Apple Using the 'It's only a beta' Line for iOS7

Don’t bring it up next time you’re invited to a dinner party with all of the Apple AAPL high-ups but it looks like the company may be stealing a long-used PR move from its rival Google GOOG.

You know how it works. Google loves to call everything a beta. Even if it’s remained in its current form in widespread public use for years, Google will still run back to, “it’s only a beta” when it’s criticized.

Those “unnamed” sources that every rumor blog finds seem to be towing that line as criticism rolls in about the redesigned iOS7.

The Next Web is reporting that sources at Apple are calling the iOS7 released at the World Wide Developer’s Conference Monday a “mid-stride” release that is likely to change radically before final release in the fall.

In fact, the design of the new iconography is the piece of iOS7 that is most likely to change, according to the story. (What a coincidence, that’s the part receiving the most backlash.)

Apparently, a fragmented crew of marketers, graphic designers and techno geeks all contributed to the design of the icons. There was little communication and coordination between departments which led to what many are calling design inconsistencies.

The goal is to create a home screen that looks more youthful but critics have blasted the visual design as something straight out of That Seventies Show. The criticism is harsh and funny at the same time. Look at Jony Ive Redesigns Things on Tumblr for a visual compilation of the criticism (and a good laugh).

But let’s give Apple a little latitude. Nobody doubts that this is a huge design change and looking beyond the graphics for a minute, the features that everybody learned about on Monday have most iPhone enthusiasts raving. (Did anybody honestly think that the Android die-hards would have anything positive to say?)

Any creative endeavor where something is completely redesigned is going to push through numerous versions. The Next Web article pointed out that throughout the developer’s conference, presenters were using updated builds of the new OS that were different from the build presented on Monday.

The OS is in beta mode but the “we’re still working on it” line that Google loves to throw around isn’t normally the Apple way. Hopefully that means that it will listen to consumers and give some of those icons another try.

By the way, since “skeumorphic” appears to be the 2013 word of the year when talking about Apple, here’s what you’ll need to know in order to sound like an expert at parties.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker was long Apple.