Apple has pushed out the first beta of iOS 10.1 to developers about a week after releasing its new mobile operating system to the pubic. The new beta brings bug fixes and performance updates, according to the release notes. Registered developers can download it from the Apple Development Center. The Cupertino company plans to make the first beta of iOS 10.1 available to public beta testers.
Portrait will be exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus
According to the developer release notes, the iOS 10.1 beta includes a fix for motion handling. Developers will be able to gain access to barometric pressure data for the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4. But the most important feature of the iOS 10.1 is a new “Portrait” mode for the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. Apple had shown off the Portrait mode during the iPhone 7 launch event.
Portrait mode will be exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus because it sports the dual-lens camera that would make it possible to create a shallow depth of field portrait images with blurred backgrounds. Similar to high-end DSLRs, the Portrait mode in iPhone 7 Plus will create a shallow depth of field images with a front subject that stands out, while the background is blurred.
How the Portrait mode in iOS 10.1 beta works
An image signal processor in the iPhone 7 Plus scans the scene to recognize people in the image. It then creates a depth map of the scene using the wide-angle lens and telephoto lens to apply a “bokeh” to the background while keeping the people in focus. According to TechCrunch, the Portrait mode was developed using technology from LinX Imaging, which was acquired by Apple last year.
It’s still in beta, and Apple needs to work on a few things before the final version could be pushed out to users. Apple has said that you won’t be able to use Portrait mode all the time. It requires the right focusing distance and good lighting to work properly. The iOS 10 has been hailed as the “biggest release ever” for Apple’s mobile operating system. The Portrait mode will take it even higher.
