Apple iOS 6

Apple's iOS 6 is more of an incremental update than a game-changer, but with more than 200 features there is plenty to like here. Outside of the new Maps app, Passbook, and new Siri functions, most of the changes are small, but the total package is more than its individual parts.

The update will make your iPhone experience better, more efficient, and easier to use. Sure, some of the new features have long existed on other devices, and on some they're better, but that's not really the point. Rather, Apple again has managed to smooth out the rough edges and offer a solid experience across the board.

Maps
With the Google Maps app gone from the device, Apple now has its own in-house-built app, and it's a big improvement on a lot of fronts. Vector-based graphics make text and details easy to read, and swiping to pan and two-finger touch rotation are both very smooth -- even at full zoom.

Several cities are ready for you to explore.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

On newer iOS devices like the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and the new iPad, you also get 3D views, directions with voice, and flyover features. The 3D and flyover views are truly beautiful to look at, with several cities now supported showing detailed views of buildings on all sides at an impressively high frame rate. The experience of virtually touring a city is breathtaking in that "look what technology can do!" sense, but its actual usefulness in your everyday iOS device use is questionable. I like the feature, and it's really well implemented, but once I've browsed all the available cities, how much am I really going to use the feature besides when I'm showing off to friends?

The 3D views have an alternate use, however. The directions with voice features let you set a destination (with Siri dictation on newer devices), then switch to 3D to get a nice looking illustrated view (if you're iPhone is mounted on your dashboard, for example) as you get turn-by-turn directions on your way to your destination. With the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and the new iPad, Siri will speak the directions for you, but the feature is still useful on earlier devices; it just means you'll need to glance to see what the next direction is on your trip.

While extremely useful and well-thought-out, turn-by-turn directions is a feature that has been on Android phones for a long time. But like many of the additions in iOS 6, they will be very welcome for people with iOS devices while nothing new to users of other smartphones. Maps also uses real-time traffic conditions to show where the slow spots are and will give you new routes based on live traffic data. Again, this is not a new feature for smartphones, but will still be very useful to iOS users.

I have to note, though, that Apple's Maps have a flip side. They have their high points, but they also take users away from the Google mapping services that they've long used. So not only are Google Maps no longer integrated, but also you're further walled into Apple's ecosystem.

Siri
Launched alongside the iPhone 4S, Siri was one of the most-talked-about (no pun intended) features of Apple's previous handset. Siri was impressive, but limited in its debut, acting mostly as a feature for answering trivia questions and plenty of viral videos of people saying: "Look what I made Siri say!" It certainly had practical uses, such as finding nearby restaurants, accessing Wolfram Alpha, giving you meeting reminders, and much more, but the reception among users seemed to focus more on trying to stump Siri or simply relishing the novelty of a phone that could talk back to you. On the Galaxy S III Samsung has a similar app called S-Voice and Jessica Dolcourt wrote a comparison of the features.

Siri gives you the latest movies in a list powered by Rotten Tomatoes.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

With iOS 6, Apple has given Siri features to make it more of an integral method for interacting with the iPhone. With the added capabilities of opening apps, remembering recent questions, and more integration with commonly used functions on your iPhone, Siri will be much more useful across the board. You'll now be able to ask Siri for sports scores and get a nice-looking scoreboard right in the Siri window that you can tap for more info. Similarly, ask Siri about movies and she brings up a Rotten Tomatoes movie listing interface without having to open external apps. New Yelp integration will give you more information about restaurants, like hours and cuisine types. None of this is groundbreaking, but it's certainly useful. Of course you can still make calls, set reminders and alarms, check the weather, and schedule meetings. But added functionality also lets you get directions (as mentioned in the Maps section above), post to Facebook or Twitter, dictate texts and e-mails, and more.

New Eyes Free features announced at WWDC will bring Siri into your car, but they're still not available at the time of the iOS 6 release. Apple is reportedly working with car manufacturers such as Toyota, GM, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, and Audi to let you use Siri from the steering wheel. You'll get spoken alerts without the screen lighting up, but the car integration means that you'll be able to use Siri safely and without taking your hands off the wheel. We still have no hard release date, but Apple said its partners would complete integration for new vehicles within the next 12 months (starting in June).

Get the latest standings without opening an app.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Nevertheless, with Siri's integration across more of the iPhone's (and new iPad's) core features, it will be interesting to see how users react, but its clear Apple wants us to take Siri more seriously (Siriously?). As it becomes available to the millions of people upgrading to the iPhone 5, we'll have to wait and see just how useful it is for iPhone owners.

Passbook
With Passbook, Apple says you can store and quickly access electronic versions of your admission tickets, airline or train boarding passes, merchant loyalty cards, and coupons all in one place. This feature will be for iPhone models only. While there are no services available to test this at the time of this review, on the whole, it does appear to be pretty simple. The clean interface stack shows a list of all your passes, which you can open to see the necessary bar codes and QR codes. The feature will alert you to changes to time-based events (like a flight delay or gate change) and it can use location to sense when you're near a merchant and display the necessary card even when the lock screen is on. Finally, when you delete a card it will be virtually "shredded" on the screen. Remember that this is the way Apple described Passbook at the announcement, but I will have more on this later as the features become available.

Though we won't know how well Passbook works until Apple activates it with the official iOS 6 release, it's intriguing and I suspect that it could serve as a convenient way to organize your passes and cards instead of having them scattered around in different apps and e-mails. Still, it's obvious that this is Apple's way of getting around not adding NFC to its phones. Like with the new Maps feature, it's a way of keeping users in Apple's universe rather than giving them a feature everyone else has. Not shocking, but still worth noting. Check back later for a full review of Passbook when it goes live. Furthermore, expect a separate post that compares Passbook with Google Wallet.

Just like Twitter in iOS 5, you can post a quick status to Facebook.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Facebook integration
After tight Twitter integration in iOS 5, Facebook finally gets the same treatment in iOS 6. You can now post pictures and video directly to your account without using the Facebook app, but there's more to it than that. In Safari, you can now use the Share button to share a link to your Facebook friends with just a couple of clicks. As mentioned previously, you'll be able to use Siri to post status updates and you'll see better syncing between your device and Facebook photos, calendar, events, and birthdays. Lastly, you'll be able to "Like" apps, television shows, and movies in the App Store.

Of all the new features, this is the one that excites us the least. A recent upgrade to the Facebook app has made it much faster and easier to use, and anyone without a Facebook account (they exist!) simply won't care. But having Facebook accessible from the photo library to quickly post photos and the ability to post a status from several apps will surely be useful for Facebook fans. And the added ability to pull friends and birthdays into your Contact list and Calendar on your iPhone is definitely handy (though it will make your contact list much bigger). Hopefully, the added integration won't encourage your already attention-seeking friends to overshare even more.

Phone controls
Yes, I'm as surprised as you are, but the iPhone can also make calls. Apple reminded us of that fact by adding new features to the Phone app. With iOS 6 you'll be able to reply to an incoming call with a text message or ask to receive a reminder about the call later. The former will be useful for when you're in a meeting or out for a meal. When using the latter option you can set the reminder to come at a specific time (like in an hour) or when you arrive or leave a specific location (like home or work).

The way it works is, when you have an incoming call, a little phone icon shows up down near the unlock (or answer call) bar. While the phone is still ringing, simply swipe it upward to reveal buttons to reply with a message or remind me later. You get a few canned options from Apple to tell the caller "I'll call you later," "I'm on my way," or "What's up?" or you can touch a Custom button to type in your own reply. For a reminder, your options are to be reminded in an hour or when you leave your current location.

CBS Interactive 19 Sep, 2012

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