Apple seeds iOS 7 golden master, tells developers to submit iOS 7 apps 'today'

Apple sent an e-mail today to developer requesting that they submit their iOS 7-compatible apps for review. And to download the latest version — almost certainly the shipping version — of its new mobile operating system.

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. Integrate APIs for AirDrop, multitasking, games, and camera, as well as new APIs that take advantage of the powerful new capabilities of iPhone 5s.

To prepare your apps for the App Store, download the GM seed of iOS 7 and Xcode 5, test, and optimize for iOS 7. Submit your apps today.

I’m in Apple’s developer program, and I’m currently seeking the golden master — along with hundreds of thousand and probably millions of other Apple early adopters. My iPhone 5 has been “checking for updates” for about 10 minutes now, as Apple’s servers are no doubt backlogged.

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Apple officially announced iOS 7 this morning, along with the new iPhone 5S and Apple’s cheaper iPhone 5C.

With the new 64-bit operating system — the first in a smartphone — iPhone 5C will be capable of much more processor- and graphics-intensive games and apps. And as is usually the case in gadgets, what the hardware engineer giveth, the software engineer taketh away.

New iOS 7 apps will be flatter, with less interface, sure. But the ones that really take advantage of the new iPhone’s extra grunt will likely be massive, intensive, and visually rich games.

And that will require a lot of developer work.

In every challenge, of course, lies opportunity, as Todd Anglin, an EVP with application development tools vendor Telerik, says:

“Consumers are likely to start looking for iOS 7 versions of their favorite apps, so a mini gold rush may occur as developers hope to ride the wave of interest in new iOS 7 ready apps. Some developers, who have for years been largely forced to give away iOS app updates for free, are using the major iOS 7 transition to introduce new versions of their apps that must be re-purchased. Their hope is that consumers familiar with the pre-iOS 7 version of their app will be willing to pay again for an updated iOS 7 variant.”