Should You Upgrade to Apple's iOS 10 or macOS Sierra?
This is the second in a series of reports where we dive into iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, which were both introduced during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote address in June.
The second iOS 10 beta is out of the gate. So too is the second beta version of macOS Sierra. It will be a few months before each becomes available to the general public.
When will that be? If history is any indication, expect both new operating systems to arrive in September or October. In the case of iOS 10, it should drop right before Apple releases the “iPhone 7” and “iPhone 7 Plus.” The newest OS for Mac is likely to arrive a few weeks later alongside new Macs.
Some Words About Apple Betas
One year ago, Apple released six iOS 9 betas before launching the GM, or gold master edition. The longest development process for an iOS release occurred in 2011 with iOS 5. That year, there were seven betas followed by the GM.
In 2014, Apple introduced a public beta program for OS X. Last year, the program was expanded to include iOS. The first public betas for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra should be available soon. You can request an invite to join these betas through Apple.
The current versions are for developers only, although we all know that non-developers install them as well.
Current Betas
Is Now the Time?
We’re very close to recommending that non-developers take a jump into the beta pool. However, we’re not quite there yet.
iOS 10 beta 2: This second beta is much more stable than the previous version. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be installed on everyday devices. We continue to notice that iOS 10 beta 2 doesn’t play nice with many third-party apps on both iPhone and iPad.
macOS Sierra Developer Preview 2: Again, our advice is not to upgrade at this time. Let the developers work through the early bugs.
We’ll continue to follow all of the developments with iOS 10 and macOS Sierra in the coming weeks and months. When new betas arrive, we’ll publish another report.
Important Dates
This year, Apple didn’t release the second batch of 2016 betas for 22 days. The second betas usually arrive much earlier in the process.
Because of this, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the first public betas arrive as early as today, July 6. However, Apple is more likely to hold off until the third wave of betas launch later this month.
- Monday, July 18 or Tuesday, July 19: New betas could arrive.
- Tuesday, July 19 or Wednesday, July 20: The first public betas launch.
- September 7: Circle this date as the possible day for Apple’s fall event.