The latest version of the iPhone OS software is available to developers now and 4.0 beta 2 doesn’t seem to add anything major but does fix a few niggling problems with the previous build.
First of all, you can now pop up the music controls by hitting the home button twice when music is playing, and the time for completing tasks in multitasking has been changed from five to 10 minutes. There’s also a fixed display issue with GameCenter and a problem with the camera roll is also solved.
If you recall, the 4.0 software includes multiple system-wide changes, with one of the biggest being multitasking. Soon, mainstream iPhone users will be able to play Pandora music in the background or even use Skype when it’s not on screen. This should open the doors to a wide variety of apps and, yes, it finally puts Apple’s handset on par with rivals like Android or BlackBerry.
Another key component of the latest iPhone OS is the mobile ad network iAd. Because it’s built into the platform, this should enable developers to create richer ads that are meant to create a more compelling experience. More ads suck, right? Well, if done right it could be a way to help monetize apps. For the consumer, this could also lead to a wealth of free apps, which is always appreciated.
Head over to Apple’s developer page to download this bad boy. Who knows, we may see a few more surprises once the devs have at this.