With Apple’s iPhone unveiling likely occurring on September 10, many expect iOS 7 to be finalized around the same time. Sources speaking with BGR Thursday addressed this question, and claim that the Cupertino company will issue a gold master (GM) build of the latest version of iOS around September 5.
BGR’s sources also provided additional information about the alleged roadmap for iOS 7. According to the report, Apple will release a sixth and final beta of the mobile OS to developers next week, likely Monday, August 19. This will be followed by the distribution of the GM build to employees and partners on September 5. Developers will reportedly gain access to the build following Apple’s keynote on September 10. The public release is expected to arrive later in September, a few days before the launch of new iPhone hardware.
The claims made by BGR’s sources remain unverified, but match Apple’s previous release strategies. The GM build for iOS 6, for example, was released to developers on September 12, the same day as the iPhone 5 keynote event, and released to the public on September 19, two days before the iPhone 5 launch.
iOS 7 has seen five developer betas thus far and, while Apple continues to refine and tweak the OS, developers report that many bugs still remain. Much attention will therefore be paid to the alleged sixth beta, to see how close Apple will be to releasing credible software by September.
