iOS 10.3 beta already? Here are the rumored iPhone and iPad features

Apple is readying the iOS 10.3 beta update for January, according to a new leak that allegedly spills the beans on the new iPhone and iPad features.

The big highlight to Apple's next major software update is dubbed 'Theatre mode,' according to notable leaker Sonny Dickson on Twitter.

While Dickson doesn't go into much detail about the new mode, he does reveal that it includes a new popcorn-shaped Control Center icon.

That leads us to believe it's either a 'dark mode' for optimal video viewing (Apple did just launch a bright white TV app), or a new way to silence your phone when taking it into the movies.

The iOS 10.3 launch timing checks out

The iOS 10.3 beta release date, said to be January 10, comes on the heels of this month's final iOS 10.2 software launch.

But the timing isn't surprising for anyone keeping track. Last year, the iOS 9.3 beta arrived in January, too, and it debuted the popular Night Shift mode in successive beta updates.

We could be (and hopefully are) in for another mid-cycle game changer with 'Theater Mode,' should it be just as valuable as Night Shift in the end.

Even more exciting is the prospect that the final iOS 10.3 update could be timed to launch with a new iPad in March or April, just like the final iOS 9.3 update did with the iPad Pro 9.7. 

Anyone up for an iPad Pro 2 running iOS 10.3?

from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/ios-103-beta-already-here-are-the-rumored-iphone-and-ipad-features