It is out finally! At the annual WWDC conference 2012, Apple
unveiled the secrets and revealed its latest iOS version 6, the recent
most iteration of its smart device operating system. As the giant is
known for, it came up with more than 200 classic features and upgrades
in new iOS 6 that brought smile on iOS apps developers all across the
world. Why? Let's learn about it.
For all the application
programmers, iOS 6 new features are an ocean of opportunities as they
can develop customized iPad or iPhone applications according to their
clients' need. From a coder's point of view, using iOS 6 SDK will be
very useful to develop apps on various verticals such as business,
entertainment, healthcare, travel and games etc. Let's look at some of
the most important features in iOS 6 as described in an official event
by Apple.
iOS Maps with 3D and Flyover Option
This is
the best feature that programmers expected in iOS 6. After years of
working with Google and local mapping companies, Apple finally came up
with its own way of browsing the places and find directions. The
elements in maps are vector based and also available in 3D to offer the
user a realistic flair. The panning is smooth and the user can rotate or
tilt the map for a better view. The names of the streets and places are
tagged with care and iOS maps house almost all popular cities and towns
in the world. Things like high resolution graphics, turn-by-turn
navigation and real traffic update make iOS 6 Maps a no-nonsense feature
to be used in developing quality apps for traveling.
Siri has become better darling
Apple's
very own, Siri has become better in latest version of iOS. According to
iOS apps developers, new features of Siri has provided them with
endless possibilities to think something new and program unique
customized apps for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Here, Siri not only
follows the user's voice command but does many things that a normal
phone cannot do.
With latest iOS 6, Siri understands more
languages and thus is useful in more countries. It can get the results
of current shows, movies and plays in the town. The user just needs to
ask her "What are the movie timings for
Avengers in the city" and
it does it all. In addition, the user can also ask about particular
star's movie to generate alert or update. For example, the user can ask
"Show me the movies starring Jim Carry" and the smart device shows all
the current movies starring the star or creates an alert when such movie
is released.
Apart from searching show timings, Siri can also
perform internal search and does whatever the user asks. For instance,
Siri will start the game when the user says "Play Angry Birds". Siri in
iOS 6 has emerged as a latest feature that makes most of the things
possible on smart device without tapping on the screen.
Apple is
also working with giant carmakers like BMW, Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes
etc. to have a Siri Button on the steering wheel using what the driver
can command smart gadget to read text, reply the caller, play favorite
track and many more. During any such event, the smart device won't light
up so that the driver does not lose the focus from the road.
Social Sharing is quicker
While
social bookmarking, updates and sharing is on the rage, iOS developers
love this feature in latest operating system by Apple. It's easier than
ever to share photos, update status or other postings on Facebook. The
user just needs to sign in only once and it's then possible to off and
share! The friends' profile information has been integrated directly
into the contact list so that it gets updated automatically.
Passbook is now an improved eWallet
Passbook
in iOS 6 latest features many things that iOS programmers can use and
develop eCommerce solutions. The boarding pass, movie ticket, discount
coupon, retail voucher and many more can be stored on Passbook. The user
just needs to scan the smart device to check in for a flight or can
have an alert when coupons or vouchers are about to expire so that they
can be used in time.
Phone feature is more customizable
The
developers can use this feature in several ways. Apart from reply or
decline the call, the new feature includes Remind and Do-Not-Disturb
that allows the user to schedule a call-back and silent the phone
respectively. The user can also quickly reply with an iMessage or SMS in
emergency where talking on the phone is not acceptable (as in
meetings).
New features for China
IOS 6 has included a
new Chinese dictionary and better text input as the user does not need
to switch keyboards to type Pinyin and English sentences. With thesaurus
of over 30000 characters, iOS 6 has doubled the number of Chinese
characters that support in handwriting recognition. In addition, when
the user adds the words to personal directory, iCloud will make them
available on all Apple products. Another exclusive feature for Chinese
users is Baidu, which is an inbuilt option in Safari. Also, the users
can directly share the videos to Tudou and Youku.
With every new
feature, the fun comes with challenge. It then depends on developers'
brain how to meet the requirement without losing the quality.