iOS6: A Brief Overview

Posted on June 11th, 2012 by Sara

Apple Nerds: Commence your celebrations, for today the WWDC12 did not disappoint!

While the Apple Store was down, there were a few key (read: awesome) announcements going on. Not only did they discuss a slew of new laptop updates (which sucks for me because I just bought a brand new MacBook Pro 2 weeks ago…grumble), but the new iPhone features look amazing. Here are a few highlights:

Siri:

She did everything for you before, didn’t she? No? Well she sure does, now! Siri now can:

  • - Launch apps
  • - Tweet for you
  • - Pull in real-time sports scores (Roll Tide!)
  • - Integrate with Yelp and Open Table to let you leave reviews and make reservations on the fly
  • - Hands-free integration for in-car use
  • - Change your kid’s diaper (Just kidding. Wait til iOS10 for that.)


Facebook Integration:

  • - The same seamless in-app/web-browser/Siri tricks are still available.
  • - But here’s a HUGE one: the birthday calendar will now be able to synch with your phone’s iCal. Never ever again will you forget your 2nd grade girlfriend’s birthday.


Call You, Maybe:

  • - FaceTime, all the time! That’s right. Goodbye, Skype. Goodbye, Tango. We can now FaceTime from anywhere over 3G. (And 4G where applicable.)
  • - Here’s an interesting new integration into the phone system. You can choose to automatically reply with a text or iMessage, or set a reminder to call someone back later:
  • - This will either be the greatest addition to phone-call etiquette, or the worst. It may help in breeding more passive-aggressive “conversation” among the later generations.
  • - Do Not Disturb! FINALLY, there is an option to silence your phone while you’re sleeping so no texts or calls will vibrate on your bedside table and wake you up.


Maps!

  • - This one is a personal favorite. There will now be turn-by-turn navigation. Never again will you get pulled over because you ran a red light while looking at your map. Voice, of course, by Siri. Whew!
  • - Yelp will have a seamless integration with the new Apple Maps.
  • - There will also be crowd-sourced traffic updates, which could be either really helpful or really annoying, depending on how honest people are.


When can I get in on this?

  • - If you’re a developer, THIS AFTERNOON! The beta testing is about to roll out as I type.
  • - If you’re not, you’ve gotta wait til the fall like the rest of us plebeians.


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