Fans of the consumer technology world, specifically Apple related products, will obviously be aware of the fact that when it comes to announcements or releases, the rumor mill always manages to kick into overdrive. Speculation overdrive usually occurs during the standard release schedule for Apple devices, but if the most recent reports are anything to go by then we might be onto something new.
The good folks at Google surprised a few people yesterday when they announced the immediate release of Google Chrome for iOS during the second day of proceedings at the annual I/O conference. Google has obviously recognized that Apple's mobile operating system is in dire need of a worthy competitor, a sentiment that is shared by users as it quickly shot to the top of the download charts on release day.
Google is firing on all cylinders at Google I/O 2012. They’ve announced a new, much improved version of Android – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an accompanying Nexus tablet that’s getting rave reviews, new and updated Google apps and services and, more recently, Google Chrome for iOS devices.
It really isn’t a big secret that the smartphone and tablet industry is an extremely competitive marketplace to be in. The iOS and Android operating systems are undoubtedly the two major players in this space, with Apple having sold more than 250 million iPhones in the last five years following the original launch and Google currently activating 1 million Android devices every day. The competition between the two platforms has always been a fierce one, but with Apple announcing their own mapping system in iOS 6 to rival the tried and tested Google Maps, the competition has ramped up another notch.
Google is on a roll at I/O, with the second day of proceedings again bringing in a number of notable announcements and releases that will certainly please iOS users. Day two of the event is well underway with delegates and attending developers being informed that Google's Chrome browser has been released for iPhone and iPad and is now available for download immediately.
If day two of the annual Google I/O conference has taught us anything, it is that Google clearly recognizes the need to offer native experiences of their services to the millions of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners around the world. Today, Google has announced the official Drive app for iOS along with an update to Docs which brings offline editing support to users.
As of right now, the existing consumer tablet market is dominated and was essentially created by Apple when it released the first iPad. Since then, Microsoft and Google have been working to catch up and get their foot in the door of this Apple-dominated market. Google's Android tablet OS has managed to gain some ground, and we can expect Windows 8 tablets to hit the shelves later this year. However, in the past two weeks, both Microsoft and Google have announced special tablet hardware devices that they hope will help them gain even more ground in this market.
Google I/O 2012 has so far exceeded all expectations I had from the event. The number and variety of announcements is enough to rival Apple’s at WWDC. So far, we’ve seen an updated version of Android (4.1 Jelly Bean), a Nexus tablet, a show-stopping Google Glasses demo and, the news we will be discussing in this post, new Google+ apps and features. Check it out after the jump.
A few days back we reported that Apple might give Podcasts a brand new home in iOS 6 with a dedicated app on its own. In a rather interesting move, Apple has pushed out the said app for iPhone and iPad users and it does exactly what it says on the tin, brings all your podcasts in one place for you to consume/enjoy on your device.
Apple has invested a lot of time and money into their mobile devices and the advanced iOS software that powers them. Hardware such as the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are some of the most powerful examples of mobile consumer tech on the market today, with Apple's mobile operating system being the perfect companion, thanks to its advanced features and elegant aesthetics.
