iOS 6 [NON-RUMORS]

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With iOS 6, Apple Is Now Requiring Permission For Apps To Access Personal Data

Beginning with iOS 6, Apple will now prompt you before allowing any app to access your personal data. This includes not only your contacts, but calendars, reminders, and photo library as well. In addition to these dialog boxes, iOS 6 also includes a new privacy section where you can manage fine-grain controls over which apps can use your data.


This new privacy section allows you to revoke any app access to your information at any time, should you feel the need. In addition, Apple allows you to control which apps and services can use your location, in greater detail than ever before.

This is very similar to what Apple is doing in Mountain Lion, where users are also prompted any time an app wishes to use personal data. This, along with Gatekeeper, also debuting in Mountain Lion, paints a very clear picture of how seriously Apple is beginning to take privacy.





Whether these are steps Apple wants to take, or whether they are being pressured into increasing privacy and security measures is yet unknown. Just recently, Apple came under fire after Path, a social networking application, was revealed to be uploading the entire contents of users’ Address Books to its servers.

As both the iPhone and iPad grow in popularity, it’s clear that Apple will need to continue to make sure the privacy of users is protected to the greatest extent possible, due to the increased amount of pressure Apple is being put under.

Apple obviously realizes this too, and they are continuing to provide more privacy and security options in every release of not only iOS, but OS X as well. This is a big change from only a few years ago, when Apple first added basic anti-malware to OS X, 8 years late.

6-14-12

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[sparkyscott21]

This is really great. Apple has taken the initiative in iOS 6 to update the operating system’s selection of emoji — or visual characters — to now not have some options for gay and lesbian users, including a gay and lesbian couple holding hands. Sweet!

That’s not all, of course. There’s also some cute new monkey who can do no evil, see no evil, and hear no evil, apparently. Hope they can’t smell evil, either, because they are just a few columns down from a grinning, anthropomorphical piece of crap.

6-14-12

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[sparkyscott21]

As is typical when previewing a new operating system, on Monday Apple's Scott Forstall showed off 10 main features of iOS 6 including improvements to Siri, Facebook Integration, a new Maps app, and a Do Not Disturb mode.

However, there is a lot more to the next iPhone operating system than that. A slide shown at the end of Monday's keynote displayed a number of new features that didn't warrant full keynote coverage but are still worth mention to iOS users:





- Users can now set custom email alerts for any of their VIP contacts.

- Turning Bluetooth on and off is much quicker than it was in iOS 5. Bluetooth controls are now located in first page of System Preferences, next to the Wi-Fi and Airplane Mode controls.

- The iPad gains a native Clock app with similar function to the iPhone version.

- Users no longer need to enter their password to update apps -- only when purchasing an app for the first time. Additionally, users aren't kicked to the home screen when buying or updating an app in the App Store.

- Newly downloaded apps gain a temporary 'New' banner on the icon to make them easier to pick them out.

- Geofencing alerts have been added to Find My Friends. One possible use, suggested by Macworld: "If you’re one of the many workers who carpools, you can set up a geofence on the driver to let you know when they leave their house."

- In iOS 5, the color of the menu bar would change depending on what was happening in the background -- green for a phone call or blue for Personal Hotspot. In iOS 6 those colors still exist, but the menu bar changes color to better complement the app. MaxThemes.com has more on how Apple color-matches the menu bar.





- One of the most unnecessary additions to iOS 6 is also one of the most telling. Apple has made the metallic volume slider in the iPod app and elsewhere change its reflection as the iPhone is tilted -- as if it were actually reflecting light. While some may say it's a waste of engineering resources, this shows Apple's incredible attention to detail.

6-15-12

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[sparkyscott21]

Earlier this week, AppAdvice noted that three categories of content had disappeared from the iTunes app in iOS 6: Podcasts, Audiobooks, and iTunes U. Apple launched a dedicated iTunes U app earlier this year, but the fate of the other content types in iOS 6 remained unclear.





AllThingsD now reports that Apple will also be launching a standalone app for podcasts in iOS 6, giving them greater visibility while simplifying the iTunes app that has become home to an increasingly large number of content categories.
So why have podcasts disappeared from the new version of iTunes that Apple started showing to developers this week?

Because Apple plans on giving the recordings their own bit of digital turf.

People familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.
Podcasts are one of the longest-tenured media types on Apple's portable devices, having been available through the iTunes Store since the release of iTunes 4.9 in mid-2005.

6-15-12

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[sparkyscott21]

Apple devices running iOS 6 will be able to receive U.S. government alerts during an emergency or disaster, in compliance with a National Alerting Program.


The new feature, labeled by Apple as "Government Alerts," will be a part of the iOS 6 operating system when it launches for iPhone and iPad this fall, as first noticed by Emergency Management (via CNet) on Friday. That means that Wireless Emergency Alerts can be provided to Apple mobile device users.

The feature is expected to be available on all devices that can run iOS 6, including the iPhone 3GS, first released in 2009, and the iPhone 4, which became available in 2010.

Author Rick Wimberley said Apple's adoption of Wireless Emergency Alerts is "big news" for those who work in the emergency management industry. The new feature means that users can receive alerts from local, state and federal officials through FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.

The National Weather service also intends to start issuing Wireless Emergency Alerts by the end of June, meaning iPhone and iPad users will be able to receive weather warnings once their device runs iOS 6. There is also an option to opt out of warnings in the Settings menu represented by the usual on/off iOS toggle button.





Further details on the new emergency alert system in iOS 6 are unknown as Apple did not detail the new feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote this week.

The U.S. government's Wireless Emergency Alert system went live just last month. Carriers already offer users the ability to receive alerts to customers via text message, without the need for support from mobile operating systems.

6-15-12

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[sparkyscott21]

We’re still digging up new iOS 6 features.

It’s been a week since Apple released its first iOS 6 beta, and we’re still digging up new features. We reported some improvements to the keyboard this morning, and now we’ve found some enhancements to Spotlight and wallpaper settings.

Again, like the keyboard improvements, these are only minor changes to the iOS operating system. But seeing as we’re all excited for iOS 6, we figured you’d like to know about them.

Firstly, when searching Spotlight on your iOS devices, apps built by Apple have small black Apple logos next to their name. Here are some examples:





Second, in the wallpaper Settings menu, you finally see a live preview of your home screen — complete with app badges — rather than the default iOS home screen:

6-18-12

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[sparkyscott21]

Mail in iOS 6 shows mini app previews when you click an App Store link.

Traditionally, clicking on App Store links in iOS was a very jarring experience. Instead of being taken to an App Store preview page, like you are on the desktop, you would be immediately thrown out of your current app, and shuffled over to the App Store. This problem seems to be alleviated with iOS 6, at least to some extent.

In a screenshot tweeted to Cult Of Mac’s Alex Heath, Nikolai Baker shares that when you click on an App Store link in Mail, you are now presented with a mini App Store window, instead of being launched into the app itself.

This is a welcome addition to iOS 6, and certainly streamlines the process of working with apps. This new feature is also present on the iPhone, and looks nearly identical to the iPad screenshot above.

Unfortunately, as of now, no other apps seem to get this feature. In Safari, you are only presented with a dialog box asking for permission to open the link with the App Store. Other apps, such as Messages and Notes pull you out of the current app just as before.

While full, system-wide support for these previews would be a nice addition, what we have now is a step in the right direction, and hopefully we’ll see this come to other apps soon. Until then, we can only dream about a day when all our App Store links have mini previews.

6-18-12

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[sparkyscott21]

Bye bye.

With every new OS it releases, Apple manages to make some previously essential third-part apps obsolete. And iOS6 is no exception. In fact, the new iOS might even hold a record for the number of apps that it has rendered useless. Let’s take a look.


Instapaper (Again)

Safari added Reading List a while back, and everybody said that it would kill Instapaper. But nobody used it. Why? Because you need to be online to read your saved articles, whereas Instapaper saves them for offline reading.

Now, Reading List has offline syncing, which means that you can save an article on your Mac and have it ready on your iPhone next time you ride the subway.

You or I probably won’t give up on Instapaper, but I sure won’t bother to tell my Mom about it. We live in different countries, so it’ll be a lot easier to just let her use the simple built-in option.

Handoff

Handoff is an app and service which lets you hand off web pages from your desktop to any other registered device. A push notification is sent, you tap it and the page opens in the Handoff app, and from there you can choose to open it in Safari.

I use it quite a lot, but now that iOS6 and Mountain Lion use iCloud Tabs, I will be retiring the app and the extension. ICloud Tabs lets you browse the open tabs on your other devices right from Safari. It’s easy and it’s automatic.

