OK, so Apple is not good at maps. We’ve firmly established this. And this has crested a wave of carping that Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs, which, well, duh. They had different parents, and we can’t clone humans yet. Also they think that Tim Cook is not the magical product wizard that Steve Jobs obviously is, ignoring little problems with that image like the G4 Cube, the Apple TV, and Apple’s relentless wave of also-ran imitator software. They say that Steve Jobs would never have released iOS 6, because it’s terrible.
One problem with that theory, though: Maps aside, iOS 6 is actually a great little piece of software.
Is it an urgent download that you must have? Not particularly. Mostly what it is is a collection of ideas, tweaks and updates that make the iOS software easier to use and more convenient. None of it on its own is revolutionary, but taken together, it’s incredibly useful stuff. I tried it out on the iPhone 4S since, let’s face it, a fair chunk of humanity will be using it on that phone, and I found it an interesting upgrade in many respects.
Take Passbook. That it has no NFC connectivity is annoying and a blatant attempt to keep Google Wallet away from the iPhone. But for what it is, namely a collection of handy bar codes and miscellaneous crap you need to get at quickly, it’s fairly efficient and quite useful.
It’s really the little touches that work. Siri can now look up sports scores, for example. Everything is more streamlined. It’s a really nice piece of software. But apparently because some bald guy died, we’re not supposed to like it anymore. Ah well. Too bad. And it was such nice software, too.
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NFC to me seems like a technology in search of a problem to solve.
To be fair, I use it on my Nexus 7 occasionally for Google Beam and with Google Wallet on there as a backup, and it can be incredibly handy. I’m not sold on its “revolutionary” promise either, but unlike most hyped tech, it’s actually useful.
iOS 6 does sound pretty good, but besides using it as an actual phone the thing I use my phone the most for is maps, so I’m waiting until it gets fixed or google comes out with their maps app.
With that said, Cook-Jobs is a pretty ridiculous comparison. Steve Jobs was an ego-maniacal asshole who should thank Buddha that Microsoft got neutered with the Anti-Trust penalties that they received back in the early 2000′s. I’m saying this as an owner of an iPhone and a Macbook Pro. Besides, people always complain about something when a new software version comes out.
True, but I remember when the iPhone came out, it was like the second coming of every major religious figure, which then formed a bitchin’ rock band.
Five years later: “The iPhone 5 Is Finally The Phone We Wanted!” (Actual headline I saw.)
Since I upgraded on my iPhone 4 I’ve notice my battery life drains about 45% faster than it did on Wednesday.
I’m not surprised. My gut tells me that on the iPhone 5 it’s efficient but not anywhere else.
it’s funny, i use maps more for gps then for a search engine. the old app sucked balls for that, the new one is a decent navigator, not the best out there, but much better then what it was.
So really, they turned their map into a navigation system.
The iCloud Safari page swapper is pretty cool, as is the Do Not Disturb setting. Only used the maps once, I have no idea why the 3D of two-tone polygon blocks are of any use on a phone. Most of it (except the stupidity of releasing the Map thing when it is still Beta quality) seems like it should be iOS 5.5.
Nice though, so far.