When iOS 5 was released last October, it brought with it a sleuth of features big - iCloud, Siri, and iMessage most notably - and small, such as the ability to assign individual text tones to contacts, for one. And now that the months are flying by and we're beginning to approach the release date of first beta of the next major version of iOS - iOS 6 - now seems like the perfect time to pen a list of features that I hope Apple introduces to iOS.
The endless possibilities created when that Cydia icon first appears on the iOS home screen should never be underestimated, and it's thanks to the likes of Redsn0w - the popular jailbreak tool released by the iPhone-Dev Team - that users can truly test the resolve of their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices.
Didn't manage to snag tickets to WWDC 2012? Fear not, for one group of plucky people is putting on a WWDC clone. Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is the biggest thing on a developer's calendar. Offering workshops on all things Mac and iOS, the get-together is more than just an excuse to meet up with all your developer friends and have a few drinks, although that is one of the added bonuses.
As a result of iOS devices significantly gaining ground, pundits have started discussing their role in the world of gaming. Now, before I begin, I do want to make something clear. iOS has nothing on hardcore PC and console gaming, and by the looks of things, it won't for quite some time. Those of us who play Battlefield or even CoD will still be turning to the console or PC for our fix, there's no question about that.
The Android versus iOS debate is one of the most fiercely contested within the smartphone and tablet spectrum. Google's comparatively new mobile OS trumps Apple's offering in terms of reach and activations, but according to research compiled by ad network Chitika, iOS users are a lot more active on the Web than their Android-toting friends.
While the jailbreak loving world has been waiting patiently for the next iOS jailbreak, and have their eyes firmly fixed on any updated regarding it from Pod2g, the iPhone Dev Team have been hard at work as usual implementing additional features and updates to their popular Redsn0w jailbreak tool.
Much discussion surrounding Apple's ecosystem lately has been about them cutting the cord to the computer through iCloud. However, iTunes remains an important product that some may still need to use (or want to, if they haven't gone entirely to the cloud). And, with that being said, 9to5Mac are hearing from some sources close to Apple that the company has begun seeding iTunes 11 - the next major release of the software - internally.
File this one under the 'unlikely' category. Apple has done a pretty darned good job in transforming gaming from the traditional action and d-pad controllers, but, according to rumors, could be working on a physical controller to supplement the ever-increasing library of App Store games.
According to Google's own numbers, the search and mobile technology giant is currently making four times as much money from iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, as it is from smartphones and tablets running its own Android mobile operating system.
Over the last few months a number of vulnerabilities have been found within the iOS platform that could potentially allow some ethically challenged individuals to gain access to certain parts of a user’s handset if it is lost or stolen, even if a passcode lock is enabled. The methods used have generally been long winded and allows access mainly to the device’s Camera Roll, recent call logs, as well as allowing the perpetrator to be able to make outgoing voice or FaceTime calls in some cases. Being able to circumvent the passcode lock and access that kind of minimal data is concerning, but on the grander scale of things hardly represents a massive breach.