BoxCar

BoxCar is a super-useful notification app, kind of like Growl for iOS, and I use it for one thing — to alert me when any one of a small group of friends and family sends me an email. But now that iOS Mail can send me a custom alert for anyone in the new VIP list, I don’t need it. Better still, VIP alerts happen on the device itself, whereas I have to forward my Gmail to BoxCar for it to work — I have no reason to doubt BoxCar’s integrity, but it still makes me nervous.

Of course, BoxCar it isn’t really in any danger of going away as it offers alerts for so many other things, but with FaceBook and Twitter integration in iOS, that list is getting ever shorter.

Any Alarm App

I have bought countless clock and alarm apps for the iPad, and now I’ll probably dump them all, as the new Clocks app does everything that they do, plus one thing they can’t. Third-party apps can only play a song as an alarm if the app is in the foreground. If it’s in the background the best it can do is a beeping alert.

Clocks doesn’t have this limitation, so you can set it and forget it, fall asleep and then — eight hours later — wake up to your favorite tunes.

Skype

Now that FaceTime calls can be made over cellular networks, Skype is pretty much redundant for me. And good riddance, because I hate the stupid thing. Skype’s big advantage is its huge installed user base. Every member of my family uses it and so do all of my friends. But BlackBerry’s also used to be super-popular, and so did MySpace.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end.

Flight Tracking Apps

Passbook takes a swipe at so many different kinds of app that it’s hard to begin, but it’s the flight-tracking apps like FlightTrack and TripIt that will get hit the hardest.

These apps allow you to forward a confirmation e-mail for your upcoming flights and it will be parsed and sent to the iOS app, and displayed with lots of relevant information.

But who will use that when Passbook can hold your boarding passes, update them with the gate number and even warn you — via location services — when you’re in the wrong terminal. Nobody, that’s who.

Google

The headline Google-baiting feature is the amazing new Maps app, but it goes deeper than that. With the updates to Siri, you pretty much never need to search Google at all. And even if Siri queries Google behind the scenes, you’ll never see an ad unless you actually visit Google.com in a browser.

Add to this the great new mail app which now lets you attach photos properly and designate VIPS and Gmail looks a lot less attractive too.

Not convinced? What about the new phone features which let you manage your phone calls in a much more powerful manner? Google Voice anyone?

6-24-12

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[sparkyscott21]

As noted by MacMagazine.com.br, the latest beta of the iOS 6-based Apple TV software now allows users to reorder the icons on the main menu page.

The feature is accessed by holding down the center Select button on the remote for several seconds, after which the selected icon begins to wiggle as is seen on other iOS devices when in reorder/delete mode. The wiggling icon can then be moved by using the directional buttons on the remote, with other icons automatically adjusting to make room for the icon being moved.

One difference in icon reordering between the Apple TV and other iOS devices is that the lack of a touch interface means that only one icon at a time can be selected and moved on the Apple TV. On other iOS devices, touching any icon for several seconds causes all icons to wiggle and multiple icons can be moved or deleted before exiting the mode. There is also no sign yet of an ability to delete or hide unused icons on the Apple TV menu.

On the current Apple TV software, holding the Select button for several seconds puts the device to sleep, and it is unclear whether this functionality is being discontinued or reassigned to a different remote shortcut.

6-27-12

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[sparkyscott21]

Apple unveiled their much awaited next generation mobile operating system - iOS 6 at last week's WWDC 2012 Keynote, which has over 200 new features and improvements.

We've already covered some of the major new features, but to make it easier for you to take a quick look at all the new features and changes in iOS 6, we've created this comprehensive list, which already includes more than 100 new features and changes.

Maps

Turn-by-turn Navigation with Siri Voice powered by Tom Tom (iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later, voice directions for iPhone 4S and 3rd generation iPad only)

Maps are now Apple-sourced instead of using Google sources.

Flyover view for maps gives 3D satellite view (iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later)

Satellite view

Lock Screen integration for turn-by-turn navigation (iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later, voice directions for iPhone 4S and 3rd generation iPad only)

Yelp! integration available for businesses near the user gives provides reviews and information on the business. Allows the user to launch Yelp! from Maps

Info cards of businesses

Real-time traffic information

New Map icon

Check out this article for a detailed walkthrough of the all-new Maps app.

