WWDC Recap: iOS 6

75% of iOS 5 users are said to be very satisfied, and Apple intends to keep it that way.

To do this, one iOS 6 update is major changes to Siri. Cook already says that Siri can do so much in the 8 months of development, but it can do a whole lot more. With the upgraded Siri, you can ask questions such as “What was the score of the last Mets game?” and Siri will answer. This follows suit for just about any question you ask her, including real-time updates and schedules. Siri has also partnered with Open Table, so you can now make reservations from Siri. Siri also knows a lot about movies. She can search for showtimes in a specific theater, brings up ratings and review from Rotten Tomatoes, and can search movies by actors and directors. Additionally, you can launch apps with Siri, by saying something such as “Play Temple Run” (which launches Temple Run). You can also listen to notifications and write tweets with Siri.

Another upgrade is a feature called Eyes Free. It is Siri being integrated into cars, which allows you to bring up Siri using a button on the steering wheel. Automobile partners include BMW, GM, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Honda. These have all committed to Siri integration by the next 12 months.

Siri is also going international with support for English and French in Canada, Spanish (Spain, Mexico, and US), Italian and Swiss, Korean, Mandarin (Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong), and Mandarin and Cantonese (mainland China). You can also search globally now, as opposed to just US searches.

Facebook, just as expected, is getting integrated into iOS 6 for a fast and clean user experience (just like Twitter was integrated in iOS 5). This allows users to post to Facebook from a variety of apps, including locations on maps, websites from Safari, your own app, etc. You can also see FB updates in the Notification Center, just like Twitter. Siri also gets Facebook integration. This same Facebook integration will be available in Mountain Lion.

Other iOS 6 features are nifty too! These include more options on phone calls. If you can’t answer the phone right away, you can reply with a message or set a reminder to call the person back later, all with the touch of a button.

Do Not Disturb is a great addition to iOS 6, which allows notifications such as texts, app updates, etc to show up in the Notification Center of your phone, but not light up the screen or make any noise or vibration. This comes in handy in a meeting or when you’re sleeping. A bypass was also created in iOS6, which allows notifications from certain numbers to come through.

Facetime is also receiving an update, which allows users to Facetime over their cellular data (previously, one could only Facetime over a Wifi network).

In iOS 6, your phone number and Apple ID are also notified. This means if you’re called to Facetime on your phone number, you can answer it on your iPad or even Mac.

Just like in Mountain Line, iOS 6 will feature iCloud Tabs and offline reading lists.

You can also upload photos straight from Safari. Safari also adds fullscreen support in the iPhone’s landscape mode.

Another addition is Smart App Banners, which alerts users if you have a native app available when they visit your website. If they already have your native app installed, the banner will launch the app instead of iTunes.

The new iOS Photo Stream now allows you to share certain photos with certain friends, who will receive push notifications of those photos. Also, these photo streams go to your Mac in iPhoto and Aperture, a Windows machine in a web browser, and on your TV with Apple TV.

The Mail app is also going to have some improvements, with a new VIP mailbox. This allows you to see only very important messages from certain people. You can also now pull to refresh in your Mail inbox.

A new default app is also included in iOS. It’s called Passbook, which allows you to keep all your passes, such as airline tickets, movie tickets, coupons, etc, all in one place. When you get to the theater, your ticket automatically comes up on your lockscreen, which features improved location-based alerts.

There are also some new accessibility features and guided apps for iOS 6, which allows parents greater control over iOS devices in their children’s hands.

The default Maps app has also been revamped, as expected. It has been built entirely from scratch using only Apple servers, etc. The icon is also new and refreshed, as is the interface. Local search brings up reviews, ratings, and photos of local businesses. The Traffic View shows where accidents or slow traffic are. Turn-by-turn navigation is also introduced in the new Maps app, which includes an ETA based on real-time traffic. The new Maps app is also integrated with Siri, who can answer questions such as “Are we there yet?” with a time estimate and read turn-by-turn directions. Flyover is another new Maps feature, which offers users a 3D model of major metropolitan areas.

Another important point is that all main maps are vector-based, meaning you can rotate labels and zoom in and out seamlessly in both 3D and 2D.

The other 200 features include improved privacy controls, redesigned stores, lost mode (which sends a phone number automatically to a lost iDevice), Game Center challenges, per-account signature in Mail, made-for-iPhone hearing aids, Voiceover improvements, personal dictionary in iCloud.

iOS 6 also comes with new APIs for developers. Devs can also get iOS 6 today.

iOS 6 supports the iPhone 3GS+ and the later, third-generation iPad, the iPod Touch.