknowledge any problem exists. Until they fix this, I have little interest in whatever other features they might add to ios.