Milk and honey, strawberries and cream, sugar and spice, husband and wife, iOS 6 and iPhone 5. They all jive together and dance best when synergized, and the same can be said about iOS 6, Apple’s latest version of their highly successful mobile operating system. Of course, we did see a teaser of iOS 6 at WWDC earlier this year, where we are led by the nose to discover the wonders of tighter Facebook integration in addition to a spanking new map application that lessens the dependency on Google Maps, Passbook support, and “Do Not Disturb” to boot. Well, the iOS 6 is now official where it was spotted running on the newly minted iPhone 5. Check out what else there is about iOS 6 in the extended post.
The new Maps application was demonstrated with zooming capabilities, in addition to a search engine incorporated for you to check out local points of interest – all 100 million (and counting) of them. 3D buildings and super smooth transitions during navigation without interrupting voice directions makes the new Maps app a very compellling argument for sure.
The Safari web browser as well offered a full-screen view that is not too far removed from that of the desktop version. You are able to share your tabs that are already residing on your desktop to your iPhone 5 in iOS 6, courtesy of iCloud Tabs.
In terms of managing your email, life has also gotten easier. You are able to select several individuals as a VIP, and each time you receive an email from anyone on your VIP list, it will enter into a separate (and presumably VIP) inbox. Just a slightly smarter version of creating groups in your contacts, I guess.
As for the Passbook feature, Delta and Starwood Hotels have confirmed that they will be supporting it. Basically, we are going to see more and more electronic transactions down the road as more businesses and organizations support Passbook.
As for Photo Streams, well, the media hungry world these days seem to thrive more on photos and pictures than words, allowing you to share your photos in an easier and more painless manner than ever before.
Siri does seem to be enhanced to be “smarter” than ever before, and you are even able to post an update on Facebook simply by speaking to it. That’s it for iOS 6, the “most advanced operating system in any mobile device”, a statement that I am quite sure Microsoft as well as Google beg to differ.
iOS 6 will be released this September 19th for current compatible iOS devices, and Apple won’t charge you a cent for it as usual.