The Biggest New Features of iOS 6

As many of you know, today is Apple's WWDC event where one of tech's (or rather, the world's) biggest companies announced several changes coming to their products. Most notably, iOS 6, Apple's newest operating system that's coming this Fall was unveiled.

Below is a rundown of the key features of the operating system:

Maps - Rumors about this feature have been in and out of blogosphere for weeks now, and a lot of people think that Apple Maps has Google running a little scared. And now that it's been officially unveiled, it looks like the search giant should be scared. With iOS 6, iDevices will cease to rely on Google Maps and will instead feature Apple's very own. Maps offers turn-by-turn navigation, interactive 3D views, and even a Flyover feature that lets you view metro areas from the air. Additionally, Maps offers real-time traffic information, allowing you to update your route and schedule accordingly. This traffic feature doesn't just calculate your ETA, it also offers details on what's causing a backup. Need to get a more local feel of location? Maps has Local Search which gives you basic information-phone numbers, address, websites, and Yelp ratings-of a given establishment.

A More Intelligent Siri - Everyone knows that Siri can "learn" things. Everything that you say to Siri gets sent back to Apple to be analyzed. Needless to say, Apple took all that data and used it to give Siri an upgrade. The official iOS 6 page says that "Siri understands more languages, works in more countries, and is available on the new iPad." In addition, Siri can now give you the latest scores and stats for your sports teams, as well as provide details for movie reviews, theaters, and show times. Need to find your way around? Siri integrates with Maps allowing you to get turn-by-turn directions just by speaking to your phone. Another notable update is that Siri can now launch apps for you, no tapping required. "Say "Launch Flight Tracker" or "Open Where's My Water" and Siri does just that. You can even use Siri to post Facebook updates and tweet for you, too."

Facebook - Apple and Facebook sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Yep, speculations of the close relationship between these two companies have been circling for quite some time now, and today, Apple confirmed it. Facebook is integrated throughout iOS 6 and Apple guarantees that you will "Like" it. Facebook integration allows you to share photos to Facebook straight from your camera or photos as well as check into the social network right from Maps. Need to post a status update? Type it right from iOS, or better yet, ask Siri to do it for you. All your friends information, from contact details to their birthday are also incorporated into your iPhone Calendar and Contacts.

Passbook - Ever wanted to store all your "scannable" items (i.e. boarding passes, coupons, movie passes, loyalty cards,) all in one place? Thanks to Apple's Passbook, now you can. Not only can you store them all in one place, but Passbook also gives you all the important information that you need to know, such as expiration dates, available balance, etc. "Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place - like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you've checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you're not relaxing in the wrong terminal."

More Call Options - iOS now gives you more options in terms of handling your incoming calls. Instead of the usual "Answer" or "Decline" prompt, iOS 6 now offers more options. If you can't take the call, you can choose to either reply with a preset text message or set a callback reminder.

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