Screen grab by Don Reisinger/CNET

Oh, Apple, your humor is just too much to bear.

The iPhone maker yesterday released its iOS 6 Beta 4 changelog, listing a host of modifications to the software. Toward the bottom of the list was an item about YouTube, saying that embedded URLs from the video site will no longer work in the software. Apple pointed developers to a link for parameters on how its player should be used on mobile software.

But it wasn't that link that got all of the attention. After saying that embedded YouTube URLs won't work, Apple offered up one such link to provide an example. Upon clicking that link, developers were sent to none other than a video of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Apple isn't particularly well known for humor. The company has historically kept it serious while some of its competitors, like Google, have a bit more of a funnybone. It's odd, then, that Apple would want to Rickroll anyone.

Although I can give Apple some credit for trying to be funny, the company really needs to get the memo that Rickrolling died a (too) slow death years ago. It was 2008 that rickrolling was at its height, fooling unassuming patrons at sporting events and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and random Web users just minding their own business.

That Apple has pulled out Rickrolling in 2012 indicates one of two things: its comedic sense is a good four years behind the times, or it's trying to revive the Rickroll. For the good of humanity, let's hope it's the former.

Aside from Rickrolling developers, Apple also revealed yesterday that the native YouTube app will be dropped from iOS 6. That comes a couple of months after Apple announced that it would ditch the native Google Maps app, as well.

(Via The Verge)