Code in the beta software makes reference to an iPad 2.4, which follows the coding convention by which Apple refers to its products but isn’t yet represented by a shipping device. It could be the Sprint iPad some have suggested is on the way, says 9t05Mac, which also holds that if it is a dedicated Sprint device, it might support WiMAX. The code also references an iPad 3.3, which joins existing references to an iPad 3.1 and iPad 3.2, all of which are thought to refer to Apple’s next-gen tablet, reportedly planned for release early next year.

Other new products suggested in the code include a new Apple TV, referenced as J33, and a new iPhone, code-named iPhone 5.1. The iPhone 5 has been rumored for release next year, but the inclusion of it in Apple code means it’s almost definitely being tested internally with this latest software update.

Hints in the code are only one side of the iOS 5.1 coin. There are also a couple of relatively small but very practical changes in how the iPad manages network data and power for those who fear battery-busting drain from certain services. There is now a switch to control whether or not iTunes Match is allowed to use cellular data to do its download and streaming thing, which is a welcome addition for folks on a limited data plan.

There is also a new indicator for location services use. It’s an outlined version of the little purple arrow that appears next to items in your list of apps under the Location Services settings screen (or in your status bar) to show an app that is using a geofence. A geofence is what Reminders uses to make location-aware to-dos work, and it uses less power than an app that is currently actively using your location information. It makes the location services notification system slightly more complicated, but it should help users better predict how long their batteries will last as well as be more aware of exactly what data their phone is using at any given time.

Finally, there is a new voice dictation feature that developers will be able to take advantage of, which seems to allow them to code responses to recognized phrases. So, basically, it looks like apps might be able to have very basic and preprogrammed “conversations” with users under iOS 5.1, as long as everyone sticks to the script.

There doesn’t appear to be any reference to additional voice command options with Siri that would allow you to do things like turn off Wi-Fi, as was rumored for iOS 5.1 earlier in the month. Still, it’s early days yet for the beta, so we’re not counting anything out completely.

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To use the new Facebook integration, you simply click the “Link to Facebook” button from the Skype Home screen and sign in with your Facebook credentials. Once signed in, the Skype Home tab displays recent activity from your Skype contacts, your Facebook friends or both through a hybrid view. You can also update your status using an input bar at the top of the home screen. Each update presents you with options for Liking and commenting, and you can also call contacts directly using a phone icon located next to their name. If their number is listed on Facebook or they’re on Skype already, you can call instantly; if it’s not, you’ll be prompted to enter it manually. Both options require that you have a paid Skype subscription or Skype credit to work.

It’s a pretty solid implementation of Facebook integration; the news feed works well in Skype’s app window, and the ability to quickly call friends based on news they post to the social network is a very smart thing to include. If my friend announces an engagement, for instance, I could call her directly instead of just posting a “Congrats!” or tapping the Like button. Your Facebook contacts also now show up in your general contacts list when you’re signed in, and you can IM them directly as you would your usual Skype friends.

Note that despite the introduction of Skype-powered video chat to Facebook’s website in July, there is no way to directly video call your online Facebook contacts in this beta. You can initiate a Skype call if your Facebook friends have Skype contact info listed on their profile and then opt to turn it into a video call should they pick up, but that’s as far as video-calling integration goes. I’d hope that Skype has designs on making it easy to video chat directly between the two platforms in the future.

All the new Facebook features are welcome and smartly designed, but there are a few bugs I noticed in this beta, like the fact that initiating calls from the contacts list with Facebook friends to their mobile numbers doesn’t seem to actually connect. There’s also a drawback for nonsubscribers and people who don’t have any Skype credit: ads. Skype is now putting display ads in front of users who only access the free aspects of its service. So if you aren’t terribly fond of the idea of Facebook integration and you’re happy with Skype’s free service, you may want to hold off on this update.

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The leaves are changing color, there’s a chill in the air, and some stores already have Christmas merchandise on shelves. Fall is basically here, even if it doesn’t officially start until Sept. 23. So what’s the status of iCloud and iOS 5, both of which are also slated to arrive in autumn, according to Apple at WWDC 2011?

The official answer is that they’re in beta, in developer testing ahead of their wide release, but that’s not really an answer that provides much information regarding when they’ll actually arrive. The answer to that question, like the betas themselves, are actually very complicated, which is why it might be quite a while yet before we see them become publicly available.

Mac OS X and iCloud

Apple just released a new beta build of Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2, which introduces iCloud integration to the desktop operating system. By all accounts, the updates are big steps forward toward a stable public release. They finally package the iCloud apps right into the update, whereas before you needed a separate installer, according to Business Insider’s Ellis Hamburger.

