In addition , deal of Io ’s features have been updated and refined , and user interface rule have been tweaked across the intact OS . Apple has also put an emphasis on rolling out sure features to both its mobile and desktop operating systems — Facebook desegregation , Mail VIPs , and so on — ushering in a new scheme of giving the two platforms parity when it makes gumption to do so .
Five age after its unveiling , iOS was already a mature operating arrangement , a stable foundation upon which to build . With all that Apple had already tote up to it , you might have question what was next for the nomadic operating system . As it turns out , there ’s plenty .
Off the map
Every iOS release has its marquee feature , and with iOS 6 it ’s in spades Maps . The app has gotten a in - depth makeover , perhaps the most thorough ever to be go for to one of iOS ’s built - in software .
What ’s newThe give in - to - grim overhaul set forth deeply under the thug , where Apple has replaced the single-valued function locomotive engine that in every previous adaptation of iOS was provide by Google . In its place , Apple has roll its own solution , bear out by mapping information from GPS maker Tom Tom , OpenStreetMap , and a cast of thousands .
As you might anticipate , such an all - encompassing update means new features , the disappearance of old ones , and sight of changes in the mode thing have been done to date .
The first affair that catches the eye when you found the Modern and revamped app is that the map itself is front - and - center : On the iPhone , Apple has trim back the amount of chrome around the edge of the interface . The result is a minimalist interface that leaves much more room for the map itself . You ’ll encounter only a search box seat at the top , flanked by a pair of buttons ; another pair of floating buttons in the bottom left niche for locate yourself and activating 3D mode ; and the familiar pageboy - curl at the bottom right wing . There ’s also , for the first time on the iPhone , a welcome landscape painting preference option .
On the iPad , the app more closely resemble its predecessor , with a mates of shifts in the interface .
Due to those changes , using the new Maps may take some getting used to . For exemplar , you no longer have to prefer between Search and Direction modes . In either case , you just get in the fix or name and address in the search box ; once you ’ve located it , you may get a path by tap the Directions button .
verbalize of search , Maps now offers suggestions for your lookup footing . I found this to be attain - or - miss ; sometimes the localisation I was look for was right at the top , but other meter Maps did n’t seem to understand what I was looking for at all . A search for the Eiffel Tower right located it in France , but research for Notre Dame while looking at a Paris map tried to post me to South Bend , Indiana . Much of this can belike be attributed to the Apple ’s points of pursuit database , which does n’t yet seem to have as much depth as Google ’s did .
Apple has at least provided a way to indicate when something is incorrect : purloin the Sir Frederick Handley Page curl and then tap the small Report A Problem link above the Print clitoris ; the subsequent contour provides a sort of different fashion to counterbalance the number selective information .
Many of Maps ’s features stay the same as ever . Bookmarks still give you approach to recent searches , touch , and places you ’ve specifically marked . configurations are still hide behind the page curl , which you could tapdance or swipe to open ; there you ’ll find the option to switch between standard , satellite , and intercrossed maps — the option for Terrain maps on the iPad has pass off into the sunset — as well as a push button to drop a peg ( which you could also do by tapdance and holding on the map ) and another to show dealings , which Maps still displays by overlaying red , yellow , and immature seam over path .
That traffic information does have some improvement , though : mathematical function can now display road work alert , as well as accidents , pulled from local transportation departments . Those details will generally countenance you know what exactly is happening — road work , a unopen wild leek , an accident — along with when the alert began , and when it was last updated .
Apple claims the entropy is substantial - time , and according to a statement from the company in 2011 , it ’s been collecting anonymized traffic data point in ordering to build a crowd - sourced dealings database . In addition , directions are supposed to admit traffic atmospheric condition when leave you with an ETA , and Apple said that directions can be optionally rerouted around traffic , but that was one feature I have n’t yet see in natural process in my test .
FlyoversAnother feature that light by the roadside in iOS 6 is Street View . Google spend a lot of muscularity collecting street - spirit level imagery of the United States , with a fleet of camera - bear railroad car . Apple , on the other hired hand , has played its one - up card by engage an armada of small-scale planes and chopper to capture aerial imagery for a feature it call Flyovers .
Flyovers is definitely Maps ’ most eye - catch unexampled feature . And what it lacks in practicality , it makes up for in gee - whiz . When you ’re viewing orbiter maps , tap the 3D button at the bottom provide ( sometimes indicated with a word picture of construction ) or purloin up with two fingers , and you ’ll get a whole new proportion of function . you’re able to tear apart around with one fingerbreadth , change perspective with two , and even rotate the single-valued function around a central bloc by using a two - finger’s breadth rotate motion ( like turning a dial ) . If you need to jump back to the standard “ due north is up ” substitution class , you’re able to always tap the compass that look in the top right nook when you revolve .
The 3D pictures are impressive , though they are so far useable almost exclusively in big city ; even there , get out into the burbs and you start to see only flat , squashed building . The images also render fairly slowly , at least in my experience on the latest - generation iPad or iPhone 4S. One of my preferred hidden picayune features : Zoom out far enough in the satellite view , and you ’ll eventually end up with a globe that you’re able to gyrate around .
The 3D imagery also shows up in the traditional maps , too , with sketched wireframes of the construction , which is also somewhat cool — especially when you watch them rise out of the ground like stepping stones . ( In some places , though , I find the wireframe buildings occasionally to be less than accurate in pattern . ) In 2D mood , you ’ll in reality see the outlines of buildings shaded on the maps . They ’re surprisingly serious — I could name my sign just by the abstract .
Even better , you ’ll get little icon that identify business , eat on establishment , schools , and other points of interest . Tapping on these bring up an address , contact selective information , and even Yelp review article and photos where available ; for more information , you could jump out to the Yelp app , if you ’ve get it put in . Google Maps on the Web has offered features like this for some time , but they never made their fashion to the iOS app . While such features might be old chapeau to those who already use the Yelp app , there are likely plenty of converts still to be made by virtue of the integrating with Maps .
When it comes to the maps themselves , it ’s hard to overstate just how beautiful and responsive they are . Apple uses a vector - establish system for draw the images rather than Google ’s bitmap and , on the latest computer hardware at least , they much fly . Zooming , panning , and rotating are all most instantaneous . Street names appear and vanish at appropriate spirit level of rapid climb , so you ’re not bludgeon by piles of unneeded information , and they rotate along with the map . Neighborhoods and regions are well marked , and even Park and bodies of water take on a more attractive look . you could also adjust the size of the label to be small or larger , and dictate whether they ’re always express in English or in the aboriginal language of the locating you ’re viewing .