Siri

The new iPad (iPad 3) also gets Siri

Siri can answer sports related queries. So you can now simply speak to Siri and get game schedules, scores, player info and team records. Siri supports baseball, basketball, football, soccer and hockey including a number of sports leagues, listed below:

Italian Serie A

English Premier League

MLS

French Ligue 1

Dutch Eredivisie

Spanish La Liga

German Bundeliga

MLB

NCAA Football

NFL

NBA

NCAA Basketball

WNBA

NHL

By tapping into Rotten Tomatoes' database, Siri can now show you movie reviews and ratings. She can also tell you movie listings based on location or showtime. Movie information is presented in a neat card that aggregates all relevant information, and packages them in a compact view. The information shown includes awards, cast, ratings and trailers. You could even directly ask Siri to play a trailer, which is then played in the movie player. Queries like "who directed a movie", "show me movies starring Scarlett Johanson" are also understood by Siri.

You can now find restaurants based on cuisine, price, location and ratings. Siri is also integrated with Yelp and Open Table, which means you can see reviews, ratings, and photos of restaurants within Siri, and if you like a place you can tell Siri to take you in to the OpenTable app to make a reservation.

Apps can be launched by saying "run <app name>" or "open <app name>" pr "play <game name>"

Facebook updates and Twitter tweets can be posted using Siri.

Siri can read your incoming notifications.

"Eyes Free" feature allowing for cars to integrate with Siri with a mic button on steering wheel and for launching Siri functions. Screen is disabled during Eyes Free mode.

Support for New Languages: Canadian English, Spanish (Spain/Mexico), Italian, Switzerland (Italian), Korean, Mandarin (Mainland China/Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong/Mainland China)

Local Search will be available globally.

Check out this article for a more details about the new features and improvements coming to Siri in iOS 6.

Facebook Integration

Facebook integrated into core applications on iOS 6; similar to Twitter integration in iOS 5

Integrated into Notification Center

Integrated in Siri and APIs for third-party apps

Address book can sync contact information from friends on Facebook

Facebook Events and birthdays in Calendar

Like button is available in the App Store and iTunes Store. So you can like songs, albums, shows, movies, and apps.

Passbook

New app that manages a user's boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, etc. in one app.

Store coupons and gift cards in a wallet-like app

Airplane boarding passes for flights; updates boarding pass information in real time if changes are made

Passbok is time and location enabled, so passes and tickets appear on the lock screen when necessary. You can swipe the notification to access the pass.


Notification System

Status of Notifications synced across iOS devices (also mentioned under iCloud)

"Tap to Tweet" and "Tap to Post" widgets

Message previews can now be toggled off and on for alerts

Customize notifications for each mail account

"Do Not Disturb" toggle, which allows you to suppress all incoming calls (diverted to voicemail) and notifications.

You can check out this article for a detailed walkthrough of the improved Notification System in iOS 6.

Photos

Shared Photo Streams. Photos can be shared with other contacts. Photos shared can be commented on and liked. If you share photos with people who don't have Apple devices, they can view photos on the web.

Get notifications when family and friends share a photo.

Share photo streams don't count against iCloud storage

New sharing menu

Phone

Sliding Phone shortcut (like sliding camera shortcut) that allows you to either "Reply with Message" or "Remind me Later" when you get a call.

Reply with Message - You can use one of the preset messages such as "I'll call you later.", "I'm on my way.", "What's up?" or respond with a custom message to inform the caller than you can't talk right now.

Remind me Later - you can be reminded in an hour, when you get home, when you get to work or when you leave (which sets a geofence around your current locations so that when you leave the meeting or building, you will be reminded to call the person)

Do not disturb toggle, which allows you to suppress all incoming calls unless callers are in your Favorites or from people in a group that you've created in your Contact list. You can also schedule the time when you do not want to be disturbed.

New white themed UI for dial pad.

Check out this article for a detailed walkthrough of the improvements coming to the Mail app in iOS 6.

Mail

Create a VIP list so emails from important people are starred and can be access via the new Mail app

Customize notifications and alert tones for VIP lists

New Mailbox for flagged emails

Attach photos and videos within the Mail app

Added Pull-to-Refresh to update Mail accounts

Open password-protected Microsoft Office documents

Create a signature per email account

Customize notifications for each email account

You can check out this article for a detailed walkthrough of the improvements coming to Safari in iOS 6.

