UPDATED: Is there a difference between iOS 4 GM seed and final release?

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

UPDATED: Well, Game Center is gone in the release version,

We keep getting asked if there will be a difference between the iOS 4 GM (gold master) seed released to developers at WWDC 2010 and the final GA (general availability) version that'll be released to end users sometime today.

Maybe. Other than the former being intended for developers and the latter for end-users, we don't know though we guess they'll be fairly close (so apps developed under the GM don't run into problems under the GA). Apple could have found and patched a few trivial bugs, removed debug code, or made a few non-app impacting tweaks. The GM seed may also be read differently in iTunes and not prompt for future updates (i.e. 4.0.1, 4.1, etc.) the way the final release will. Or they could be binary identical.

Until Apple releases it and elite code scourers do their thing, there's just no way to know.

(And if you don't know what anything in this post means -- we envy you. You shouldn't have to).

Now relax, grab a spicy drink and some popcorn, and resume the great waiting game...

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.