Every time Apple releases a developer beta, we get multiple posts (tvOS beta, iOS beta, macOS beta). Today there were 10 consecutive posts for various OS developer betas. Can we just roll them all into a single post already?
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Can developer betas be rolled into a single post?
- Thread starter DTphonehome
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This gets debated every once in a while, and we can't really please everybody. Some members prefer everything lumped together in one article while others prefer things separated out so that the discussion threads can stay focused on each specific update without them getting muddied by people talking about different updates. We've typically leaned toward the latter approach to help with the discussion focus.
Today was obviously a particularly overwhelming one with a full set of updates for both iOS 18- and iOS 17.6-related updates. And with visionOS now being in the mix this year, that's expanded things too.
Always interested in hearing how people feel about it, so appreciate your feedback and hope we can hear from some more members.
Today was obviously a particularly overwhelming one with a full set of updates for both iOS 18- and iOS 17.6-related updates. And with visionOS now being in the mix this year, that's expanded things too.
Always interested in hearing how people feel about it, so appreciate your feedback and hope we can hear from some more members.
I understand the need to keep things organized, and to prevent things getting muddied, but I feel I have an idea that will help visitors. My idea involves categorizing the releases/versions according to device groups:
* All macOS releases/candidates in one post (all versions, Sonoma, Sequoia, etc.)
* All iOS and iPadOS releases/candidates in one post (all versions, 17.x, 18.x)
* All visionOS and watchOS releases/candidates in one post (all versions)
* tvOS, AirPods and HomePods could go into a separate category?
The trick is to keep things organized and at the same time reduce scrolling as much as possible. Even if we put every release into one news post, and then have links within that post for each device, that would reduce scrolling and taps - tap on the news post and then tap on the link for the desired device to see information about the update.
When I view the MacRumors front page and see the first news post about a beta or candidate release, I just stop reading the front page and go to the forums because I know I’ll be scrolling for a while.
One aspect beyond keeping the discussion threads separately -- the betas don't always come out at the same time.
I pre-prepare the beta posts so that we can let people know when betas are available right away, and while the betas are almost always released together, it's not unheard of for one to come out and another to be delayed until another day.
That's not stopping me from doing a combo post that could be tweaked before we publish it, but it's one reason why we don't. It's always a work in progress. I'm mindful that some people don't love the way the beta posts are shared, so I do try to cut down on posts for the public betas and the less significant updates where appropriate.
I definitely could have comboed iOS 17.6 and its sister betas because these were not particularly interesting releases and there were no new features, so I do apologize for that one. I'll try to be more mindful with the smaller updates.
Double beta releases don't happen too often, luckily.
I pre-prepare the beta posts so that we can let people know when betas are available right away, and while the betas are almost always released together, it's not unheard of for one to come out and another to be delayed until another day.
That's not stopping me from doing a combo post that could be tweaked before we publish it, but it's one reason why we don't. It's always a work in progress. I'm mindful that some people don't love the way the beta posts are shared, so I do try to cut down on posts for the public betas and the less significant updates where appropriate.
I definitely could have comboed iOS 17.6 and its sister betas because these were not particularly interesting releases and there were no new features, so I do apologize for that one. I'll try to be more mindful with the smaller updates.
Double beta releases don't happen too often, luckily.
First of all, thank you for your service to MacRumors. Secondly, I never paid much attention to beta releases or their related news posts until just recently when I installed the iOS 18 beta on my two iPhones.. I had no idea that there are times when those releases could be staggered. It also probably doesn’t help that I send in news tips for topics that I see on other websites, I’m kind of throwing a wrench into the works, lol.
I think separate posts make the discussion more focused. Just my thought.
Is it practical to make a single front page article summarising all the releases, with separate forum threads for each individual "platform" (and a list of links at the bottom of the article)? This would declutter the front page while still keeping discussions separate.
I suspect a bit of scripting would need to be done to set up the threads so that it's not a manual process.
I suspect a bit of scripting would need to be done to set up the threads so that it's not a manual process.
100% agree. I am currently monitoring the macOS 14.6 and iOS 17.6 threads, since I am not interested in the "beta" releases for the fall yet. I definitely do not like the idea having to sort through that information if it was mixed together in one post. We already have too many people dropping into the iOS 17.6 threads saying "why bother, 18 works get for me". Thanks, but I was there to read about 17.6.