That said , maps in some locale do not always perfectly reflect the environs . On a trip-up to some of the further reaches of Canada , for example , I find disparities between the geographies of the old and fresh Maps in terms of the shape of sealed land mass . But in my experience , it was more of an aesthetical departure than anything else .
Turn - by - turn directionsBrowsing single-valued function is fine , but iOS 6 ’s biggest young featureinsideits biggest fresh feature is the long - wait accession of turn - by - turning directions . It ’s a feature that Google has been offer to Android phone for a while , and its inclusion in iOS 6 marks an endeavor to deflect yet another stand - alone electronics gimmick — in this casing , the GPS social unit . But does it succeed ?
Using the twist - by - routine direction feature is easy at least , and you have a couple of unlike options . In the Maps app , you’re able to seek for a name and address and then press the Directions button ( a right - slant arrow ) ; you ’ll be move to prefer your starting point — by default your current location — and a case of direction : car , walking , or public transferral ( more on the last in a moment ) . Tap Route and you ’ll get an overview of the directions .
you may also , as with previous versions of Maps , bug the direction To Here or direction From Here button when regard information about a location . Even quicker than that is to tip the green Quick Route clitoris that show up next to the fix ’s name on the single-valued function . And , of class , you could also ask Siri ( iOS ’s practical help ) to give you directions to a location .
In any of these scenarios , you ’ll be grant an overview of your itinerary , in some typesetter’s case including pick for multiple routes , as usher in in iOS 5 . mapping will give you aloofness and traveling times for each route .
Once you ’ve started the directions , you ’ll zoom in on your current location , represented with a juicy circle and an pointer in it . The current direction will be give with a large route - preindication - style dialog box at the top , along with an image indicating what action you require to take , if any . Siri will speak any counseling aloud ; if you ’re playing euphony or other audio frequency , it will fade out slightly while Siri tell apart you what to do , and then fade back in .
As you retain , your locating will update and you ’ll be prompted with subsequent instruction ; just like in early edition of Maps , a depressed line will show you the road you ’re taking .
At any time , you’re able to tap the filmdom to get an ETA , along with the space and meter . Two button let you either terminate the directions or return to the overview modality , and you may vellicate the map to zoom out and back in a small increase . Other than that , you ca n’t do anything else in the Maps app while charge are being collapse . However , you could use other apps at the same time : In that case , you ’ll see a dreary - green bar at the top that say “ Tap to return to Navigation ” ; whenever a turn is imminent , a standard alert will appear with the entropy about the coming direction and Siri will talk the instruction loud .
If you lock your phone while in seafaring mode , Siri will go on to give directions and you ’ll be able-bodied to see your current location and any other upcoming counsel data on the curl screen .
There are a lot of nice touches to seafaring mode . For example , I wish the float sign of the zodiac that describe nearby street , and the fact that the street you ’re going to actually twist onto are marked in gamy rather than in green . The instructions to make go and such are generally large and easy to read , which is good , since you do n’t want to expend clock time squint at tiny schoolbook while you ’re driving .
The directions themselves are a assorted suitcase . I endure out of doors of Boston , which is a notoriously hard metropolis to map out ; it ’s the rare intersection that has more than one 90 - grade slant in it . It ’s also a city with a lot of left and perplexing streets , spate of one - ways , and crazy intersection . If London cabdriver are required to prove that they have “ the noesis ” before becoming formally licensed , let ’s just say that many Boston residents have something we could dub “ the make out - how . ” Maps does sanely well in my city , with logically straightforward routes — but many of them are 1 I would n’t take .
That said , the primary purpose of a navigation gimmick — for me and , I ’m sure , many of you — is to direct you when youdon’tknow which way you should go . In that sense , iOS 6 ’s bend - by - act guidance are loosely sufficient — but it probably would n’t hurt to have some other maps on hand , just in case .
For what it ’s deserving , you could still get the old - fashioned step - by - step style of directions , with this ready to hand little trick : When you ask for directions , insert something other than your current localisation in the starting positioning field . ( It can even be your current reference — just do n’t expend the current location . ) You ’ll get the same street - sign - style directions , but you could sneak through them , and Maps will show you were your spell are .
Walking directions use that same step - by - footprint style rather than turn - by - turn ; other than the styling , you wo n’t find much remainder from iOS 5 ’s version of Maps .
transportation system directions , however , are a whole fresh ballgame , as Google plainly produce the public transport database in the divorce . Instead of include built - in transportation directions , Apple has added an API to permit third - party developer accept transportation system - instruction start and end points .
So , while there ’s still a toggle push for transit counseling while you ’re on the Directions CRT screen , choose it and rap Route will create a novel screen door labeled Routing Apps . There are two separate listings on that screen : the first shows you any apps presently set up on your machine that can cover the specified directions along with a Route push ; the 2d show you apps usable on the App Store that can do so .
While routing worked fine in the only app I had available to test , Embark iBART , it wo n’t give you the precise same experience as you had under iOS 5 . For case , Embark iBART provide me with a timetable of which trains I could view , but it would n’t tell me how far I would have to walk from my current destination to make it to the train station , nor would it recite me how far I ’d have to take the air from the terminus blockade to my last goal .
This is an singular root for Apple , which unremarkably pride itself on providing a ordered experience . But I suspect that care public passage directions simply was n’t an option for Apple at this point , and if it came down to offering a third - company experience versus no feature at all , Apple opted to not leave its user totally high - and - dry . Speaking from my own experience , I ’d long switch over to a third - party app specifically for public transit in my local city , so I ’m not sure how much Maps ’s alteration will affect me .
I ’m certain that Apple ’s mathematical function will only improve from here ; for a society ’s first raid into a hotly contested and complicated field , iOS 6 ’s maps and twist - by - turning directions are unmistakably good .
That voice like a lot of making , so let ’s revisit our early question : Does iOS succeed in replacing your stick out - alone GPS equipment ?
In a give-and-take : Maybe . In two words : Sort of . If you already have a stand - alone Global Positioning System unit or an Io GPS app that you really wish , I ’m not going to tell you to throw it out or banish it from your twist . But neither am I go to assure you to go out and bribe a GPS machine because iOS 6 just does n’t swerve the leaf mustard .
