Apple will be hosting their World Wide Developers Conference today in San Francisco with the Cupertino company is expected to unveil iOS 6, a new line of MacBook’s and possibly a new SDK for Apple TV.
It was confirmed last night that Apple would launch a new iOS software upgrade for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch after 9to5 mac snapped pictures of banners all but confirming its launch at the conference later today.
The last time Apple upgraded iOS was last year and this year's version is set to make a wholesale changes to the mobile operating system.
New Apple Maps
One of the major changes for iOS 6 is that Google Maps will be given the chop in favour of an Apple-branded version of maps.
It's thought that the Cupertino company will instate their own version which they have been working on in-house for the last year. Over the last couple of years Apple has acquired three mapping companies in able to build their own app and it's expected to come with a brand-new user interface and new 3D features.
Deeper Facebook Integration For iOS6
Apple started to bake Twitter intergration directly into iOS 4 giving users the ability to tweet from within native apps such as Contact and Photos. Well, it is now thought Facebook will get the same treatment with the ability to upload photos directly to Facebook, bypassing the Facebook app altogether.
Details remain sketchy at the moment, but it's thought that intergration of Facebook will go a lot further than Twitter went - so don't be surprised to see Facebook contacts, chat, email and more.
Siri for iPad
The next change expected is Siri is expected to make her debut on iPad. This marks the end of iPhone 4S exclusivity which iPhone users have enjoyed for several months. The mild-mannered assistant will work in much the same way as it has on the iPhone, although it will not run full screen, leaving the user to be able to read and view the background around it.
New MacBooks With Retina Display
Hardware-wise Apple is expected to show off a new range of MacBooks that will come with new Retina Displays – while the chasis and case isn’t expected to change – the new Ivy Bridge processor and screen should make the new MacBook world’s best specced laptop.
The Retina display was outed by Apple themselves after an update to OSX Lion came with app icons that had increased from 512×512 to 1024×1024 which points to a resolution of 2160 p – that’s twice the resolution of 1080p.
Third Party Apps Coming To Apple TV
If the speculation turns out to be true, it would doubtless be accompanied by an App Store to sit alongside the current Mac and iOS offerings.
Aside from apps like Youtube, Netflix and a few US sports app – Apple TV is about as barron as you can get for an app-centric piece of hardware – with the new SDK it we could be seeing Sky Go, iPlayer, 4OD, Lovefilm and the like making the jump to Apple TV soon.
Despite a poor selection of apps and services, the £99 Apple TV set-top box does have its unique uses, thanks to the AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring within iOS. It also acts as a portal for iTunes Match and Photostream.
If they do announce a SDK for Apple TV this will mean their app eco-sysyem will be in place well before the real Apple TV land sometime next year.
