An update to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system has been released as a beta to registered developers, according to a tweet by Apple evangelist Michael Jurewitz.
Because Apple releases beta software under a non-disclosure agreement with developers, there are no public details on what new features—if any—iOS 4.1 will introduce, or when a general release will be available.
However, one of the most likely candidates is Game Center, a social gaming platform that the company announced when it first introduced iOS 4 in early 2010 and that was notably absent from the 4.0 launch.
Additionally, it’s possible that the new OS will include a software fix, promised by Apple earlier this month, that would address the antenna issue affecting the recently released iPhone 4. Some owners of the phone have complained about poor cell signal reception, particularly when gripping their phone a certain way. In its public comments on the antenna issue, Apple has blamed a software problem, not the phone’s design, for what it says is the incorrect visualization of the network signal strength on iPhone 4. (Others—notably Consumer Reports—maintain it’s the phone’s hardware that’s causing signals to drop.)
One thing that we are unlikely to see, however, is support for the iPad, which company CEO Steve Jobs has not promised until later in the fall.