iPhone Dev. Program: what happens when public release of XCode and IOS8 are available?

Question

I'm getting very interested in the new Swift programming language and I'd like to start coding some examples with it before XCode 6 becomes available to the public.. So I'm thinking to subscribe to the iPhone Developer Program and I have two questions:

1) If I install XCode 6 beta and I already have XCode 5, does it install over it or do I need to remove XCode 5 at first? When XCode 6 is released in the App Store, does it upgrade the XCode 6 beta or do I need to remove it before? I'm asking this to avoid messing up my OSX installation, which I use for work

2) If I install IOS 8 beta on my iPhone, do I loose my current settings/configuration/data? When IOS 8 is finally released to the public, will I risk to loose settings/configuration/data? I'm asking this because I do not have an IOS Device to use for the only purpose of developing software and I would install the IOS 8 beta on my primary phone.. I understand that it is beta and that I could have some problems, but at least I'd like to understand what may happen to my settings and data, to evaluate if it is better to buy an old iPhone 4s to develop software.

Thank you if you can help me with your own experience with the iPhone Developer Program or point out some links.

Answer 1

You can run Xcode 6 Beta along side Xcode 5. They will not interfere with each other. When Xcode 6 hits the app store, it will update your Xcode 5 install, and you will need to delete your Xcode 6 Beta manually.

You can install iOS 8 on your phone without losing data. Of course, make sure you back it up first though, because you may lose everything. It has happened. You shouldn't be installing betas on a primary phone, unless you're ok with not having a phone for some length of time if something breaks.

If you're looking for a test device, you're better off using an iPod touch 5th Gen, or an iPad mini. They're cheaper and don't need to be activated. Sometimes an old phone will lock itself until you activate it with a valid SIM card. Using an iPad mini as a test device lets you run iPhone and iPad apps so it's definitely more versatile.