It’s not a feature update, but rather a bug-killing build that’s specifically aimed at testing iCloud features. It’s a good sign that on the OS X side, Apple is making solid progress toward a stable Golden Master (GM) candidate release. It makes sense that Apple would have the least trouble with OS X, since iCloud is the only thing that’s changing about the desktop operating system.

iOS 5 and iCloud

The latest version of iOS 5 is beta 7, released Aug. 31. Even though the beta is covered under an Apple non-disclosure agreement with developers, reports have been trickling out that indicate there are still plenty of issues to address, including very high battery drain for some users. Bugs and outstanding issues indicate that there should probably be at least one or even two more developer builds before we see a stable GM candidate.

That would make iOS 5 a good candidate for the most beta releases of any iOS build to date. The longest before now was iOS 2, which saw eight betas over four months. IOS 3 and iOS 4 had five and four betas each over four and five months, respectively. IOS 5 beta 7 marks the fourth month since the first preview was released, and based on the stability of said build, we’ll probably see at least another month before it’s ready for everyone.

It makes sense that iOS 5 would require a longer development cycle than most, because it’s a more ambitious release than we’ve seen. Not only does it bring big changes to the way the operating system works and the features it offers (notifications, iMessage, a whole new app with Reminders, etc.), but it also introduces iCloud, which will be a persistent, always-on syncing solution both for Apple’s content and for apps from developers, too. Trying to make sure all of that new stuff works smoothly is a big challenge for a single major point release.

Bottom line, expect iOS 5 (and probably iCloud, too) to arrive later rather than sooner. If mid to late October release dates are accurate for the iPhone 5, that’s about when I’d anticipate iOS 5, too, based on these developer statements. A new report this morning from one analyst says Apple is scheduled to ship the GM version to its iPhone manufacturing partners at the end of September, which is also in keeping with an October release.

iTunes Match

Apple’s new cloud music solution, iTunes Match, only just entered beta with Apple reaching out to developers to subscribe early on Aug. 29. The beta quickly closed to new sign-ups, but then opened again on Saturday, Sept. 10 for a new round of developer registrations. The service scans your local iTunes library, identifies matched tracks from Apple’s servers, and makes those available for download to any Mac or iOS device associated with your account. It also uploads tracks it can’t find, so you can redownload your entire library from anywhere even if some of it isn’t available in Apple’s catalog.

Since the beta only recently opened, and appears to be only slowly expanding its range, it’s clear that the Match service is still a ways off from a public release. It might still make the iOS 5 launch, but I doubt that Apple will rush things and instead could introduce the service at a later date after iOS 5 and iCloud get up and running.

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• Push and local notifications for apps appear in the new Notification Center in iOS 5. Notification Center displays notifications that are considered “unread.” In order to accommodate push and local notifications that have no “unread” status, developers can use their application badge count to trigger a clearing of notifications from Notification Center. When an application clears its badge count (by setting it to zero), iOS 5 will clear its notifications from Notification Center.
• iMessage beta 3 will be unable to communicate with iMessage users on beta 1. It works between beta 3 and beta 2
• Modal alerts don’t appear for iMessages.
• When tweeting your location from Safari and exiting before the location can be established, the location arrow will stay in the status bar. The arrow can be removed by killing Safari from the task switcher.
• FIXED: The Reminders application does not send notifications for reminders that are based upon the entry (and/or exit) of a location if there is no date associated with the reminder.
• In this beta, the option of “Choosing a security question” is not working during an iCloud account setup.
• FIXED: After creating a recurring event locally on the device, the device stops syncing after hitting an error on merge. Removing and re-adding the account acts as a workaround for this.
• Restoring from a Seed 1 backup or earlier will cause MobileMe/iCloud calendars not to sync. Subscribed calendars will show up in Calendars but none of your event calendars will appear in MobileCal. To work around the problem please remove and re-add the account.

I’ve been using beta 2 for the past week on my 4th generation iPod touch and in my experience, the overall platform is looking pretty solid. Sure there are small bugs here and there, plus the software doesn’t yet appear to be performance-optimized: At times, I see some device lag and the battery appears to drain faster than with iOS 4.

But those are likely to be the last two items addressed in iOS. After all, if the core code is going to change due to new features and fixes, it makes more sense to optimize the final code one time, rather than try to optimize changing code many times.

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Wi-Fi sync

Wi-Fi sync was always an option in iOS 5 beta 1 and iTunes 10.5 beta 1, but you couldn’t actually do anything with it. Now, once enabled, you can wirelessly sync with your computer, so long as both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. This will probably be the feature that most benefits the average iOS device owner, possibly short of the new notifications system.