Talk to me
Siri was the marquee feature of the iPhone 4S , and while the voice - activated virtual assistant technically remains in beta , in iOS 6 it debuts on the latest - generation iPad ; later this fall , it ’ll issue forth to the 5th - generation iPod touch . In addition to all its old tricks , Siri pick up a few new capabilities in iOS 6 . Apple , in especial , has been focalise aid on three areas : athletics , movies , and restaurants .
SportsIf you ’re the kind of person who always needs to be plug into the latest sport scores , you in all probability have plenty of apps on your iOS twist already . But now those answers are just a question off : you may ask Siri who won last night ’s game , what the score is for tonight ’s match-up , when the next game is coming up , or the current standings .
Siri knows about players , too . So if you ’re inquire whether Derek Jeter or David Ortiz has more domicile run this time of year , Siri can secernate you . It can also severalise you who has the highest batting average in the league , as well as a variety of other stats , including elevation and long time . These stats are for just the current time of year ; if you ’re look for all - prison term leaders , you ’re sound off consulting Wolfram Alpha .
you could also involve Siri about football game , basketball , hockey , and a variety of association football leagues , including the MLS and the English Premier League . While Siri does n’t know anything about other sport , it was in my experience at least capable to name golf , tennis , and rugby as sports and justify for not having more information .
MoviesIf movies are more your cup of tea , Siri can cover that as well . enquire for movies play near you , and you ’ll get a list include ratings from Rotten Tomatoes . ( you may also postulate for movie theaters nearby ; tap any one of those , and you ’ll get a list of what ’s showing . In my testing , showtimes for several of the theaters seemed to be uncompleted . )
Tapping on any movie will give you the Rotten Tomatoes and MPAA ratings and the option to view the poke by tapping on the movie poster . Showtimes are listed at the bottom ; tap on them shows you which theaters are playing the film . You ca n’t buy tickets via Siri ’s interface , though ; for that you ’ll still need to leap out to an app or site .
Siri ’s more knowledgable about picture account than about sports . call for it who won best actor in 1963 , and back comes “ Gregory Peck ” and selective information aboutTo Kill a Mockingbird . require to figure out which picture show star actors who had elsewhere portrayed Ghandi and Bob Woodward , and you ’ll get the 1992 masterpieceSneakers . Sadly , though , Siri ca n’t tell youMark Hamill ’s Bacon number .
RestaurantsRestaurant selective information is probably Siri ’s best new lineament . iOS 6 has meliorate the local hunting options that debuted in iOS 5 , thanks to tight integration with Yelp . require “ What ’s the better place for dinner around here ? ” and Siri will provide you with a list restaurants near your placement , assort by rating . Each listing also includes the type of culinary art , the reference , the distance , and how expensive it is .
good of all , if the restaurant uses theOpenTable reservation divine service , you’re able to knock a button to make reservations or even have Siri do it . “ Make me a qualification for two at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at Ruth ’s Chris ” pop up a control panel telling you whether or not table are uncommitted at your chosen prison term . It even offers you the alternative to stir that time in one direction or the other . Tap Make mental reservation , and the OpenTable app launches ( if it ’s installed on your sound ) ; if not , you ’ll be prompted to download it . Of all Siri ’s characteristic , this is the one that strike me as the most futuristic : I just tell my automaton assistant to make me dinner party reservations — and it did .
Other improvementsBeyond those Modern features , there are a good number of other tasks that Siri can accomplish in iOS 6 . For exercise , you’re able to now launch an app just by asking Siri to do so . Want to post a tweet or revise your status on Facebook ? Siri can handle that as well , if you ’ve set up your social networking chronicle in options .
In general , Siri handles sure thing a little better now than it did previously . For model , it ’s now possible to change the school text for a monitor while you ’re creating it , and send someone a content via Siri is a little more streamlined .
Siristill has plenty of defect , however . The virtual supporter still ca n’t interpret your e-mail to you , or change your setting ( though it will recognize commands to rick on Airplane Mode or Bluetooth ) , and trying to edit an email substance or iMessage you ’ve frame via Siri is liable to induce hair - tearing for anything but the forgetful messages . And much as I would like to be able to offer an view on Siri ’s Eyes Free mood , it ’s amazingly difficult to get a BMW test unit .
Perhaps my pet new feature in Siri is one of the simple : you could control where the audio output of iOS ’s practical help go . When there ’s more than one selection — say , for lesson , that you ’re in your car , with its fancy Bluetooth stereo — a button appears that allows you to route Siri ’s voice to either the iPhone ’s speakers or your car ’s , thereby solving a job that has likely had plenty of us swearing at our phones .
Still , I ’m hearten by the fact that Apple has n’t ditched Siri by the roadside , despite the grief the feature film has hold in some places . This is one of those technologies that has the potentiality to redefine how we interact with our electronic twist , but it ’s not going to jump forth fully formed ; it ’s a slow , gradual physical process that wo n’t seem revolutionary until we look back at how far we ’ve come .
Even if iOS 6 does n’t perfect the practical helper , I look frontward to seeing what Siri masters next .
Passing on Passbook
I ’d eff to assure you that Passbook is another one of those revolutionary engineering I just mentioned — heck , I ’d make love to secern youanythingabout Passbook . But alas , as I spell this the app remains an conundrum . I ’ve been unable to locate an app or business that is actively postulate advantage of the app , so all I know is what Apple has told us : The goal of Passbook is to collect all those disparate add-in and ticket you carry around into a single , central location .
So your movie ticket , concert ticket , skylark event tag , boarding passes , coupons , stash away value card , and so on , will all live in Passbook . When you maneuver into the relevant establishment or localisation , you may pull out Passbook and display the right card , sodding with a scannable barcode . pass can even be time or location based , pop up a telling on your lock screen at the appropriate moment .
It ’s a great idea , and I have vision of how it could evolve : Imagine purchase movie tickets via Siri and having them automatically show up in Passbook . But while itsoundsnifty , we ’re going to have to see how this feature film fares in the genuine existence and , most importantly , how many other companies decide to support it .
Call me, call me
It ’s elusive to remember at time that the iPhone is , in fact , a phone ; I must squeal that it ’s one of the features I utilize the least . The Phone app gets a few minor enhancements in iOS 6 , one of which is purely cosmetic : The Keypad section is now a whitish - silvery color rather of dark blue . It probably wo n’t sham your exercise much .
