ios6

Google and Apple have upped their game in 2012, and a new crop of smartphones running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Apple's new iOS 6 will offer consumers a tough choice when it comes to choosing a new phone.

Apple isn't expected to launch the next iPhone until the fall. But the company gave a preview of what's to come with the unveiling of iOS 6 mobile software this week at its WWDC conference in San Francisco. From what I can tell, the new iPhone will give the current crop of Android 4.0 devices … Read more

Way down in the fine print about Apple's upcoming iOS 6, you'll find a little note that says new features like Flyover and turn-by-turn directions are only available on the iPhone 4S, or the iPad 2 or higher.

A note immediately below that says Siri is only available on the iPhone 4S or third-generation iPad.

Since the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 are all actively for sale and still being marketed by Apple, I have to wonder: is Apple on the road to fragmenting the iOS experience? Could there come a future when not only do … Read more

Every year, we engage in the same dance: Apple announces a new version of iOS, and we instantly start wondering how our devices will change as a result.

iOS announcements tend to work forward for phones (the new iPhone is expected this fall), but for iPads they work backward: the third-generation iPad with Retina Display came out in March.

A host of new iOS 6 features change some of what the iPhone can be. Will iOS 6 change the iPad, too? Yes, if you're thinking of heavily using Siri or own a 4G/3G third-gen iPad or iPad 2.… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- They are classic "frienemies," collaborating when the interest is mutual and going for the other's jugular when the opportunity presents itself. So it was that on Monday Apple made clear that it's willing to cut ties with Google if that's what it takes to move its own agenda forward.

Among the product and technology announcements made at its annual developer conference here, Apple said it is expanding its Siri voice assistant software, as well as offering a complete rewrite of its maps app. Apple also added deep integration to Facebook to its … Read more

Apple's WWDC may not have resulted in an iPhone announcement, but it provided the next best thing: a detailed look at iOS 6.

It doesn't come out until the fall, and will only work on the iPhone 3GS and models after that, but a lot of iOS 6 features will be welcomed by any iPhone owner.

New versions of mobile software (be it iOS or Android) can often be as feature-packed and exciting as new phone models, and frequently kick a lot of new value down to older hardware.

The question is, can we look into the new features of iOS 6 to peer upstream at what Apple's next iPhone might be like? I'll try. Here are my best guesses.… Read more

The Samsung Galaxy S III isn't quite out yet in the U.S., but already, its Siri-like voice assistant -- known as S-Voice -- has just been thrown into the deep, dark shadow of Apple's forthcoming Siri update.

In iOS 6, the next-generation of Siri will add a whole new bag of tricks, including the capability to launch apps, perform voice-activated Facebook and Twitter updates, and pull in sports scores and movie times. It will also make reservations through OpenTable and play you … Read more

While fanboys everywhere are basking in the glow of hundreds of new Mac and iOS features, executives at a number of app makers are no doubt cursing the fact that, with some of those features, Apple just ran them over and left them for dead.

Take Instapaper, for example. For some time, the app has given Mac, iPhone, and iPad users the ability to save Web pages they want to read later, when they're offline. But today, at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote in San Francisco, Apple unveiled its Offline Reading List feature for both the Mac and iOS … Read more

It seems like every Apple event comes with an increasingly large dose of sparkling hype, and plenty of supposedly imminent announcements end up not happening.

This year's Tim Cook keynote speech at WWDC had its share of big news, and plenty of excitement -- iOS 6, Retina Display MacBook Pros -- but here's what wasn't there.… Read more

Facebook has finally found its way into Apple's mobile operating system.

Apple said today that it would more closely tie Facebook into iOS 6. The new setup lets Facebook users post pictures and video directly to their accounts from iOS 6 without using the Facebook app, and post updates via Siri. Facebook calendars, including events and birthdays, and the App Store will also be integrated.

With the App Store integration, you can "like" apps, TV shows, and movies, and see what your friends have liked.

This partnership between two of the most powerful tech companies was rumored … Read more