The sixth refresh of Apple’s
mobile OS has been one of the most anticipated event in the tech-world,
particularly in the Mac-lovers’ department. Whether it’ll be shipped in a new
device or will be seeded through various updates, tech-enthusiasts keep “all
eyes” on how the new software would revolutionize the way we accept these iDevices
in our everyday lives. Let’s all welcome the iOS 6, and its “changes” compared
to the previous iOS.
Maps
By the time Apple pulled the plug
of the Google Maps into its system for their brand new Maps service, it seems
like the Cupertino-based company drew a doubled-edge sword in a one-on-one
battle. It is but natural for all those iPhone fanatics who get used to the ‘best
mapping service’ to be apprehensive about the new proprietary mapping service
that Apple is currently offering. However, Apple gave it a few new tricks like turn-by-turn
navigation, the stunning 3D and Flyover views.
The Passbook
Apple is very steadfast about the
non-inclusion of the NFC technology that has flooded flagship android devices
since last year. However, Passbook is the answer to the possibility of your
mobile payment options. It serves as storage for your boarding passes, store
cards, etc. This app will be applicable only in US merchants as of this
moment. But by the looks of it, it’ll just be another unused app in our devices
– for now.
Facebook Integration
Facebook integration does exactly
what the name suggests. iOS 5 have been very generous for Twitter fanatics, now
it’s time for the most popular social networking site to have a system-wide
sharing in iOS 6. With this, sharing photos and
updating Facebook status is like breathing. You can also find Facebook share
button in the notification center along with Twitter's Tap-to-Tweet. But the most exciting part
is the syncing of your Facebook friends’ profile to your contacts.
Shared Photo Stream
Users can now share photos with
other iOS users through Shared Photo Stream; you can even drop your comments in
each photo and receive push notifications in these activities.
FaceTime now in 3G and 4G
iOS 5 limited FaceTime to just WiFi connectivity, but Apple has listened to the major cries of its user to
bring this proprietary video messaging service over 3G or 4G. However, you
should check with your carriers if they would add extra charges with FaceTime.
The all new Siri
Siri have been overrated in last
year’s iPhone 4S campaign – promises so much but fails to deliver in most
points. But Apple has better things ahead of this uber-popular voice assistant.
With iOS 6, Siri could now open third party apps. It could deliver sports results
instantaneously – that if your league is supported in its system. Siri could
also make reservations at restaurants through Open Table, and it could also
help you with queries regarding movies. As expected, Siri is now a native of
the third generation iPad. Likewise, you can even ask Siri to tweet for you or
even post a status message over Facebook.
Email App
The new email app can now let you
flag contacts as VIPs. This means that emails from those contacts will be on
high priority - like auto-tagging them with stars and will be placed in a
specialized inbox. The pull-to-refresh feature has been tweaked in an iOS-kind
of way…finally.
Camera
Camera app is the same thing as
the iOS 5 camera. However, an overdue Panorama feature is now present along
with HDR and GRID. Taking Panorama stills are much easier with iOS 6, all you
have to do is activate the feature and swipe you iPhone in the scene – iOS 6
will do the rest.
App Store and iTunes Store
New layout of the App Store and
iTunes Store has never been this sophisticated, the new layout has a card-style interface. Navigation is
breezy and searching apps is like a walk in the park.
Do Not Disturb
The Do Not Disturb mode let users
set their iDevices to be still and tame in between specified periods of time.
However, persistent calls from contacts will pass through a specified number of
attempts or from those VIP-flagged contacts.
Phone App and Music App
Aside from the noticeable silvery-white
keypad in the phone app, you can also observe options like replying with a message
for rejected calls which you can configure beforehand.
Music app diverts to an iTune-ish
theme with black and white colors.
Better Safari Browser
One of the most sought-after
update in iOS 6 is from Safari wherein you can now sync opened tabs across
devices. That means whatever article you’re reading on you iPad, could also be
read in your other iDevices. Or if you stumble upon an article and haven’t
finished reading it on your Mac, you could always finish it on your mobile
devices such as iPhone and iPad.
You can also have the “Add to
Reading List” option for you to save articles and read it offline. Remember Instapaper?
Plus the full screen mode is a welcome feature.
Other Features
The Guided Access is a great feature
for those who have vision, hearing, learning and mobility disabilities. This
allows you to deactivate certain hardware controls or concentrate controls on a
specified area on screen. You can use this to prevent kids or students to leave
a particular app.
YouTube app has been dropped out
of the native iOS app. However, the Google-released YouTube app for iOS is way
much better.
Weather App for iPhone and iPad
has also been tweaked and appears to be better that the previous. To my
delight, you can now set a song “to wake up to” from your music files. Check out the table below for the available features with respect to your iDevices once the iOS 6 has been updated.
The Wrap
iOS 6, whether you like it or
not, is the most advanced Apple mobile OS to date. It may disappoint in some aspect
but you would always welcome the new iOS advancement. They way you see this
iteration depends on how you use your device. And to some or probably most of
the iOS fans, it’s still a flagged event in the iOS timeline.
iPhone
|
iPad
|
iPod touch
|
||||||
iOS 6 feature
|
3GS
|
4
|
4S
|
5
|
2nd Gen
|
3rd Gen
|
4th Gen
|
|
Maps: Flyover
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
||||
Maps: Turn-by-turn
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
||||
Siri
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|||||
Facebook integration
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Shared Photo Streams
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Passbook
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|||
Camera: Panorama
|
✓
|
✓
|
||||||
Camera: Snap stills while recording
|
✓
|
|||||||
FaceTime over cellular
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|||||
Phone: Reply/Remind
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
||||
Do Not Disturb
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Mail VIPs
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Safari: Full screen view
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|||
Safari: Offline reading list
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|||
Guided Access
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