The other new characteristic is considerably more interesting . We ’ve all get a call at an inopportune moment — while we ’re in a meeting , for example , or in some other public space where we do n’t want to chat . It ’s long been a bare matter to damp the call or send it directly to voicemail , but we ’ve also all plausibly had that instant where we actualise an minute later that we ’ve leave to really return a call .
iOS 6 add two options , both of which are hidden under a little phone icon that appears next to the Slide To Answer prompt when you receive a call : Reply With Message and Remind Me Later . you’re able to break them by hook up , as with the Camera lock screen icon .
Tapping the first option lets you ship back one of three boilerplate schoolbook subject matter , each prefix with “ Ca n’t talk flop now . ” By default , those include “ I ’ll call you later , ” “ I ’m on my fashion , ” and “ What ’s up ? ” However , you could edit any or all of those in preferences - > sound - > Reply With Message ( although your custom messages willstillbe preceded by “ Ca n’t speak properly now . ” ) .
The 2d option lets you automatically set a reminder to call the person back ; you’re able to choose from “ In 1 hour , ” “ When I result , ” “ When I get place , ” or “ When I get to work . ” ( The last three , obviously , use geofences to determine your location ; the last two will show up only if you have a corresponding savoir-faire enter in Contacts . ) In each guinea pig , iOS will bestow an entry to the Reminders app “ Call back contactname . ” Even handier , that entry is actually a link — tap it and a Call dialogue corner pops up , prefilled with your contact ’s telephone number .
It ’s an unexpected but welcome advance — who call up the telephone set could still be improved on after all these days ?
FaceTime over cellularAs long as we ’re on the field of study of calling , there are a couple of other related improvement in iOS 6 . FaceTime phone call can now be conducted over the cellular electronic web — however , there ’s a big asterisk on that : It depends on your flattop .
WhileVerizon and Sprint are placing no restrictions on FaceTime calling over cellular , AT&T has said that it will allow for only user of its Shared Data plans to use the feature film . It ’s a conclusion that has provoked a just amount of anger from substance abuser who do n’t want to change their plans , but AT&T looks like defend fast to that decision .
Given that I ’m an AT&T customer , it makes seek out FaceTime over cellular a fiddling tricky . However , thanks to a friend with a Verizon iPhone , I was at least able to see it in action . The finding of fact ? It search a lot like FaceTime over Wi - Fi . The only appreciable difference I could see was a scrap more lag before my conversation married person on the other final stage responded — kind of like verbalise to the astronauts on the space station — which occasionally had us speaking over each other . But I ca n’t say for sure whether that was a function of the cellular web or that special connection .
If your data point architectural plan allow FaceTime over cellular , you may enable it by going to preferences - > FaceTime , and tapping the Use Cellular Data switch at the bottom .
Apple has also slimly improved the port for heel which plow you could be strive at for FaceTime chats . It now syncs between your devices , so you do n’t have to reenter all your various email address and speech sound numbers racket . In theory , no matter which machine you ’re using , FaceTime call should be able to reach you at any of your email addresses or headphone numbers pool . ( Apple ’s done something similar with iMessage in iOS 6 , for more on which see below . )
Do Not DisturbIt ’s not specifically a phone - relate lineament , but iOS 6 ’s fresh Do Not Disturb feature film can avail prevent you from getting vex by undesirable phone calls while you ’re catching some shut - eye . The feature , which can be trigger off at the top level of configurations , lets you temporarily mute all notifications , include phone call . When this setting is active , alerts will not sound and your screen wo n’t even light up .
There are a few exceptions , which you may configure under options - > Notifications - > Do Not vex . For example , you may choose to provide margin call from a specific group of your Contacts , or your Phone Favorites . ( “ Everyone ” and “ No One ” are also option , if you ’re feeling more or less permissive . ) If you ’re worried about not being reachable in cause of an emergency , you’re able to also enable a Repeated Calls characteristic — if someone call in you twice within three proceedings , the 2nd call will come through usually . Hopefully , the robocallers wo n’t start programming their auto to take this into account , but I would n’t wager on it .
The best feature film for Do Not upset , however , is the power to schedule it . Tap the schedule switch to enable it , and you could set up times at which Do Not Disturb is mechanically spark and inactivate — for case , midnight through 8:30 a.m. regrettably , the schedule is one - 24-hour interval - fits - all , so if you want a different time window for your weekend vs. your weekdays , you ’re out of luck .
It ’s deserving note that your notifications are not recede when your phone is in Do Not shake up mode — they just accumulate silently , much like paperwork on your desk . you may still see them in Notification Center .
Priority mail
chain armour is probably the most oft updated iOS app — no major exit of iOS comes without some sorting of alteration to the app . In iOS 6 , however , it come along to have fairly few change compared to previous version .
VIPsThe most prominent alteration in Mail is the addition of the dignitary feature that arrived with Mountain Lion . There are sure folk that you always desire to see emails from , and VIP let you delimit them . To add someone to your very important person , tap the dismal arrow next to the VIP letter box that shows up in the principal screen of Mail , then tap Add VIP ; you ’ll be prompted to choose a touch . ( you’re able to remove them by sneak one and tap Delete or by tapping Edit and choke through the delete - on-off switch - tap - Delete dance . )
Once you ’ve designated someone a VIP , you ’ll see a down in the mouth star appear next any new messages from them ; once you ’ve read the message , that down in the mouth star will turn into a empty gray one . Note that you do n’t need to particularise a specific electronic mail address for the VIP ; any computer address that ’s in the Contacts debut for your high muckamuck will be so flagged . Also , thanks to iCloud , your VIPs are synchronize among all your devices pass either iOS 6 or Mountain Lion , so you only need to mark someone as a high muckamuck once .
VIP message have two other special behaviors : First , they ’re all roll up into a VIP voguish postbox at the top level of Mail . secondly , you’re able to set up Notifications for Mail that triggeronlyfor VIPs . you’re able to configure those VIP - specific notice in preferences - > Notifications - > chain mail - > VIP . ( There ’s also a shortcut from the cover where you edit your high muckamuck . ) As with any other app , you’re able to choose to have banner , alerts , or no message , as well as a sound , a badge on the Mail app , and a prevue of the message cognitive content in the lock cover notification .
If you happen to be someone who gets a lot of e-mail , you probably long ago disabled notifications for new electronic mail . The introduction of VIPs marks the first time I ’ve sour notice on for emails since the original iPhone . It ’s a helpful improver , though I miss one of Mountain Lion Mail ’s annexe of it : the ability to get a notification for any electronic mail sent by someone in your contacts .
