Did Apple change the .mobileprovision file format, and how can I view the current format?

Question

I\'m finding many articles on the web where it is implied that you can view the .mobileprovision file contents in a text editor. For example, this Urban Airship post:

Answer 1

You are using a text-editor that is a bit too clever for you :D.

Your editor finds out that the file actually is binary and shows it as a hex-dump - for example Sublime 2 does it that way. Open that same file using TextEdit. You will see a couple of lines of binary garbledegock and then some plain-text (XML) that should contain the information you are looking for.

However, do not edit that file using TextEdit, that will render it unusable!