iOS 4.3 beta hints at social streaming features for iPhone and iPad

Photo Stream and Media Stream hint at new directions for Apple's iOS devices, but what will it mean for existing social apps?

The release of iOS 4.3's beta for developers is being eagerly picked over for clues about new features in Apple's iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The latest to break cover: Photo Stream and Media Stream.

More information is available about the former, as AppleInsider explains, referencing text that appears in the beta: "Photo Stream uploads and stores the last thirty days of your photos on MobileMe and downloads them to all of your devices."

It sounds like Flickr with additional cloud-syncing features. 9 to 5 Mac adds that Photo Stream users will be able to invite their friends to view their stream, bringing it more directly into competition with services like Instagram and Picplz (albeit without - for now - the filter feature seen in those apps).

Even more intriguing is a feature called Media Stream, which isn't as well documented in the iOS 4.3 beta. However, suggestions that it could offer similar functionality for videos and possibly even music would make such a service very interesting indeed.