The latest iOS 6 beta holds a bit of a surprise: no built-in YouTube application. iOS 6 beta 4, released on Monday, is available as an update for registered iOS developers.

In a statement, Apple told Wired, "Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

YouTube has been a staple of the iOS homescreen since 2007. But since the rise of Android OS around 2010, Apple has been determined to wage "thermonuclear war" on Google, in the words of the late Steve Jobs. Eliminating Google products from its native OS is one way Apple can compete against its biggest mobile competitor.

In May, reports suggested that Apple was eliminating Google Maps as its default mapping service in iOS 6. Apple confirmed the news at its June WWDC keynote, and later that month, a Google executive confirmed Google was working on its own Google Maps iOS app.

And Google is making the same promise with YouTube. "We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users," a YouTube spokesperson told Wired.

Indeed, now that Google will have full control over both its Maps and YouTube apps through the App Store, perhaps we'll see new features, more frequent updates, and UI improvements. Having to download the apps from the App Store instead of seeing them pasted on the iOS home screen will be a minor nuisance, but nothing Earth-shattering. Apple could replace YouTube's spot with another iOS app (Passbook will be a new addition with iOS 6), or it could even replace it with another third-party video offering, and YouTube competitor, like Vimeo.

via The Verge