While it may not be the release of the new iPhone 5, for those of you who can’t upgrade to Apple’s latest and greatest, be it because of a carrier contract or some other reason, today may help ease the pain. Today, Apple is releasing iOS 6 to the masses, with improved Siri, the Passbook app, new Maps by Apple, a new dialer screen, call functions, redesigned iTunes and App stores, all combined, total 200+ new features. If you’ve been trying to manually push the update to your device, don’t waste your time, it appears as though Apple is planning on making the new version of its mobile OS available to all at around 10am PST (1pm EST). Expect some bottlenecking, if you plan to jump right on it.
There is another thing some of you iOS owner may want to be aware of when it comes to iOS 6. While Apple has done an admirable job trying to make most devices compatible (and relevant), there are just some that didn’t make the cut. Here is a list of iOS 6 compatible devices:
iPhone 4S
iPhone 4 (will not support Maps flyover, turn by turn navigation, Facetime 3G, Hearing aid support)
iPhone 3GS (will not support VIP list, Offline Reading list, Shared Photo Stream, Siri, Maps flyover, turn by turn navigation, Facetime 3G, Hearing aid support)
iPad 3
iPad 2 (will not support Siri, FaceTime 3G, Hearing Aid Support)
iPod Touch 4th Gen
Sadly, the iPhone 3G and the original iPad have been left out in the cold, but that’s the price one pays when technology moves this fast. It’s nice to see that Apple has finally given the iPhone 4 official Siri support, which is great when you consider the new “Free” on contract price tag.
For those of you who own an eligible iOS device and have also pre-ordered a new iPhone 5, hopefully this will tie you over until it arrives this Friday. Once you download it, be sure to let us know what you think.