iOS 6 Boring or Not?

[joemailey]

So I've got the Beta, have to admit I'm not really that fussed on it.

Nothing has really changed that much.

The highlight probably being the Facebook integration for.

Maps won't affect me too much, as I'll use it the same way I used google maps. Apple should really add a cache function to the app, allowing me to cache say the UK & Ireland or USA if I'm on holiday so it doesn't need a data connection.

There is a few addictions/fixes like being able to add pictures to emails.

Althou I can't think of anything that makes me think wow, that's a great feature I can't wait to use it or I'll use that all the time.

Which makes me wonder, where will we end up with mobile OS's?? I can't actually think of any features I'd like or need added to iOS at the minute.

One feature I'd like on my iPad is the ability to send/recieve txt msgs by pairing my phone or something. Similar to HP Touchpad and there palm pre if I recall correctly.

[Guest]

I think Apple might be playing it a little too safe with iOS. On one hand, they have a great OS that works but they're changing it in a very gingerly fashion.

Having said that, it's the way Apple have done things for a long time, they stick with what they have for long periods, making evolutionary changes rather than huge leaps. The huge leaps do come, but it's when they don't seem to have a new direction for what they already have. It's sort of when they don't have anything they can add, they start again with the stuff that people really want and use, culling old and (to most people) useless features and start to build up again.

Oh and on the issue of maps caching, I think a fully detailed map of a whole country would be huge, even if it is vector based. I'm not against the idea of caching but I do think it's unrealistic to cache much more than a medium sized city, I doubt there's the capacity there to cache the whole of London in full detail really.

[richardsim7]

I really like the Phone app improvements :)

[game_over]

I was talking about this over Twitter last night. While the updates are 'nice', it's barely even worthy of a full incremental number update, i know numbers don't really mean much these days but iOS5.5 would of been more fitting... nothing has really changed. That being said, i've not used it yet.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

Boring. Massively underwhelming.

It took them until version SIX of ios to allow us to attach files from the compose email screen, and you can STILL only attach pictures and videos...not iWork or other documents.

Big yawn from me.

Oh and the "worlds best Facebook integration" is a lie. The htc desire, released two years ago, had better.

[stevember]

It would be nice trying out Siri on the iPad 3 (sorry new iPad) but apart from that it is quite disappointing.

[Dan~]

I agree with the map cacing I kinda hoped they had done it.

Regarding the size, there is a free GPS app which iirc is only 500MB or so, which isnt a great deal tbh, I've still yet to download it

[CPressland]

I'm quite enjoying it on the one device that has successfully updated. The others are all still stuck on activation... sigh..,.

[RichardK]

Probably to lessen the impact of all the iPad 1 users who will surely be upset by being cut off from new updates.

I know for me, I had planned on purchasing an iMac when they are refreshed, but not anymore. The iPad is not the same as an iPod or iPhone and was marketed as an alternative/replacement for laptops/netbooks. But for them to cut off new updates so quickly, they are going to suffer some backlash for it, not only from regular users, but from schools and enterprise customers as well. I know our company is not so Gung Ho on using iPads anymore and will probably be phasing them out altogether.

Maybe if Apple would institute some sort of trade up plan, where you could trade in your unsupported devices for ones that are supported, they might save face.

[Vice]

From what I could see most of the new features are for the iPhone side of things. I think it's a nice update.

[joemailey]

Oh and on the issue of maps caching, I think a fully detailed map of a whole country would be huge, even if it is vector based. I'm not against the idea of caching but I do think it's unrealistic to cache much more than a medium sized city, I doubt there's the capacity there to cache the whole of London in full detail really.

Nav Free the free GPS map program is small enough. The maps don't need to be of great detail. I doubt I'd or most probably would really care about the massive amounts of detail whilst driving and using it like a normal satnav.

