Apple has sent an email to developers notifying them that their iCloud libraries housing iTunes Match data will be wiped on Monday, September 26th at 9AM PDT. The reason for the wipe is to "improve the overall quality and reliability" of the service. The news comes after Apple wiped all the iCloud backup data on Thursday, September 22nd.
We believe these are preparations for Apple to launch the final Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 5. Apple had been planning to declare iOS 5 as GM on Friday, September 23rd, though we haven't heard confirmation yet if that had actually taken place. Also on schedule was to start installing iOS 5 GM onto new devices in their factories on Monday, September 26th. Assuming all this has remained on schedule, we expect the final GM version of iOS 5 to be release to developers as early as next week.
iCloud and iTunes Match services have been running in developer beta for the last couple of months. The public release is scheduled for "Fall", and it seems likely Apple will announce the ship date at their rumored October 4th media event.
Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works.
We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release notes, ...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically.
The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged.
The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions.
Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...
This is a private beta as very distinct from a public beta.
The deletion is to avoid problems in the future, as some of the data stores might have changed during the beta development.
This. A million times over this.
The developer program is just that...a program for developers. I almost wish there was a requirement to prove you are actively developing for the platform to keep your membership.
I have this same feeling. Apple understands how to make so many amazing products but they really fall down when it comes to web services for some reason.
This is a private beta as very distinct from a public beta.
The deletion is to avoid problems in the future, as some of the data stores might have changed during the beta development.
The developer program is just that...a program for developers. I almost wish there was a requirement to prove you are actively developing for the platform to keep your membership.
The issue is that the vast majority are using the program as part of a "buy your UDID a copy of iOS5". None of those people actively report bugs, they just complain and submit negative app reviews.
I haven't seen Apple get Internet services right except for the iTunes Store (in its original form).
It seems problematic that Apple's idea of increasing the reliability and quality of a service is to delete all of users' server-side data. Like most of of us here, I'm not an expert on Internet services, not even a little bit. But it seems like betas usually grow into a mature product. Gmail didn't force users to delete all their e-mail as it grew. Other companies fail and fix. Apple tends to have a slash and burn mentality.
You know Tripod is still hosting some sites I created back in the late 90s? Apple has destroyed every Internet service offering it's offered when it came out with a new idea. eWorld, iTools, .Mac, MobileMe. I've paid for those except for iTools, and while I don't remember the details of what's about to happen with the iCloud transition (Apple seems to obfuscate that information), I am not trusting that my MobileMe gallery is going to be around or that my iDisk data won't disappear. I've lost enough e-mail through MobileMe to know it's possible at any time. And these are paid services. I never paid Tripod a dime, and it's still hosting the first web-sites I ever made.
As a layman, it seems to me it's a bad sign if you need a fresh start to mature a beta. I would love for Apple to prove me wrong.
Quite the rant, but this is very different. This is a brand new feature that they were very clear would be deleted near the end of the beta. Same thing with device backups on iCloud. it wasn't a surprise to anyone as they were telling devs from day one that stuff would be deleted as time went on.
I'm with you, I have lost stuff with MobileMe, too. Just be sure to judge appropriately.
I just gotta ask the question. Am I in the minority? Never lost anything on iTools, .Mac or MobileMe. I even having over 10,000 emails in my inbox dating back to 2003 today.
