Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Everything you need to know about Apple's iOS 6

Apple's next iOS version packs quite the punch! Find out all the details.

Everything you need to know about Apple's iOS 6
At the Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 (WWDC) Apple announced iOS 6 — the next generation of iOS, the software that controls your iPhone and iPad. iOS allows you to run apps, talk to Siri, play music, check email, and do all the different things that the phone does right out of the box.

The newest version will be available for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (4th generation), iPad 2, and the new iPad. According to Apple there will be over 200 new features in iOS 6, from new ways to use Siri, to a new Maps app with built-in GPS turn-by-turn navigation, to an upgraded Phone app that allow you to deliver automated replies to phone calls.

Let's take a look at some of the more major changes.

Siri
mw 630 siri questionSiri will be coming to the new iPad with iOS 6, however you'll still need an iPhone 4S if you want to access Siri via your iPhone.

For sports fans, Siri will be able to tell you the score of your favorite sports team, as well as show you what their standing is in their league. In an example at WWDC, Siri was asked "What's the score of the last Giants game?" She replied, "The Giants were downed by the Ranges yesterday; the final score was 5 to 0."

Movie buffs will enjoy a new feature of Siri that shows you what movies are playing at a theater near you. You won't have to go far anymore and rummage through web pages to get to a movie listing, Siri will just do it all for you. And before you head off to the movies, if you want to find a good place to eat, Siri will use Yelp to help you find the perfect bistro.

Additionally, Siri will also now allow you to launch apps by just saying their name. It will also integrate with your car so you can just press a button on your steering wheel to activate Siri and talk to it: Apple calls this "eyes free" Siri.

Phone messages
ep 300px iphone4sYou'll be able to set up reply messages for incoming phone calls through the Phone app in iOS 6. Say you're in a meeting and your husband is calling. Instead of just ignoring the call, you can tap the "I'll call you later" button for a quick and painless reply. There are other default options such as "I'm on my way" and "What's up?" You can also set up custom messages.

Additionally, the Phone app will allow you to go into a "Do Not Disturb" mode, where incoming calls won't bother you with interruptions. The notifications will still appear on your phone if you have it on, but otherwise your iPhone won't light up the screen or make a sound. This is a great feature for those that want to catch a quick nap during the day, or head to bed for an uninterrupted evening of sleep.

Sometimes there's an emergency though, and you'll get called repeatedly from the same number. When this happens your iPhone will recognize it and ignore the "Do Not Disturb" setting. At that point the calls will be sent through like normal.

Maps
The Maps app is getting a complete refresh in iOS 6. Gone is the Google version of the app; instead Apple has taken everything on itself, building a new app from the ground up. The Maps app will cover the entire world, and include Apple's own cartography. It also includes over 100 million points of interest (for the entire world), and integrates with Yelp to provide you with more information.

The new Maps app will also feature turn-by-turn directions for easy GPS navigation, which includes integration with Siri. Current apps on the market already provide this, but they can be a bit pricey. Apple is now giving us this as part of the default apps in iOS 6.

With Flyover in the new Maps app you'll be able to get 3D photographic models of cities, just like you were flying over them in an airplane. This can help a lot when you want to know what something looks like in a major city before you travel to it, it can be great to have a heads up before hand.

Passbook
With Passbook you’ll be able to keep all your passes -- such as boarding passes, movie tickets, or Starbucks gift cards -- in one place. Right now there are a ton of different apps for these, but with Passbook they'll all be in a central location for you to easily (and quickly!) access them.

Facetime
Starting with iOS 6, Facetime will be enabled over cellular networks. You'll no longer need a wifi connection to use it. This is great for those folks that are on the go and want to chat face-to-face. Other smartphones have previously offered this, and it's great to see Apple enabling this feature on iOS 6.

Other upgrades
mw-630-new-ipad-630wApple has really beefed up its Facebook integration with iOS 6. You will now be able to post to Facebook from apps, and iOS will even begin pulling in events and birthday right from your Facebook account. They will now appear on your calendar, making sure that you never miss an important date.

With iOS 6 you'll have an easier time uploading photos to websites by providing the familiar Camera Roll when selecting pictures to upload. Once this gets integrated with Facebook and other apps, we should all be able to share our pictures taken on the iPhone much easier.

If you receive an important email, say from someone like your boss, you can have that email go directly to your lock screen, just like a text message. This can be done through iOS 6's new VIP email feature, which lets you flag certain senders as VIPs.

Let the waiting game begin!
Apple announced that iOS 6 is coming this fall, but that could mean anywhere from September through November, so we've got a bit of time before it gets here. For those people making apps, an early preview version of iOS 6 is available right now, but the rest of us will have to wait a bit to get our hands on all these new features.

1 comment:

  1. Such a useful content. With Passbook On iOS 6 simply no passes cannot be animated. On the other hand, they can be updated with new details, textual content, and pictures.

    ReplyDelete