OTA updates

Apple has reportedly turned on the ability to update over the air with iOS 5. Updates will also apparently work over cellular data networks, although some major point releases will have to be done over Wi-Fi. Some are speculating the next beta may be made available as a wireless update now that the functionality is enabled, so we’ll have to wait and see how well it works.

Backup to iCloud as a setup option

You can now choose to backup your device to iCloud right from the initial on-device setup. Before, you had to enable this after the fact through your Settings app. It’s a small tweak, but it brings the promise of a post-PC future for iOS that much closer.

Gevey SIM unlock blocked

If you wanted to use the Gevey SIM card to unlock your factory-locked iPhone or iPad, it looks like Apple is finally closing that loophole. Users report that beta 2 disables the Gevey hardware unlock, which was initially left untouched in iOS 5 beta 1.

New lock screen Notification style

Notifications now appear in a larger font beside their relevant app icon on the lock screen, and somewhat resemble their predecessors. If you don’t respond to them, they join the other notifications, lining up in sequential order at the top of the lock screen. In my opinion, this looks like an improvement, since it gives primary focus to new alerts as they come in, while it also still keeps track of everything that you may have missed while your device is locked.

Apple has also made a number of smaller changes, like the replacement of the iCloud icon in the Settings app with the metallic one that it has used in promo materials. SMS messages also look just a tad bit different; there’s an option to Group By Album Artist (which can differ from Artist in iTunes metadata) in the Music app; swiping up in Messages will dismiss the keyboard; the Stocks widget is turned off by default, and if your Notification Center is empty, it will display “No New Notifications” instead of nothing.

Any other changes we may have missed that you’re aware of?

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Google

Both Google and Amazon have decided that seeking special licensing for cloud music playback isn’t necessary, and that they’re allowed to offer their services without seeking any additional consent or agreements from major record labels. Google has announced that it will take down any music found to be in violation of copyright agreements, in much the same way it does with YouTube content. Amazon, likewise, has taken a similar stance, arguing that they “do not need a license to make Cloud Player available” since saving files to Cloud Drive “is the same as if a customer were to save their music to an external hard drive or even iTunes.”

There’s definitely a sound logic to that argument, but even so, Amazon seems to be rushing to smooth things over with its music content partners, according to the Wall Street Journal . Which makes sense, because Amazon also wants to control the sales channel for music, as well as the means of its storage and playback.

While Amazon and Google may be trying to make nice with major labels behind the scenes, the “shoot first, ask questions later” approach hasn’t won them any allies. And, in fact, it could send those content providers rushing into Apple’s arms.

Apple is said to be still in talks with the four major record labels ahead of the launch of its own cloud music service, and in this case, patience may prove to be a virtue. No doubt the labels are reluctant to give up any additional revenue they might be able to garner through cloud-based offerings, but Apple is now in a unique position with regard to negotiating proper licenses, since Google and Amazon have both taken a firm, public stance on the other side of the fence. Simply put, Apple is now the only game in town.

Even if Apple can’t reach a favorable agreement with record labels, it can still easily go the route of Amazon and Google before it and declare cloud music services are well within its existing rights. But while that’s an option, it’s one that Apple shouldn’t have to exercise. Instead, it can use its leverage as the music industry’s biggest current distribution channel, and the reluctance of Amazon and Google to play nice to force an agreement that would see it be able to offer a label-friendly solution which would ultimately probably benefit consumers. That could take the shape of fewer restrictions on how and when music can be access and transferred between devices, and make it possible to purchase a wider variety of music that’s immediately available directly from the cloud.

Apple’s service will look and work better than that of its competitors, at a minimum. And if it can also launch soon (like at WWDC next month) and with the full backing of the four major record labels, it’ll best its rivals in all categories, and continue to dominate mobile music.

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The update represents major improvements to Apple’s mobile operating system. The new AirPlay support allows any third-party app to share video over-the-air with the new Apple TV. That means Hulu Plus, Netflix, and any other streaming video application could potentially beam content to your big screen TV. AirPlay is disabled by default in the new beta, but at least now developers have the option of turning it on.

iPad multi-touch gestures introduced in iOS 4.3 include the ability to pinch with four or five fingers to exit an app and return to the home screen, or to swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar. You can also swipe left or right to switch between your open apps. I’m surprised it took so long for these to appear. The iPad also gets a setting to let users choose whether to use the hardware switch to mute or rotation-lock the device.

