14 DAY TRIAL // Starting today, any App Store submission that targets iOS 7 will be welcomed, arms wide open. That’s the key takeaway from a brief memo sent to developers yesterday, following the Special iPhone event.
Apple confirmed during yesterday’s keynote address that iOS 7 would become available to the public on September 18. As the company was demoing the software on its new iPhones, eagle-eyed developers were already downloading the Golden Master build of iOS 7.
Now the Cupertino mammoth is downright encouraging programmers to code their iOS 7 apps and ready them for submission. iOS 7-compatible binaries can be 64-bit or 32-bit, Apple says.
“iOS 7 will soon be in the hands of hundreds of millions of customers. Reimagine your app’s interface with the clarity, translucency, and depth of iOS 7,” the company notes.
“Integrate APIs for AirDrop, multitasking, games, and camera, as well as new APIs that take advantage of the powerful new capabilities of iPhone 5s,” Apple tells developers.
Interested parties can download the iOS 7 GM from Apple’s iOS Dev Center and use Xcode 5 to create compatible apps.
The software is free to download and use, but you will need a $99/€99 Developer account with Apple in order to access these resources.
“Build your apps with iOS 7 GM seed and Xcode 5 GM seed, available for download from the iOS Dev Center. Sign in with the Apple ID associated with your iOS Developer Program membership to download and install iOS 7 GM seed on your device,” Apple says.
The Cupertino company carefully points out that iPhone 5S now has 64-bit desktop-class performance, “for blazing fast performance in the palm of your hand.”
But while the iOS kernel, libraries, and drivers now take advantage of 64-bit, Xcode automatically builds apps into binaries that can work on both 32-bit and 64-bit devices, Apple says.