Apple has launched iOS 6 at WWDC in San Francisco today. Scott Forstall made the presentation, as live-blogged by AppleInsider. Following on from the usual facts and figures, such as the fact that Apple has to date sold 365 million iOS devices, Forstall then went on to use pie charts to show how fragmented Android is compared to iOS. Forstall then went on to talk about iOS 6, starting with Siri in iOS 6, which has now learned about sports, so you can ask it for scores, and also about stuff such as whether Lebron is taller than Kobe! Restaurant queries will also now have much more information, including average price, and you will also be able to check movie times and see trailers in Siri. iOS 6 will also see Siri being able to launch apps. Next up we have “Eyes Freeâ€, which is designed specifically to enable you to integrate your iOS device with your car steering wheel, in car models including BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Honda.
Forstall then goes on to announce the great news that Siri is coming to the iPad, but only the newest iPad, it would seem.
Next on the agenda is Facebook integration with iOS, which again has been heavily rumoured recently. Forstall says that Apple has worked closely with Facebook to enable integration, including the ability to “like†your favourite apps.
iOS 6 also brings with it enhancements to the Phone app, with new control for incoming calls, where you can choose to “Reply With Message†or “Remind Me Laterâ€. The message includes responses such as “I’ll call you later.†Also added, a “Do Not Disturb†mode to stop push notifications and stop the screen from coming on.
FaceTime over Cellular is the next announcement, which gets a big cheer from the audience, by all accounts!
You can also now answer a call on your iPad or Mac with unified Apple ID and phone number.
Safari for iOS is next, with a new iCloud tabs feature, offline reading lists, the ability to upload photos directly from Safari, and new Smart App Banners, which will tell you the available iOS apps when you visit a developer’s website. Safari in iOS 6 will also now have full-screen landscape support, and access restrictions for shared photo streams.
iOS 6 also has some enhancements for Mail, including a VIP marker, so that you can flag incoming mail from chosen people and even have notifications when their email arrives.
There will also be support for opening password protected documents in Mail.
Passbook is a new app for iOS 6, which deals with tickets and boarding passes, movie tickets, and so on. Simply show your movie pass on your phone when you visit the theatre. It will also support Starbucks cards and show your balance. This looks very cool! Passbook will be location aware, so your Starbucks card will appear on the lock screen when you are near a Starbucks, for example. Alerts will also be provided for changes in airline and rail schedule.
Next up we have Guided Access, which focuses on improving the iOS experience for children with autism, by disabling certain controls in an app.
Maps is next, and just as expected, it’s a new home-grown Apple mapping solution, with all cartography done in-house by Apple. It will have local search with support for 100 million business listings worldwide, and a built-in traffic service, and turn-by-turn support, as well as full integration with Siri. You will be able to ask Maps where can you get gas, for example. Yelp integration is another feature of the Maps app. The 3D mode will activate if you zoom in close enough, so will be very intuitive.
And that's about it! Overall, there will be 200 new features.
The first public Beta will be launched today for developers.
Source: Live from Apple's WWDC 2012 Opening Keynote Address