Finally, iOS 4.3 does seem to offer Personal Hotspot capabilities, like those unveiled at Verizon’s press conference Tuesday for its version of the iPhone 4. These settings are definitely available for the iPhone, but it’s not yet clear whether they’ll also be available to 3G versions of the iPad, which can’t yet even share its connection via tethering. And even though the settings are there, that doesn’t mean every carrier will take advantage of them.

There’s also a new FaceTime icon (on iPod touch devices) that looks a little odd, and it looks like 4.3 won’t be available for the iPhone 3G or iPod touch 2nd generation.

Which new feature are you most excited about?

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Visiting YouTube in Safari still presents the AirPlay icon, but that might be a temporary oversight, depending on the reasoning behind the new changes. In earlier betas, AirPlay originally seemed ready to allow any iPad that featured MP4 video to beam said video directly to Apple TV, though only audio was initially supported for testing purposes.

It’s possible that the reason behind AirPlay’s absence in the YouTube app in this beta is just a bug, or Apple is testing a means by which developers could choose to exclude their content from the service if they wish. But there’s also a third, more sinister and more probable explanation.

In an earlier article about the possible future of Apple TV, I speculated that AirPlay might provide a backdoor by which users could get unprotected content secured from less-than-legitimate sources streaming directly to their living room setup. It’s possible that content providers also took note of this possibility, and threatened Apple with legal action or a withdrawal of their media from the iTunes store unless stricter restrictions were put in place surrounding what can and can’t be streamed.

We’ll keep watching to see where this goes, but if Apple is limiting AirPlay access, it could have a serious impact on that feature’s usefulness, and by extension, on the success of the Apple TV.

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Another reason I find the 3G relatively useless is that I can’t tether my connection to other devices, like I can with my iPhone. If I could share my 3G connection (ideally wirelessly, but let’s not get greedy), then I’d get far more use out of my iPad’s connectivity.

The just-released iPad OS 4.2 beta 2 reveals that tethering could potentially be on the way. There appear to be settings for tethering in the new beta (via 9 t0 5 Mac), right where they’re located on the iPhone, under “General>Network” and hooks for cellular tethering server information under “Cellular Data>APN Settings.” If you’re using the beta in North America and you can’t find the screens in question, it’s because they’re not there.

The Internet tethering options for iPad have so far only appeared on an iPad running on 3′s network in Europe. The fact that this is highly localized could mean one of two things: either Apple’s early testing is happening only on a single network to test its quality and effect on the network before wide release, or only certain markets are going to see iPad tethering at all. While I hope for the former, I fear the latter is true.

Since the iPad’s contract-less, cancel-at-any-time data plans are already quite the bitter pill to swallow for wireless companies who are used to long-term, locked-down contracts with downright unscrupulous cancellation fees, it’s unlikely they’d be interested in adding any further perks to the deal.

Carriers in North America will wait and see if they can’t foist competitors’ tablets on customers first, thereby ensuring themselves a greater share of the profits. If that doesn’t pan out, and customers still insist on buying iPads in droves, they’ll likely relent and provide tethering to attract more subscribers to the monthly plans.

Just out of curiosity, how many would buy a 3G iPad who don’t already have one based solely on the introduction of tethering?

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File Sharing

A new menu interface in the Apps tab of your iPhone when it’s connected to iTunes promises to allow you to move files from your computer to your iPhone, and to specific apps in particular.

Can’t wait to see this feature implemented device-wide. It’ll make it so much simpler to use apps like Documents to Go and, hopefully, the entire iWorks suite from Apple itself. Let’s hope all file types are supported, too, so that certain apps will be able to turn your iPhone into a true flash drive, finally.

Closing Open Apps

The new multitasking interface is great for switching between apps, but wasn’t all that great for killing open ones, since you had to hold them individually until the red minus sign appeared, and then do the same again for the next. In this new update, each app that’s open now gets a minus sign when you perform the icon hold once, so you can then go through and kill them all quickly in one pass. It’s a huge improvement in terms of user experience, and one that my tired digits greatly appreciate.

Screen Orientation Lock

Lying in bed, trying to browse the web, and having to hold the iPhone and your head at just the right angle to prevent it from switching to landscape mode. Now that’s incredibly annoying. I’m sure you’ll agree if you’ve ever had to do it, or anything that involved trying to prevent the iPhone’s auto-orientation adjustment from happening.

A new button, located in the app switcher bar, fixes all that. It locks the iPhone in portrait-only mode, device-wide. No option to lock it in landscape mode, but that wouldn’t really work on the iPhone, which lacks landscape options for the home screen.

iPhone OS 4.0 was exciting to begin with, but to see that Apple’s actively interested in adding further refinements and improvements at this late stage is even better. Let’s hope these new features make the cut and see full implementation in the final release.