Flagged MailboxIn addition to VIPs , the other major melioration to Mail include a much - awaited Flagged smart mailbox . You ’ve been able to flag messages since iOS 5 , but if you wanted to actuallyseeall those flagged subject matter in one place , you had to resort to your estimator . One caution : Flagged will show you only the number of flagged substance for ring armor that has actually been find . So if Mail is configured to show your 50 most late message , you ’ll see only the flagged messages within those 50 , unless you manually load more messages .
The work flow for flag has changed , as well . Previously you tapped a tiny Mark nexus that appeared under the issue , after which you could choose to cross off something as flagged or interpret / unread . In iOS 6 , this link has been replaced with a little iris icon in the toolbar , where the Refresh clit used to live ; otherwise , it continues to work the same .
I noted in my iOS 5 review that flagging did n’t play so well with my company ’s Gmail account , which is configured via Microsoft Exchange — you could slacken off subject matter on iOS equipment , but those flags would not show up in desktop clients or on the Web . That situation has been exchange but not really improve in iOS 6 — now I do n’t even have the choice to flag messages in that explanation at all .
Other improvementsA couple of other melioration to Mail make aliveness easy . For example , tap and hold on the New Message button , and you get a slide - up tray of your old drafts . Tap any of those to restart working on them . ( you’re able to also tap a release to create a new message . )
bug and hold in the body of a message , and the pop - up box that seem now propose an selection to Insert Photo Or Video . Tapping on that will yield a standard exposure picker , let you easy embed picture show or videos from your iOS equipment , without the hassle of copying - and - pasting or having to call back to get off emails from your Photos app . That solves the long - standing problem of endeavor to reply to an existing messageandattach photograph .
You ’ve also , at long last , got the ability to maintain mail signature on a per - score basis . Go to options - > Mail , Contacts , Calendars , and scroll down to key signature . wiretap on it and you ’ll see an selection for All Accounts or Per Account . pat Per Account and you ’ll get a box seat for each of your mail accounts ; recruit a touch there , and it will be appended to the message you send from the several business relationship . For those of us that keep up both personal and body of work account , it ’s a godsend .
There ’s also now the ability to reorder mailboxes at the top level of Mail , so if you have a specific , neurotic order that you wish those in — I’m not speak from experience or anything — you’ll regain this a plus . Also , for bill that have both delete and archive pick , you’re able to tap the Delete ( or Archive ) button in a chain armour message , and get a pop - up selection for which action mechanism you want to take .
No doubt , some will be sadden that Apple has removed one configuration alternative : In the Mail , Contacts , Calendars pane of options , you’re able to no longer put a minimal font sizing .
Finally , Apple has take a page from the book of many third - party developers and implemented a pull - to - refresh mechanism for Mail , which replaces the quondam Refresh clit that you could tip . Weirdly , Apple has done this in a way that ’s slimly unlike from how it ’s usually accomplished — pull down on the filmdom and you ’ll see a little blob that stretch out , as though you were pulling on Silly Putty . When the blob reaches the break point , it snaps back up and starts refreshing . The effect is mistily unsettling , though I suppose it works all decently . you may perform this maneuver on any of your inboxes , or from the incorporate inbox on Mail ’s top silver screen .
Jungle Safari
iOS ’s other marquee app is , of course , its Web web browser . Like Mail , Safari ’s improvements are fairly minor in iOS 6 , though there are a couple of additions that bring an additional dimension of functionality .
Reading ListThe Reading List feature Apple introduce in iOS 5 gets an rise here . No longer just a way of shuttle tie-in back and forth , it now also caches the contact you sum up to it for offline reading . So if you ’re translate — oh , let ’s say , a very long review of a wandering operating organisation platform — you could add it to your Reading List and still get at it while you ’re on a woodworking plane , the underpass , or inside your pencil lead - lined panic way . This works for any item in your Reading List , disregardless of read / unread status . However , if my Reading List is any meter reading , it ’s deserving noting that publishers can prefer not to make their cognitive content available for offline reading .
iCloud TabsIt ’s a in force affair Apple tot up that caching feature to Reading List , because otherwise iCloud Tabs might have rendered it largely obsolete . One of my favorite new characteristic of iOS 6 , iCloud Tabs lease you bring up a leaning of every open tab in Safari on any iOS machine or Mac that ’s logged in to your iCloud score . So if you substantiate that you left a crucial varlet opened on your internet browser at home — directions to your first cousin ’s new house , for example — you could pull it up in a few seconds .
While iCloud Tabs is easily accessible in Safari on the Mac and iPad , it ’s squirreled away in the iPhone ’s web web browser : You need to intercept the bookmark ikon in the toolbar and chance it in the top - spirit level bookmark list . The list that shows up is divided up by machine , and tapping any bookmark will load it in the frontmost web browser tab .
web InspectorOne of the best features of Safari in iOS 6 , Web Inspector is buried miles cryptical : in preferences - > Safari - > Advanced . Flip on Web Inspector and connect your iPad or iPhone to your Mac , and you may habituate the desktop internet browser ’s Web Inspector to pull off options on the web page you ’re wait at on your iPad . As you convert elements using the Web Inspector on the desktop , those changes are reflected at once on your mobile equipment . It ’s impressive to see in action , and it ’ll probably be a boon to vane developers who fret over compatibility with the late devices .
Other improvementsIn summation , just as you may tap and retain on the new - message image in Mail , if you tapdance and harbour on the back or forward-moving button in Safari , you get nimble access to your pasture history ( or your surf “ futurity ” ) for that lozenge .
at long last — and , yes , I do mean “ finally“—Safari now has the ability to upload images to websites . When I expend a few Clarence Day work from my iPad in the first place this year , one of the problems I ran into was uploading a profile picture to a website : merely put , it could not be done . Now , though , it ’s easy enough : knock any button for uploading a motion picture , and you ’ll get an option to either take a photo or video or choose an be image from your photograph library . Of course , racy HTML tools for editing , resizing , or cropping pictures may or may not work out correctly .
The iPad and iPhone version of Safari each get their own improvements in iOS 6 . In the iPhone version , you could now muster up a full - sieve modality in landscape by tap the double - arrows buttons that come out when you cant the phone sideways . That makes the content of the internet browser windowpane take up the full concealment — the URL measure slides up out of sight ( though you could get it back by swiping down ) and the bottom toolbar perish by completely , although the back and forward buttons uphold to look , when relevant , as semitransparent overlays . To undo the full - screen way tap the arrow clitoris again , or just turn the speech sound back to portrait . It ’s a pleasant enough feature , but throw the small size of it of the iPhone ’s screen — at least , pre - iPhone 5 — I’m not sure how much real estate it really buys you .
iPad users get another subtle improvement : Apple has significantly increased the issue of check you could have open . antecedently you could only have nine open ; iOS 6 raises that to 24 . At a certain power point , when there is n’t room enough for all the chit , Safari adds a slight “ > > ” menu which , like its vis-a-vis on the Mac , gives you a pop - up listing of all your other open tabs . iPhone users , however , are still limited to just eight open tabs .
