Apple takes it upon themselves a few times every year to whip up a storm of excitement among their feverish following of orchard dwellers. June 2012’s WWDC keynote was no different to any other year with Tim Cook launching the company’s new version of iOS – iOS 6. ‘GoogleKilla’ could easily be the name of Apple’s new and improved mobile operating system after they unveiled a feature that could disrupt the company for good.
Among the 200 or so improvements made by the Cupertino-based the firm there are modifications to everything from Siri to Mail, Face Time to Safari, and even a redesigned phone app. Here we give you the lowdown on the five improvements that will mean the most.
Maps
Apple has finally decided they’ve had enough of Google invading their phone space by using their very own mapping data to unveil this extremely valuable weapon in the mobile OS fight. Some might just see this as Apple continuing its fight to take over the world – they couldn’t be more wrong. Google will be hardest hit as more developers are likely to opt for an “Apple first, Android next” mindset or it could be even worse than that – they might just not bother with the platform at all. Built-in usually beats third-party hands down and who knows – this could be the start of the demise of Google Maps.
Improved Facebook Integration
It was first mentioned a couple of weeks back by Cook and now it’s happened. Facebook will be even more annoying than the ex-girlfriend that never leaves you alone…but…that’s a good thing. You’ll now be able to post photos straight from camera, add events to the calendar, and the best part – phone numbers from Facebook in your address book. I remember another OS who used to have that…
DO NOT DISTURB
As we mentioned earlier, Apple has revamped the phone on their latest OS. The app lets you set reminders when you need to call someone back, send messages instead of picking up calls and those aren’t even the best bits. Imagine all the times you’re out on a bender and don’t want the bird bothering you. That will now be outdated with the DO NOT DISTURB feature. You can even control which contacts can’t disturb and which can. Gives a new lease of life to the old “I was in a train in a tunnel” excuse now doesn’t it?
Siri’s New Swagger
I have to be honest and say that for someone with a very British accent Siri isn’t that good. The new version is promising to be a lot more understanding to a lot more people with the opportunity to Tweet using voice also built in. It features sports for the first time – courtesy of Yahoo! – and will launch apps if you ask it nicely enough. If you have one of the New iPads it will also be all over that like a bad smell and it could even come integrated with your new car if you own a BMW, Land Rover, Audi, Honda or many others.
New Features for China
Apple hasn’t missed the boat as far as Asia’s concerned and has made it easier for users in China to get along with iOS. Chinese internet services get upgrades as well as a new dictionary and language support. Safari gets Baidu integration and there will be the chance to share videos various Chinese sites.
The only bad news about iOS 6 is it isn’t going to be on your phone until the Autumn. Like its precursors it will be worth the wait and shake the smartphone market to its foundations once more.
