Elijah Ketchum
The last thing that Apple brought to WWDC 2012 was the unveiling of iOS 6. The new iteration of iOS will have over 200 new features, and a few of them are outlined below. iOS 6 will be coming to iPhone models from the 3GS and later, the 4th generation iPod Touch, and the 2nd and 3rd iPads generations. They have announced a new notification center with not only Twitter integration, but Facebook is coming along for the ride this time. You can now like everything from photos to apps in the App Store, and you can post things to Facebook in the same way that you could with Twitter in iOS 5.
They have also updated Siri to be able to do even more things and provide even more information. Siri can now launch apps, and Apple showed off a lot of new questions that Siri can answer such as sports statistics and turn-by-turn navigation right from Siri itself. Apple has also added a new app called Passbook that virtually transforms your iPhone into a gift card and event ticket wallet. You can now receive notifications of when you are near a store at which you have money to spend or when a boarding pass at an airport gets updated. Apple even released a template for third-party developers to implement their own services into Passbook. They have added a “Do Not Disturb” function to iPhone as well that allows you to shut off notifications and specify exactly what comes through and when. You can set a VIP list for email so you receive specific notifications from senders right to the lock screen. Facetime also be available over a cellular connection, which will revolutionize how much people use the service when they are out and about.
Apple has also kicked Google out their maps equation by launching their own maps complete with turn-by-turn navigation. This maps service will be crowd-sourced, and with the huge number of iOS users out there, this could definitely take the place of Google Maps without a problem. 3D maps are also available and looks extremely fluid and well-designed.
Apple is bringing a lot of new features to the table, and iOS 6 will hit iOS devices worldwide this Fall, likely with the launch of the next iPhone. We will be sure to keep you updated with any developer previews and information we receive.