Photo opportunity
Just as fairly much every iPhone update has ameliorate the equipment ’s camera , iOS updates usually beef up the Photos and Camera apps . There are two major improvement in Photos in iOS 6 : iCloud users can now make Photo Streams to share with others , and users of the iPhone 4S and 5 can now take prospect trope .
Shared Photo StreamsOn the face of it , Shared Photo Streams are a cool idea : Say , you ’re on a trip and you require people to see your photos as you take them . Sure , you could upload them to Twitter or Facebook , but would n’t it be a draw gentle if your friends flummox those pictures delivered powerful to their equipment ?
The one affair they ca n’t do , however , is add their own photograph to the stream . That ’s a disappointment , because it means that if I go on a trip with my phratry or admirer and we want to pool our photos , we each have to create our own Photo Streams that we share with everyone else ( or do the ritualistic memory - visiting card exchange dance at the end of the trip ) . I hope that Apple looks into adding this feature film in a future update , since it would greatly improve the experience of sharing pic .
You might wonder what your contacts will do should they be among the Io - less . No problem : As mention above you may also create a Web - ground Photo Stream for them to view in their web browser , although they ca n’t comment on or Like pictures post there .
The uniform resource locator for the Shared Photo Stream is approachable from its configurations varlet , which you could get to by tapping on the spicy pointer next to your Shared Photo Stream ( on your iPhone ) or tap the Edit button and then tip on your desire stream ( on your iPad ) . The URL is listed at the bottom of this configurations cover , right below a Share Link clitoris , which will get you send the URL via electronic mail , textual matter / iMessage , tweet , Facebook , or copy and glue . The preference also allow you remove people from your current , or cancel the watercourse entirely .
PanoramaUsers of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 get one additional feature : the new Panorama mode . Panorama exposure are nothing new — plenty of apps live to make this job easier , and I even remember using disposable panoramafilmcameras years ago . But Apple , as is its wo nt , has seek to make the procedure of taking a Panorama shot even easier .
Fire up the Camera app in portrait orientation and knock the Options push . Below the toggle for Grid and HDR , you ’ll see a raw Panorama clitoris . Press it and you ’re off to the race .
Like other scene photo apps , iOS catch a shot by having you trash across it , rather than the old - fashioned messy technique of taking a bunch of pictures and having software program stitch them together . A small box show you where to pan , while you keep the camera steady using an pointer that points at the center line . If you begin to move too tight , iOS will tell you to slow down down .
The process bring forth an imposingly high - quality — and rather large — image file that call in at 10,800 by 2470 pixels . ( A psychometric test shot I did ended up as a 17.8 megabit file , so keep that in mind before you start emailing them to your friends . ) It ’s deserving noting , however , that this is n’t a 360 ° aspect — it ’s probably more like 270 ° . Also , the small domain you ’re trying to enchant , the more curvature you ’ll get — so landscape will probably appear more impressive than , say , your home function . Still , it ’s a remarkably well-fixed process that produces a pretty seamless image .
Face(book) the music (and books, and photos, and video)
iOS 5 brought Twitter integration , so I reckon it ’s only fair that Facebook get its day in the sun . If you ’ve used the live Twitter integration at all , you ’ll find the Facebook options pretty straightforward . In jolly much any place you may Share something , you may now send it to Facebook in addition .
First , you ’ll involve to configure it by chit-chat the Facebook section of configurations . You ’ll take to enter your username and word — or make an account if , horror , you ’re one of the few who does n’t have one . Apple will provide you a lengthy list of things that you ’re giving access code to , along with telling you to incapacitate many of the features . You ’ll also be actuate to download the Facebook iOS app if you have n’t already .
Once you ’ve set up Facebook , you have some options . For one thing , you’re able to choose which apps can access your Facebook account — by default , they let in the App Store , Calendar , and Contacts , but other apps can request info as well , which it ’s up to you to allow for or abnegate .
you may also opt to upgrade your contact record with their various information from Facebook . Be careful before choosing that option . My colleague Lex Friedman , who is more daring than I , terminate up having his contacts ’ Facebook.com email addresses added to the link records . In addition , you could also end up with a Facebook Friends ’ Birthdays calendar , which may lead to many more alarum than you ’d wanted about great - auntie Mildred ’s pending 87th . On the upside , that information should remain in sync , which means that if your protagonist changes their speech sound number , that alteration will be meditate in your contact , which can be handy .
When posting to Facebook from Photos or upgrade your status via Notification Center , you ’ll have the pick to choose which group you want to send your substance to , as well as tote up your location . ( In my quick tryout , it only gave me nearby make out location , as counterbalance to iOS ’s Twitter implementation , which actually gives your exact location . ) And , of form , you could have Siri post to Facebook for you .
Finally , you ’ll now find an integrated Like button under the Reviews tab in the App Store , iTunes Store , and iBookstore , so you’re able to share your tastes in medium with the world .
Music to your ears
The Music app is n’t a direction of iOS 6 , but it has gotten a cosmetic update on the iPhone , as well as some slight feature changes .
Most spectacular is the variety in color scheme on the iPhone : The formerly clean - on - inglorious user interface is now a silvery - white , more strongly resemble its iPad twin . The playback screen also looks more sleek , with silver aluminum highlight instead of white-hot , and an orange selection color that replaces aquamarine blue . And the AirPlay control has move down next to the bulk slider , rather than its sure-enough attitude next to the forward button .
Podcasts and iTunes U are no longer present as category options in the More division — they’ve both been ship out to their own various apps . When work audiobooks , you now have the choice of skipping 15 seconds forward or back , instead of just 30 instant back . And when viewing albums or artist , the iCloud download choice is now at the top , instead of the bottom .
The other major unlike in Io 6 concerns iTunes Match substance abuser : you’re able to no longer download or delete individual rail from your music library . Previously , when you spark off iTunes Match , download buttons would seem next to each track — if you tapped that , or if you play the data track back , it would be download to your equipment so that it would n’t have to beredownloaded next time you play it , thus potentially saving you bandwidth . While that squirrel away demeanor seems to be entire in iOS 6 , you no longer have the individual download buttons or the power to swipe a racetrack and delete it , thus liberate up infinite .
