This morning’s WWDC conference wasn’t all about new MacBooks. Apple also unveiled iOS 6, the next version of its mobile operating system for iDevices, and it revealed new details about OS X Lion, the next Mac operating system, as well. Again, you can get all the details from the keynote by following the coverage at The Verge and Engadget.
iOS 6 boasts a wealth of new features and improvements, but the most visible one may be the new Maps app. As rumored, Apple has kicked Google Maps to the curb and replaced it with an interactive maps and navigation app of its own design. The new Maps app for iOS 6 has turn-by-turn navigation, cities modeled in texture-mapped 3D, Yelp integration, traffic monitoring, and Siri integration. From what I can tell, though, it looks like Apple won’t provide a direct replacement for Google Street View—the 3D "Flyover" feature may be the closest alternative.
With iOS 6, Apple has also improved its Siri voice-activated assistant (and implemented it fully on the iPad), and it’s integrated Facebook in much the same way Twitter was integrated into iOS 5. Oh, and there’s a new app called Passbook for keeping track of your movie tickets, boarding passes, store cards, and the like.
iOS 6 is due out some time this fall. You’ll need at least an iPhone 3GS, an iPad 2, or a fourth-generation iPod touch to install it.
As for Mountain Lion, Apple plans to ship that next month—and to charge only $19.99 for it. At the keynote, Apple showed the operating system’s iCloud integration; its new, quicker Safari web browser; a Siri-like dictation mode; and tool to share content on Twitter. I expect Facebook sharing will be available, too.
I used to love Google Maps and Navigation on Android. And I still like my Android phone.
I’m concerned by all of the “social” stuff they’re adding to it now, though. I don’t want “Deals” or other advertising attempts inserted into those apps; I want doggone good mapping and voice-enabled turn-by-turn navigation, and that’s it, nothing more. It’s one of the biggest reasons I bought an Android phone over an iPhone, because navigation was a ton better.
If Google starts adding more junk onto Maps/Navigation, and starts eroding privacy, that’s a strike against them down the line, considering that I already have to deal with Verizon’s bloatware on phones that aren’t Apple or Nexus devices. If Apple adds 4G-LTE to the next iPhone, as much as I love the Droid infrastructure, it might persuade me to switch.
“Apple has kicked Google Maps to the curb and replaced it with an interactive maps and navigation app of its own design. ”
i guess android needs a bigger customer base!
Is there any chance we could see a review of the new SSD-based MacBook Pro on TechReport? I know all the test suites rely on Windows, but you could just flash the OS and put Windows 7 on it I suppose. And yeah TechReport sometimes gets a bad rap for reporting on Apple stuff too much, but you gotta admit this laptop is stuffed with a lot of good stuff inside.
I’m just interested in seeing how it performs with an Ivy Bridge + SSD + GT 650M.
Maybe the test suite for Ivy Bridge processors wasn’t far from these specs. I don’t know.
YES FACEBOOK INTEGRATION THANK GOD. :/
finally! only 2 years behind WP7! yay!
lol
WP7 hasn’t even been out 2 years SSK. If you’re going to troll, at least be correct!
Thank God TR didn’t douche up your front page news feed by spamming every single slide in the presentation as separate ‘news stories’. *cough [s<]Apple[/s<]Anand-tech*
[url<]http://www.anandtech.com/[/url<] Maybe it's still coming, but I don't see a single Apple story/article/whatever on that page.
It’s in the ‘pipeline’ section…Anandtech’s closest equivalent to TR’s News section.
Ahh, I see it now. At least it’s off to the side.
They spam the RSS feeds with it. When I first launched firefox I thought there was some sort of Steam sale on.
Anandtech, hmmm, that’s a funny way of spelling engadget
I’d like to play around with Maps. Google Maps on a high-end Android device just doesn’t have an equal yet. Hope the Apple Maps is decent in actual usage.
Automatic navigation refresh? <3
Does the user have the option of continuing to use Google Maps if they prefer it?
NO. THIS IS APPLE’S DEVICE, NOT YOURS, YOU USE WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO USE.
/ssk
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Unless it’s a parody, which pretty much translates to mockery.
NO THIS IS APPLE’S DEVICE NOT YOURS YOU USE WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO USE
ALL CAPS AND NO GRAMMAR FOR MAXIMUM ANNOYANCE
I think Apple will allow Google to put their app separately on the Appstore. There’s just too much user/political pressure to refuse that.
Adi
I did my best to negate the downvotes cast upon you, but I am but a single point of light in the oppressive darkness.
It really is crazy how people will do that if you even mention Apple in a comment.
It’s mostly just adi
Apple
Thank you for trying.
Adi
You’re welcome.
Ben
let’s hug
Josh
Theres talk that once iOS6 hits, Google will be releasing the Android version of Google Maps on the iPhone.
All the iOS users should hope so – Google Maps is probably one of the top 3 features of my phone. I love it.