Beta Testing

While many of us install iOS public betas just to use all of the new features before the official launch, Apple's Beta Program is intended to help them discover and fix issues with the new operating system. Putting it in the public's hands is a powerful tool to help identify issues. If you have installed the public beta (if you haven't here's how) and are noticing bugs that should be reported, or just want to make suggestions, there is a Feedback app that will allow you to do so. Here's how to use it:

Members of the general public who enjoy having the latest and greatest beta software installed on their iOS devices are in luck. As previously announced, Apple has made iOS 8.3 beta 3 available through their Beta Software Program website. The same software seeded to developers earlier today is in a phased rollout to be tested by those without iOS developer accounts.

This marks the first time Apple has seeded a beta version of iOS to the general public, following a similar program that allows Mac owners to test the latest OS X. For those who haven't already joined the Beta Software Program, signing up requires entering a valid Apple ID. Once signed into the Apple Beta Software Program website, the beta firmware can be installed by following the on screen instructions.

iOS device owners continue to install iOS 8, with the adoption rate inching up every two weeks. The recent total stood at 73 percent according to the Apple Developer Support page. While this is a one point bump from the stat measured two weeks prior, the number still lags behind iOS 7 adoption. Mid-February numbers for iOS 7 indicated that 80 percent of compatible iOS devices were running the latest firmware last year.

In any case, Apple is set to launch several iOS updates over the coming months. iOS 8.2 will be released in early March, and will primarily focus on the Apple Watch management app and WatchKit for developers. A March 9 Apple media event is expected to highlight the Apple Watch and announce ship dates for the wearable device. Shortly after the event, Apple is expected to launch the first-ever iOS public beta program with iOS 8.3.

Another day, another iPhone rumor... BGR is sticking to their earlier report that a new iPhone will be released this August, but this time their unnamed source also revealed that Apple plans to offer a cheaper prepaid iPhone and their next generation device by the end of this summer.

According to Boy Genius Report, Apple will begin selling the iPhone 3GS for around $350 with no contract. Their "incredibly solid source" could not confirm the iPhone 5 with teardrop design that they announced back in June, but they did confirm that the next generation iPhone will be announced by "late August-ish."

Those "well placed and anonymous sources" are at it again. The tech blogs Chip Hazard and West Coast Gadgets have kicked off a whole new set of rumors by claiming that the iPhone 5 is in the hands of AT&T and Sprint beta testers. Chip Hazard's "well places sources" in AT&T mobility revealed that beta testers have been testing the iPhone 5 since July 6. Citing no sources, West Coast Gadgets announced that Sprint beta testers will be spotted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, and Chicago starting this Monday.

Why is Apple purportedly using 3rd party testers? According to another tech blog, AT&T and Sprint are ensuring another Antennagate doesn't happen by checking for reception and connectivity. The author also points to Apple's own internal testers losing an iPhone last year, but wouldn't giving out more devices to 3rd parties increase the chances of a repeat, and more leaks? With all the so-called "inside sources" releasing so much information, it seems like Apple is having a hard enough time keeping their own people quiet these days.