Apple has announced the next version of its operating system for mobile devices, the iOS 6 at the annual WWDC 2012 event. iOS6 packs in around 200 new features for users to dream and play around. The new OS is currently available for developers and will be available to consumers within a few months usually at Apple announcement of the next iPhone. It will run on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and the new iPad, note that it will not run on the first generation iPad. Lets have a look at some of the exclusive features added to the iOS6.
Feature rich Siri with support to iPad’s
The artificial intelligence app Siri has become smarter and can now understand and answer a wider range of questions than before. It’s now available to the new iPad, note that it will not be available for older iPad’s.
- Siri now displays sports (Football, Golf,Cricket,Baseball, Basketballand more) information from Yahoo.
- Siri can now open apps on your mobile
- Better integration with review site Yelp
- Availability on the new ipad
- Easy to Tweet and post status update on Facebook through Siri
- Siri will be available in English, French, and German. Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese.
- Siri button on the steering wheel of car manufacturers Jaguars, Land Robers, BMWs, Mercs, Toyotas, Chryslers, Hondas, Audis and GM cars. The manufacturers have promised to support the feature in the next 12 months.
- Siri has partnered with Open Table to offer a tab to make reservations
Facebook fully baked into iOS6
As earlier Twitter integration with Apple iOS5, the new iOS6 has now fully integrated Facebook to it. Users can now post status update, easily share photos, location and app data with their friends.
- Facebook fully baked to iOS6 with one time singi-n
- Share status update and share photos, maps, iTunes links, and Game Center content.
- Better Facebook app’s recommendation
- Facebook Events, birthday are automatically added to Calendar
- Contacts, phone number sync with Facebook
Improved phone app
- improved phone app with smart reminders, for example it will remind users to call someone back if they hanged up or didn’t take a call.
- can now send message instead of taking call
- reminded to call someone back when user leave a certain location, like while on roaming
- Do Not Disturb mode
iOS 6 Maps, finally giving up Google Maps
Finally Apple has introduced its new Map app that’s has got some exclusive features and made in-house system, thus becoming independent to Google Maps.
- Turn-by-Turn directions feature with narrated by Siri
- Integrated with Yelp to bring 100 million local businesses to it
- 3D flyover mode of major cities
- Real time traffic feature using anonymous crowd-sourced data from iOS users.
- Siri Voice support built-in
Safari browser Sync
- Safari browser tabs can be synced between all of Apple devices.
- offline reading ability
- Works on OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6
- can now upload photos straight from Safari
iOS6 Photo Stream
With this new features users can now share photos with a selected numbers of people, instead of sharing everything with everyone, thus having better control over the content users share.
iOS 6 Mail has VIPs and adds pull to refresh
- Create a list of most important persons email’s under VIPs, whose messages will appear on device’s lock screen and in a dedicated mailbox.
- Can now share photos and videos from mail
- VIP list hooked into iCloud
- Pull to refresh mails
New Passbook app
- Passbook app features a place to store all your boarding passes, tickets, and coupons.
- Tickets will get update too, example your airline tickets would send you a notification once the departure gate was announced or if there any chnages
- Brands include Starbucks, Fandango, United, Amtrak, and Apple Store
iOS 6 Facetime over wireless
- Facetime is a video chatting app on Apple devices which was earlier limited to Wi-Fi, but with iOS 6 users finally be able to do it over mobile data networks mainly 3G and 4G.
- Unifying phone number and Apple ID for FaceTime
Guided access for children
Better child control comes to Apple devices, Guided Access enables users to disable certain parts of the screen so that children can’t accidentally hit the wrong buttons.