14 DAY TRIAL // Among the various new betas deployed in the Mac Dev Center this week, we highlight another important addition to the iOS/OS X ecosystem which enables IT admins to manage systems on a network: Apple Configurator 1.6.
Configurator is a Mac app used to set up and deploy groups of similarly or identically configured iOS devices. You can use it to create and restore device images, as well as install iOS updates or sync new content and settings.
In version 1.6, Apple is adding support for a wide range of features introduced in iOS 8, including Handoff, which lets you start working on a project on your Mac and pick it up on your iPad or iPhone.
Handoff is actually a feature shared by iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, which is why the following description is found on the Mac and iOS section at http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/mac-and-ios/.
“When your Mac and iOS devices are near each other, they can automatically pass whatever you’re doing from one device to another. Say you start writing a report on your Mac, but you want to continue on your iPad as you head to your meeting. Handoff lets you switch over and pick up instantly where you left off.”
“Or maybe you start writing an email on your iPhone, but you want to finish it on your Mac. You can do that, too. Handoff works with Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. And app developers can easily build Handoff into their apps.”
Apple Configurator 1.6 offers support for new configuration profile payloads and settings introduced in iOS 8. New restrictions packed in this release include: iCloud sync for managed apps, backup of enterprise books, notes and highlights sync for enterprise books, new Supervised-only Restrictions, Erase all Contents and Settings, configuring Restrictions, Internet results in Spotlight, and per-message S/MIME switch (Email & Exchange).
According to a person familiar with the seed notes, Apple also mentions the following:
“Devices are erased before restoring a backup. iOS 8 does not support restoring a backup to a device which has completed the setup assistant, so Configurator now erases devices before restoring a backup while supervising or checking a device in or out.”
IT admins looking to download and test Apple Configurator 1.6 can do so by visiting the Mac Dev Center at https://developer.apple.com/devcenter/mac/index.action.