GeekWire: Reviewing Apple’s iPhone iOS 6 operating system
Sep 22, 2012, 10:29 AM | Updated: Sep 23, 2012, 9:24 pm
Many people have reported glitches when they upgraded their iPhones to the new iOS 6 operating system, so GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook decided to review it point by point.
The first inconvenient aspect of the new application is the long time it takes to download.
“It took about 45 minutes to install,” said John.
One big issue that many people noticed was that the Google Maps application has been erased from upgraded iPhones. The change was made in favor of a new Apple mapping application, which has fewer options than the Google app.
“I’ve always been relying on my phone to give me the right trip recommendations for taking the right buses,” says GeekWire producer Erynn Rose. “I updated my phone yesterday and got off work, went to load up my phone, it was 11 o’clock at night, load up the trips, and all it does is point me to other apps that might tell me how to take the right bus.”
The new operating system doesn’t allow iPhones to download Google Maps, though users can still use the web service. This has been a sore point amid the iPhone 5 frenzy, with organizations like Walk Score have launched petitions for Apple to either restore Google Maps or allow a transit option in the Apple mapping application.
“The one nice thing about Apple’s new iPhone mapping application is that turn-by-turn directions are native,” says Todd, “So in other words whereas before you could basically see the route that you wanted to take and sort of go step by step through, it’s actually now doing it like a GPS navigation.”
Besides dictating directions, the upgraded Siri can also remember verbally programmed reminders, adding them to users’ task lists. In the new version, Siri can also send text messages, make phone calls, schedule meetings, and even make dinner reservations.
The new operating system is also integrated with Facebook and Twitter, allowing users to share photos automatically through applications on the phone.
Apple’s iOS 6 has also upgraded its photo technology by enabling panoramic photos to the iPhone 4 s and iPhone 5, and upgrading the resolution of photos.
The new iPhone system retains many old features, like Passbook, though Apple has tweaked that function to work only through certain applications. Users also have the option to store passwords, usernames, and other information to the Keychain application.
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By Jillian Raftery