Safari

iCloud tabs - allows users to view a list of tabs opened in the Safari web browser across multiple iOS devices and Macs, so you can pick up from where you left off on any device

Safari saves the web pages and not just the links, so you can read the contents of a webpage without an internet connection

Fullscreen mode in landscape

Smart App Banners: Banners on mobile webpages prompt users to download the website's native App Store counterpart in the App Store

Faster JavaScript engine

Apps in search results

Support for photo upload via Camera Roll

Support up to 24 open tabs on iPad

New Sharing menu with 3 new shortcuts to copy the URL, share the link on Facebook and share the link using Message app

The overscroll background is now the hatched Notification Center pattern.

You can check out this article for a detailed walkthrough of the improvements coming to Safari in iOS 6.

FaceTime

Make FaceTime calls over cellular network (iPhone 4S & 3rd generation iPad only)

Music

New streamlined UI with white and black themes (iPhone/iPod touch only)

The reflection on the new metallic slider's virtual knob changes if you tilt your iPhone from side to side. It uses the gyroscope/accelerometer data.

Late Night Mode equalizer

Check out the screenshots and video of the revamped Music app here.

Contacts

Search All Fields

Custom vibrations for text messages per contact

Reminders

Manual reorder of reminders

Manual location entry for reminders

Displays badges for outstanding tasks

Location based reminders for iPad

App Store

Revamped user interface

Applications can be purchased from within apps

Installing a app no longer takes the user to the home screen. The app will download and install while continuing to browse the store.

Previously purchased app or updating an app no longer requires the iTunes password to be entered

Top 25 tab renamed as Top Charts

iTunes

Revamped user interface

Content can be purchased from within apps

Check out this article for more details about changes coming to the iTunes and App Store apps in iOS 6.

Settings

"Bluetooth" moved to top of Settings list

Added "Do Not Disturb" mode, allowing users to avoid calls and notifications unless calling parties are on the user's Favorites group

Toggles for Government warnings and AMBER alerts

New Settings for Privacy Controls

Brightness and Wallpaper Settings have been merged

Settings for "Store" is now Settings for "iTunes and App Stores"

Settings for Reminders (this used to available in Mail, Contacts, Calendars)

A slightly changed Icon

Accessibilty

Guided Access:

Allows user to lock exiting of the app in Single App Mode.

Allows users to disable certain controls within a specific app.

iCloud

Status of Notifications synced across iOS devices

iCloud tabs in Safari

Personal Dictionary synchronization

Clock

Alarm can be set to any song in Music app

Clock app added to iPad

A slightly changed Icon

Weather

A cleaner and slick new UI

Game Center

Game Center challenges

Facebook friends integration

Camera

HDR improvements

Darker theme

Find My iPhone:

Lost Mode: If iPhone is lost, Lost Mode triggers an alert sound, and prompts the person that finds the iPhone to call a specific number set by the owner remotely

Find My Friends:

Find My Friends app to get geofencing notification system. This will let you set up an alert for contacts in your Find My Friends app; when they leave or arrive at a given location, you’ll receive an alert or banner notification.

Security

Kernel ASLR added

Usage

Time since Last Full Charge for iPod and iPad.

Other

Additional features for China

VoiceOver improvements

Global Network proxy for HTTP

IPv6 support for Wi-Fi and LTE

Word highlights for speech support

Auto Correction for every keyboard

Bluetooth Map support

Improved keyboard layouts

New Thai Keyboard (Full Keyboard)

French, German, and Spanish Dictionaries

"Made for iPhone" hearing aids

A "New" label over freshly installed apps

Status bar reflects the colour of the top-most banner in third-party apps (more details here)

Spotlight lists name of folder an app is located in

Spotlight displays a small black logo next to the name of Apps built by Apple

Support for US Government Wireless Emergency Alerts

Spinning wheel graphic has been finally optimized for Retina Display

When you start or end a quote, the keyboard automatically switches to capital letters after the first and last quotation marks

If you add an Emoji icon after a sentence and you ended that sentence with a period, the keyboard will switch to capitals here

Compatibility:

iOS 6 will be available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, the iPad 2 and the new iPad and the 4th gen iPod touch. However, check out this article to find out the list of features that won't be available for older iOS devices.

Availability:

iOS 6 will be released later this fall. We expect it to be release couple of days before the next generation iPhone is released.

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