Apple’s plan to overhaul its App Store and iTunes Store was first rumored in February this year. Four months later, with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just around the corner, new updates surrounding the rumor are emerging. According to 9to5Mac, sources familiar with Apple’s upcoming iOS 6 allegedly told them that Apple’s three major digital stores – namely the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore – will be seeing design overhauls that are focused on improved interactivity when making purchases via the said stores. Albeit the news is interesting, 9to5Mac added that the new stores will not include improved discoverability on the backend.
If you can still remember, Apple bought a search company called Chomp this year, and we suspected that the move will enable the tech giant’s users to search easily through the numerous apps on the App Store. “While Apple plans to use the Chomp technology across their three digital stores, the implementation will not be ready in time for the iOS 6 launch,” 9to5Mac commented. So far, the details of the “major overhauling” rumored are dim. But we do have an idea that Facebook integration is possibly coming, as noted by Apple CEO Tim Cook at the D10 this week.
TechCrunch also reported today that they have learned from a source that Facebook integration will indeed be coming to the latest version of iOS, with both parties on the verge of signing the deal. However, we’d like to keep a neutral view above all these rumors. Until we can fully confirm that iOS 6 will arrive with redesigned digital stores and the nifty integration with Facebook, allow us to add a pinch of salt on these assumptions.