Apple, per schedule, has released the latest update to its forthcoming iOS 6 – iOS 6 Beta 4. The new update has been released just three weeks after Beta 3 arrived. While the new update has arrived with a number of minor fixes, the attention is currently focused on Apple’s decision to scrap YouTube from the system’s included apps.
“Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store,” the official statement from Apple reads.
What this means is that for Apple to distribute YouTube as a bundled application, it needed to work out a licensing deal with Google. However, that license has just expired (for reasons unknown) and it appears that Apple won’t be renewing it.
Some dedicated tech sites believe that this action could be part of the company’s ongoing efforts to decrease its dependence on Google. Apple, earlier, decided to abandon Google’s imagery for the newest Maps.
However, Apple has also clarified that this is not entirely the end of the Google-made YouTube on iOS 6 and that Google is preparing a new YouTube app that will eventually be available in the App Store. When that comes, though, it won’t be a bundled app.
For now, Apple has suggested that iFans make use of Safari’s in-browser YouTube support. Interestingly though, Apple TV still appears to keep YouTube with this release. However, Apple could have a separate licensing deal in place for AppleTV. Whatever the deal is, the best guess is that it depends on the nature of the product.
Engadget approached a YouTube spokesperson on the current issue. The reply says: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.” That’s not much of an insight, is it? Stay tuned for more updates.