I'm pretty sure I'd struggle to drive from Belfast to Dublin with a reliable signal to keep the map moving along and loading properly. Plus you'd only need to cache the map when you aer planning a journey or holiday. So the ability to delete the cache once you are done with it would be enough.

[sundayx Veteran]

Most functionality probably might end up being announced with the next iPhone. One can imagine.

[Lingwo]

It was a nice update. Nothing really i could see myself benefiting from. Really though i can't think of anything the iPhone needs. They seemed to have covered a lot of the major features it needed (notifications, multitasking). Now they've added step by step navigation. I think really the phone doesn't need much else. Just improve on the features that they already have.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Compared to other iOS updates, they did a really nice job with 6. Lots of new features and the new map app should be great.

Not sure why people were expecting a massive overhaul with this update. It's an update, not a new OS...

[+John. Subscriber¹]

iOS 6 on the current devices is fairly underwhelming. The new maps are nice, the phone improvements are lovely and the tweet/fb buttons on the notification pane are very useful. That aside, there's nothing else really that catches my eye.

The store redesigns, whilst refreshing, are very different from all other apps on the phone, and the music player looks very confused. When a song is playing with dark or busy cd art, the top controls are almost unreadable.

[sanctified Veteran]

Since when an OS it's supposed to be "fun" or not to be "boring" :huh: honest question.

An OS, above all, must be functional.

[Rippleman]

Where you guys hoping for strippers and a keg? It's a mobiles OS, how exciting can it get? From what I read, I am happy about it when it comes to the masses. Siri on iPad isa something I am looking forward to very much.

[SMELTN]

Question. I was going to install iOS6 on my iphone 4s last night but read on the apple site that you can not downgrade back to 5.1.1 if you want to, so I didn't install it.

Is this true? Can you not go back down to 5.1.1 if you dont like it or it gives you problems?

[what]

Why would iOS need to be 'entertaining' when you have half a million apps to load onto your phone? :huh:

[joemailey]

So no turn by turn navigation for iPhone 4 or iPad 2. Not surprising really, as during the key note siri read out the directions, which automatically made me think it wouldn't be available on devices without siri.

When Apple launches iOS 6 this fall, iPhone 4 users won't be able to use turn-by-turn directions or Flyover in the new Maps application, as that functionality is limited to the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and third-generation iPad.

[Mr.XXIV]

I think it's pure gold.

[joemailey]

Why would iOS need to be 'entertaining' when you have half a million apps to load onto your phone? :huh:

My main point was what else does it need? I can't think of anything. which makes me wonder why all the fan boys argue so much about the different OS's.

Surely iOS/Andriod and WP8 will all be hitting brick walls with what they do.

Apple sort of kick started the new OS side of things, when they released iOS, it forced everyone to focus more on touch OS's. But once they become developed to extent iOS is. What will come next? We're almost at the stage where updates just contain bug fixes and security fixes. As there isn't very many ground breaking features that can be added now.

[Shadrack]

I think it feels underwhelming because all previous versions have brought in some BIG features all of which are things that most users use EVERY DAY!

I'm sure people will appreciate this update over iOS5, but I too think there isn't much there; at least nothing that is near as significant as the features that came with previous versions.

[sanctified Veteran]

I think it feels underwhelming because all previous versions have brought in some BIG features all of which are things that most users use EVERY DAY!

I'm sure people will appreciate this update over iOS5, but I too think there isn't much there; at least nothing that is near as significant as the features that came with previous versions.

Nothing significant for you at least. More languages for Siri it's a godsend for the rest of us in the world.

[LaP]

I don't expect to have a whole new OS with a lot of changes for my iPod Touch 4th generation. Specially if the upgrade is free. If iOS 6 is free then i don't see the problem. It's an update to the OS coming with my iPOd Touch 4. In fact i call this very good support.

I would expect the next big update to iOS to come with the new iPod Touch 5 and iPhone 5 sometime next year and not be avalaible to 4th generation of iPhone and iPod or be sold for people owning those devices.