As always , there are tricks around this topic . Since you’re able to tell iOS 6 to download a play list , you’re able to just create a single - track play list and download a track . When it comes to deleting runway , however , it ’s an all or nothing proposition : you’re able to remove all your local music by going to options - > General - > utilization - > Music and swiping to delete the items there .
A is for Accessibility
Accessibility is one of the more unmarked aspects of iOS , but it ’s fundamental for a gimmick that bank so to a great extent on the touchscreen . iOS 6 brings a few enhancements to accessibility , but the most significant by far is Guided Access .
Guided AccessOriginally designed as a way to help make the Io devices well-disposed to Kid who see otherwise , Guided Access let you disable certain parts of the machine so that youngster do n’t unintentionally trigger something they ’re not supposed to . ( Sure to be a boon to every parent who ’s come back to get that their Thomas Kid has accidentally cancel their last five emails . )
Guided Access gets enabled in context - > General - > Accessibility , under a new bearing title Learning . Once you ’ve enabled it , you could muster up it from any app by triple - clicking the Home push . ( If you ’d like to have options of which accessibility features are available by triple - clicking , you’re able to opt from the Triple - click Home section under availability — pick more than one feature film , and you ’ll be presented with a menu when you triple click the button . )
By default , Guided Access disables all ironware button when activated . Via the Options button that exhibit up when you set off it , you could also deactivate the motion or touch functionality . Best of all , you’re able to — in a uncomplicated but very cool user interface — disable certain onscreen control by just take out around them . So if you just want to turn off a push button that let kids view other screens in an app , you could do that . Those sphere will be shown with a gray halftone and wo n’t respond to touch .
( Be heedful , though , because Guided Access performs its deception found on physical areas of the screen . So , for representative , if you disenable a toolbar at the bottom of the concealment , and the twist is then release to a unlike preference , it ’s now thesideof the concealment that ’s disabled . similarly , I found the hard direction that disenable part of the bottom of the screen also disabled the bottom row of the onscreen keyboard too . )
To disable Guided Access , you simply triple click the Home button again . That ’s approximate to be tough for most kids to slip up across , but if you ’re touch , you may also set a passcode that must be entered to disenable Guided Access .
Text - to - speechThose who apply iOS ’s Speak Selection lineament will find a few unexampled improvements . In addition to adjust the speechmaking rate , users can now choose a number of unlike manner of speaking dialects of English , Spanish , French , Dutch , Portuguese and Chinese . Words can also optionally be spotlight as the phonation speaks them .
get word aidsiOS 6 brings compatibility with Bluetooth earshot aids , if you have one . Apple says it has been make for with vendors to land them to market .
dwelling house - pawl SpeedIt ’s now possible to line up the hurrying postulate to trigger off double- or triplex - suction stop of the Home button to slow or slowest .
What’s in store
iOS ’s three storefronts — the iTunes Store , the App Store , and the iBookstore — are integral parts of the experience , and all three of them have gotten significant reimaginings with iOS 6 . They each feature a new aim , as well as more signature - well-disposed features and and extra capabilities .
App StoreOf the three , this is likely the one where Io users spend the most time . The novel version impress me as more attractive than the old one , with a black / gray idea and prominent , colorful rotating carousels that you may swipe through .
App pageboy are break up into more usable chunks , with disjoined tabs for item , reviews , and related apps . Further down , at the bottom of the Sir Frederick Handley Page , you ’ll find other entropy sub - divided into menus , such as developer info , top in - app purchases , the permit agreement and privacy policy and , my deary , the version story , which hands down take in release bank bill from prior versions .
chart are give more prominent placement in the new version , with the Categories option — which used to be on the App Store ’s main toolbar — alternatively relegate to the top left niche of the Charts covert . Genius also nabs a topographic point on the toolbar ; tap it and you ’ll be prompted to activate the lineament and log into iTunes for individualised recommendations .
On the iPhone , this takes the variant of a swipeable list of app “ cards , ” each of which shows the app name and image , the ground it was recommended , its military rank and monetary value , and a screenshot . A Not Interested clit at the bottom lets you take it out of the running . ( The same cards appear on the iPad , but there are several visible at a time , and it ’s sluttish to scroll through them . )
This card interface come along under search now as well . On the iPad , it ’s not so bad , as it ’s also accompany by three free fall - down menus that let you filter by price ( free or pay ) and family , and sort by relevance , popularity , ratings , and release engagement . On the iPhone , however , it means you have to spend a bunch of prison term scroll through itemisation to ascertain what you need , as opposed to to the previous interface , which packed more information into the same amount of space .
The sound feature of the App Store in iOS 6 , however , is setting installment and updating . Unlike in premature version , where tap Install or Update next to an app meant you were kick back out to the nursing home screen and shown exactly where that app would appear , you now get to stay in the comfort of the store . Should you need to launch the app when it ’s been downloaded , that ’s easy — the Update or Install push button instead becomes an Open button ; tap it and the app will establish automatically .
So how to find those newfangled apps on your Home screen ? Equally slow : They still install in the first heart-to-heart slot . And they ’ll also have a Modern banner on one niche , so you could quickly pick them out of a telephone circuit - up .
you’re able to now also put in apps from right inside other applications programme . So , for example , if someone email you a tie-in to an app , tapping that will pop up a panel from which you’re able to interpret about the app and install it .
iTunes StoreLike its counterpart , the iTunes Store look much flashier than its precursor . Instead of the gray-headed pinstripe background and blue toolbar , the app features the same attractive black and gray theme as the other two stores . A carousel on the front varlet mechanically swap through featured item , and you could manually swipe through if you ’d opt .
also , album and singles now dilute off the projection screen , allow you to scroll through them . Tapping on any record album make for up a list of track , as well as lozenge for reviews and related to detail that others have buy . you’re able to , of course , bug any track to preview it and , in a nice addition , that preview continue to play in the ground even as you bear on crop . On the iPad , a piddling windowpane pops up , let you intermit the prevue or buy the song — on the iPhone , this appears as a little Lucy in the sky with diamonds at the top of the screen .
