iOS 6 to Land this Fall with 200+ New Features
Earlier this week Cupertino-based software developer Apple released a Beta version of iOS 6 to developers and touted the fact that the upcoming mobile operating system will have more than 200 new features.
Apple’s Senior VP of iOS Software, Scott Forstall, had the following to say about iOS 6:
“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device. We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.”
If you are a member if the iOS Developer Program you can get iOS 6 Beta right now and check out the new features. If you’re a regular user, you will have to wait until fall to get the operating system. Apple explained that iOS 6 will be released to the public this fall as a free software update.
iOS 6’s Main New Features
New Maps App
The operating system comes with a brand new Maps app. The graphics are smoother, there are new turn-by-turn guides with spoken directions as well as real-time traffic info, panning, tilting and zooming is more fluid, and there’s a new feature called Flyover that provides photo-realistic interactive 3D views.
Enhanced Siri
The virtual personal assistant provides support for more languages. Siri, which can be used on the iPhone 4S and on the new iPad and is optimized for use in 15 countries, supports the following languages on iOS 6: English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Siri comes with a new Eyes Free mode, which “takes hands-free functionality even further” as Apple explained. With Eyes Free mode you can interact with your device using only your voice.
Facebook Integration
Apple integrated the popular social network into iOS 6, just like it did with the upcoming Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion which is scheduled for a July release via the Mac App Store. Once you’re signed into your Facebook account, you can post from the Notification Center, you can use Siri to update your status, view Facebook events in your Calendar, like from the App Store, and more.
Shared Photo Streams via iCloud
iOS 6 users can easily share photos with friends and family by using Shared Photo Streams. Photos are shared via iCloud, which is used by more than 125 million people. To share photos you need only select the photos you want to share and select the friend or friends you want to share the images with. The Shared Photo Stream album will immediately become available on their iOS 6-powered devices, on their Macs via iPhoto and Aperture, and even on their Apple TV via the web. Photos in a shared album can be commented upon and liked.
Passbook App
Here’s Apple’s description of the new app:
“The new Passbook app is the simplest way to get all your passes in one place, such as boarding passes and baseball tickets. Passbook lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into your hotel. Passbook automatically displays your passes on your Lock Screen based on a specific time or location, so when you walk into your favorite coffee shop your loyalty card appears and you can scan it to buy a coffee or check your balance. Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport.”
Apple’s Senior VP of iOS Software, Scott Forstall, had the following to say about iOS 6:
“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device. We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.”
If you are a member if the iOS Developer Program you can get iOS 6 Beta right now and check out the new features. If you’re a regular user, you will have to wait until fall to get the operating system. Apple explained that iOS 6 will be released to the public this fall as a free software update.
iOS 6’s Main New Features
New Maps App
The operating system comes with a brand new Maps app. The graphics are smoother, there are new turn-by-turn guides with spoken directions as well as real-time traffic info, panning, tilting and zooming is more fluid, and there’s a new feature called Flyover that provides photo-realistic interactive 3D views.
Enhanced Siri
The virtual personal assistant provides support for more languages. Siri, which can be used on the iPhone 4S and on the new iPad and is optimized for use in 15 countries, supports the following languages on iOS 6: English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Siri comes with a new Eyes Free mode, which “takes hands-free functionality even further” as Apple explained. With Eyes Free mode you can interact with your device using only your voice.
Facebook Integration
Apple integrated the popular social network into iOS 6, just like it did with the upcoming Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion which is scheduled for a July release via the Mac App Store. Once you’re signed into your Facebook account, you can post from the Notification Center, you can use Siri to update your status, view Facebook events in your Calendar, like from the App Store, and more.
Shared Photo Streams via iCloud
iOS 6 users can easily share photos with friends and family by using Shared Photo Streams. Photos are shared via iCloud, which is used by more than 125 million people. To share photos you need only select the photos you want to share and select the friend or friends you want to share the images with. The Shared Photo Stream album will immediately become available on their iOS 6-powered devices, on their Macs via iPhoto and Aperture, and even on their Apple TV via the web. Photos in a shared album can be commented upon and liked.
Passbook App
Here’s Apple’s description of the new app:
“The new Passbook app is the simplest way to get all your passes in one place, such as boarding passes and baseball tickets. Passbook lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into your hotel. Passbook automatically displays your passes on your Lock Screen based on a specific time or location, so when you walk into your favorite coffee shop your loyalty card appears and you can scan it to buy a coffee or check your balance. Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport.”
