iOS 6 is coming. The next generation of Apple's operating system for mobile devices -- currently codenamed Sundance -- will be unveiled at annual Apple showcase WWDC in San Francisco on Monday evening, bringing a fistful of cool new features to your iPhone and iPad.
Apple is set to unveil its own map app, forge closer ties with Facebook, and bring your iPhone and iPad some of the features from desktop software Mountain Lion. The rumour mill is churning overtime -- so without further ado we bring you, in descending order of probability, the new stuff to look out for in iOS 6.
Apple Maps
Reports suggest Apple is about to ditch Google Maps for its own app. It's always been a bit weird that Apple relies on another company for such a fundamental service -- especially as the iOS version of Google Maps is limited compared to the Android version -- but it seems the time is right to reveal the iPhone and iPad's own map app.
Apple has both recruited map wonks and bought mapping companies such as C3, Placebase and Poly9. And it's also started using cartographical data from the OpenStreetMap foundation in existing apps.
We're hoping for turn-by-turn navigation for sat-nav thrills both on foot and in the car. Public transport and traffic information would be nice. We'd also like to download maps so we can still find our way when we're abroad or cut off from a data signal, as promised for Android this week. We're expecting swooshy-looking 3D landscapes too.
Fingers crossed for landscape maps on the iPhone an' all.
Facebook integration
iOS 5 brought with it Twitter integration -- the option to share photos or updates to Twitter from within Apple's own apps. Facebook is sure to follow, so you'll be able to sign in once, then share photos straight from the camera app, or send out other updates with one tap of a button.
Siri for iPad
Siri is currently only found on the iPhone 4S, but we expect to see it make its debut on the iPad. Although it won't have the phone functions, the sophisticated voice-controlled feature will let you search your phone and the web, control music and more just by flapping your gob.
Here's hoping local search will be added for the UK and Europe, but I'm not holding my breath.
Design
We're expecting a new look for the new iOS. To bring it more in line with Mountain Lion, the blue accents will be replaced by more silver.
Store redesigns
Apple's shopping services iTunes, the App Store, and the iBookstore are rumoured to be getting a new look. Apple recently acquired a company called Chomp that focuses on discovering apps, and although that may be too recent to impact on this launch, we'd love to see the dire discovery options given a good seeing-to.
Mail VIP filter
Another Mountain Lion feature is Mail VIP, which filters email from people you've named in your VIP list, helping you wade through spam to the important stuff.
Do Not Disturb
Sick of hearing that dingly-dongly notification noise but don't want to cut yourself off completely? A Do Not Disturb feature will stop new notifications but still let you receive important phone calls and texts, and use online apps.
Safari awesome bar
The Safari browser in Mountain Lion has one bar at the top instead of separate search and address bars, and Safari on your iPhone and iPad will now follow suit. Particularly handy on the smaller screen of the iPhone, so you can just blithely tap anywhere at the top of the screen and start typing.
iWallet
Mobile payments is the next big thing -- check out the Olympic version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 for example -- and Apple is rumoured to working on its own iWallet system. Unlike the S3 however, word on the street is that iWallet uses Bluetooth rather than NFC to talk to tills. Does this mean we won't see NFC in the iPhone 5?
Multiple users on your iPad
Your phone is your phone, but a tablet is much more likely to be shared by everyone in the house. With user accounts, you can make sure the politician in your household can play Fruit Ninja without worrying they'll leak your email, or you can hand over the iPad to the other half to check their Facebook without worrying they'll see which exes you've been stalking.
Live updating widgets
We're getting into wish-list territory here, but this is one way in which Android and Windows Phone clearly lead iOS. Android and Windows Phone both include live updates on the home screen, giving you an overview of your stuff without having to open each app.
Windows Phone shows numbers of calls and emails, photos of your contacts, last messages or updates from your favourite contacts, and more. Android goes even further, with cool widgets like weather apps that shows animated clouds cutting across the Sun and Moon. They make Apple's unchanging icons look static and dated.
Quick Wi-Fi on/off without having to open settings
Another Android feature I'd love to see on the iPhone and iPad is a quick toggle for Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi hoovers up battery juice like no other feature, so if you want your phone to last the day you're probably used to switching Wi-Fi on and off. Some Android phones come with an on/off toggle right there on the home screen, but Apple fans are stuck opening settings every. Damn. Time.
The new iPhone
Well, you never know, do you?
Release date
And finally, the big question: when are we going to get our hands on all this cool new stuff? No date has been confirmed just yet, but I reckon it comes down to the release date of the iPhone 5, or new iPhone or whatever it's called. That's currently rumoured for October.
iOS 5, the previous version of Apple's mobile software, was unveiled at WWDC this time last year, and didn't launch until October when the iPhone 4S went on sale. So it seems October could be a safe bet.
Armed with that information, it'll be interesting to see if Apple announces a release date for iOS 6 on Monday, knowing that to do so drops a blatant clue about a possible release date.
As always, stay tuned to CNET for the full details. We'll be bringing you the up-to-the-minute latest news and our first impressions from 7pm on Monday night. What do you want to see in iOS 6? What needs fixing on your iPhone or iPad, and what do Android and Windows Phone do better, if anything? Tell me your thoughts in the comments
No comments:
Post a Comment