If you ca n’t remember what song you were mind to in the beginning , the computer memory now features a preview history . rap the button with three lines in the top right field of the menu stripe , and you ’ll get a tappable history of songs you ’ve previewed , along with — unsurprisingly — links to buy the Sung dynasty . That account is automatically synchronise among all your machine , but you may efface it at any time by exploit the Clear button .
TV Shows , Movies , and Audiobooks all work similarly , and items that you preview there will also show up in your preview history . access code to your previously purchased items on the Purchased tab is loose now , thanks to a throw away - down menu that lets you sort by name , what you ’ve buy most of late , or other criteria depending on the type of media .
Like apps , you could buy medium immediately from other apps , so if someone sends you a link to an album , TV show , or song , you could tap it to bring up a panel from which you could preview it and purchase it if you like .
iBookstoreThe iBookstore also gets a openhanded makeover with the fresh shameful / gray colouration dodging , swipeable carousels , and multiple tab for details , review and military rank , and related items ( sub - divided into offerings from the same writer as well as on similar topics ) . And , of class , like the other stores , there is support for partake in books by Mail , Messages , Twitter , and Facebook , as well as copying the uniform resource locator . You ’ll also recover the same support for preview and purchasing Good Book from within other apps , if you tip on a link to the iBookstore .
The times they are a’changin’
As with most iOS updates , Apple has tweaked a few bolts here , tighten a few quoin there , and generally given its peregrine type O a coat of cultivation . Here are some of the more noticeable changes and improvements .
RemindersI generate reminder poor shrift in my iOS 5 revaluation , primarily because the app find by all odds unfinished . That ’s been for the most part reform in iOS 6 : The user interface forsettinga reminder is decidedly streamline and requires fewer taps , anteriority actually show up in the user interface , and glory be , you could set a location - based reminder for an arbitrary address . Add in some nice tweaks and simplifications on the interface — including an integrated calendar on the iPhone — and admonisher in iOS 6 is what it should have been in iOS 5 .
Stocks and WeatherBoth get a pernicious interface tweak in iOS 6 to get with the times . The former now provides more news at a glimpse and the latter pull ahead a less hefty , more flowing feel , thanks to a light weight unit font . Also , Local Weather is active by nonpayment , unless you deactivate it in Location Services .
ClockWhat , improvements to the Clock app ? Indeed ! The app can now wake you up to any Sung from your Library , an fantabulous feature that ’s been missing for far too long . There ’s also a well interface for picking which city you want to monitor meter for — previously you could only search . The iPad , meanwhile , come the Clock app for the first time , including a nice world single-valued function that contribute you temperature and current weather for all the locations of the filaree you add . I quite like the gonzo control grid - base Alarm screen , but I find the stop watch and the timer a bit lustreless , though usable .
ContactsThe hunt theater of operations is now always seeable in list mode , which is useful when you ’re trying to strain down your results . grouping has now changed to a filter - based organisation ; rather of choosing a grouping to view the members of that picky group , you chequer off only the groups whose extremity you desire expose in your full listing . That ’s a honest way to whittle down your striking tilt — make a group call Old Contacts and stick around the people you do n’t see from in there .
Also , in plus to a impost vibration pattern for phone shout , you’re able to now add up a custom palpitation for school text message on a per - contact foundation , so you’re able to assure who ’s texting without pulling out the phone .
YouTubeThe YouTube app is , of course , an ex - app , pining for the fjord . That ’s good all around : It was begin a fleck long in the tooth , and it did n’t quite set in any longer . Google ’s own YouTube appis a solid substitute and , even if you do n’t desire to go download it , play videos back in Safari works just fine for the most part .
Settings the record straight
The options app often move unrecognized , but it ’s the app that keeps Io break away swimmingly , and it gets a few welcome alterations in iOS 6 .
Bluetooth becomes a top level option , which will receive an ovation from all of us who ’ve had to spend too much of our lives tapping three levels down just to pair our headset . On the iPad , Sounds also moves up from General ( though it was already at the top horizontal surface on the iPhone ) . The iPhone version of Sounds also gets a much clearer set of vibrate options , which will please those who found the former labeling somewhat obtuse .
Location Services , meanwhile , gets demoted from the top level into a young Privacy section , which may very well be one of the unsung hoagie of this update . Not only do you still have chondritic access to apps requesting your localisation , but you may now manage which apps get access to your Contacts , Calendars , Reminders , Photos , Bluetooth Sharing , Twitter , and Facebook . So if a especial app is misbehaving — or you ’ve download an app but are n’t quite sure if you’re able to entrust it — you’re able to shut off access . A solid thumbs up , especially since it seems every calendar week there ’s yet another privacy dirt online .
According to Apple , it ’s simplify receiving iMessages on multiple machine , so you should be able to pose a single contact ID from which all message will exhale , thus no longer function into the problem of receiving an iMessage addressed to your sound number , which never make it to your iPad .
For those on a data program budget , the General - > Cellular plane section lets you specify which features can use Cellular Data . So , for example , you could reserve Reading List and Passbook Updates while denying iCloud Documents and iTunes .
Also the Shortcuts division of the General - > Keyboard options get a much more operable overhaul , complete with a search field and the ability to quickly scroll through your expansion options .
monitor and Newsstand get their own department in configurations , but unfortunately you still ca n’t turn the latter feature off , much to the dismay of those of us who would like it off , off , off our Home screens .
Bottom line
There has yet to be a major interlingual rendition of iOS to which we have n’t recommended updating , and iOS 6 is no exclusion to the ruler . As always , Apple continues to demonstrate its methodological analysis of adding features step by step and , for the most part , sensibly .
The newfangled Maps app alone , while once in a while gravelly in dapple , are still worth the ( liberal ) price of the upgrade . As much as Apple does n’t play the feature article checklist biz , the addition of act - by - turn direction knocks down a serious Android advantage .
While iOS 5 may have feel more like a cohesive statement , a pin in the backbone , Io 6 showcases Apple ’s willingness to dive deeply into a unmarried feature and rebuild it from the ground up to make it even good . And , oh , along the direction , it ’ll take the fourth dimension to tweak a bunch of its other apps , and add plenty of new features and capabilities .
There are still gaps , to be sure , but it seems like there are few every year . And Apple is meanwhile essay to plant more flag with ahead - looking features like Passbook . Whether it ’ll take its true position on the Home filmdom with Mail and Safari , or end up consigned to the dust heap of history like Ping , it ’s clear that Apple is not resting on its honor , with iOS 6 .
Simply put , there ’s no reasonnotto update to iOS 6 , and tidy sum of reasons for you to jump onboard .