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.
Owners and lovers of devices running the Android operating system will regularly tell you that one of the shortcomings of iOS is the fact that the visuals of the software can't really be customized in any way. While this may be true for stock installations of Apple's mobile operating system, performing a jailbreak on the device leaves the whole system open to intense customization.
If you happen to be one of the 900+ million registered Facebook members and are also a keen user of the iPhone, then the chances are high that you are aware of Facebook’s miserable mobile app experience. The official Facebook app has been around for quite some time on the iPhone and iPod touch, undergoing a few design changes along the way, but is not getting any better when we talk about the overall performance.
If you’re an iPhone owner since 2007, the introduction of iOS 6 may represent what seems like the passing of an old friend as Apple cast out the old and brought in the new with the replacement of Google Maps with their own mapping system. A large group of users are willing to embrace change and really have no opinion on the situation, but with Google providing a tried and tested comprehensive mapping experience, some are understandably skeptical about the whole affair.
The official iOS App Store is packed to the brims with apps, so much that Apple is actually in the process of rewriting their search algorithms to allow better experiences on the store. Out of all the apps which Apple accept and allow on the store, some of the most popular offerings live within the Social Networking category. The WhatsApp mobile app is undoubtedly the most popular out of those, consistently sitting at the top of the download charts with over fifty million downloads.
Whenever Apple announces a new major build of iOS, it is always seeded to registered developers in the first instance, with the theory being that they can test out their apps for compatibility and ready them for the final build and also file bug reports which they find with Apple. In that sense, Apple tends to treat their registered developers as there own tried and trusted software testers, something that has worked out well historically.
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.
Before, during, and after the big IPO, Facebook has been working hard to create some sort of reputation in mobile space. For all its wondrous web endeavors, Mark Zuckerberg's company has not been able, so far, to replicate the dominance on the devices of today, which has been the proverbial elephant in the room for a good couple of years now.
