Apple on Monday released the second beta of iOS 7, exactly two weeks after the first iteration of the software was doled out to developers.
The new version promises only to fix bugs and contains other undocumented "improvements."
But the big new thing in this release is a version of the software for iPads -- both the regular and Mini models. The first version of the software only came for iPhones and iPod Touches, with Apple promising to add support for other devices as time went on.
The software requires developers to sign a privacy agreement, but that hasn't stopped numerous developers and some blogs from posting extensive hands-on previews of the new OS.
It's been standard practice for Apple to roll out several beta versions of the software before it's released to the public, which Apple has said will happen in the fall. In terms of how many more of these to expect, iOS 6 had four different beta versions between its June debut and late September release last year.
Perhaps not since 2010's iOS 4 (which brought multitasking) has there been quite so much scrutiny on just what Apple's up to with these interim updates. iOS 7 is a massive visual and, in some cases, functional overhaul of the versions that came before it, and many things are expected to change before it's officially released.
Update: The software also brings back a reworked version of Apple's voice memos application, which has been a built-in utility since 2009's iOS 3.0, though was not provided in the initial beta of iOS 7.
Source: CNET