iOS6 Features revealed at Apple WWDC 2012

Yesterday marked the beginning of yet another Apple Worldwide Developer Conference at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Apple kicked off their yearly party with a compelling keynote which revealed the details on a new line of MacBooks, the amazing new MacBook Pro and the highly anticipated iOS6. We’re thrilled about the new iOS6 features (over 200!), which include a smarter Siri,  maps and navigation, the new Passbook app, and social media integration. Check out the details:

Siri Upgrades

Siri is getting a brain upgrade, with new expertise in a variety of subjects. Siri demonstrated its new-found knowledge of Sports yesterday by accessing game scores and player statistics on stage. When asked about restaurants, Siri provided reviews and made reservations using Yelp and OpenTable. Apple has also announced a partnership with major automobile manufacturers committed to Siri integration over the next 12 months, making it clear that Siri is here to stay. We’re especially excited to interact with the latest version of our digital friend.

Maps and Navigation

Apple has created a new maps and navigation system built from the ground up. They’ve done all the cartography themselves, and created beautiful 2D and 3D maps to make our lives easier. Their maps are integrated with over 100 million business listings, including Yelp integration. New traffic features utilize anonymous crowdsourced data from iOS users to identify traffic conditions. The most stunning part of the new maps is the 3D view, which Apple has created by conducting flyovers of major cities around the world.  Finally, the maps app will offer voice guided turn-by-turn navigation. This has been a long time coming.

Passbook

Those of us that like to travel are especially excited about the announcement of Apple’s new Passbook app. Passbook manages tickets, boarding passes, and even loyalty cards! Apple demonstrated the app by bringing up movie tickets, sports game tickets, a Starbucks card, a boarding pass and coupons, which can then be scanned for redemption. The app is basically a travel “wallet,” which demonstrates that Apple believes that visual identification technology, such as QR codes on tickets, is here to stay.

Social Media Integration

Apple has finally opened the door to full-out Facebook integration, with a system-wide login just like Twitter. Also, both services will work with Siri, so you can now talk to post! With iOS6, Facebook will also be integrated into the App store, allowing users to “like” apps as they shop. Other notable social media features include contact syncing and notification center integration. We can’t wait to see it in action.

The most exciting part is… this is just the beginning.  Watch the WWDC keynote here.