The iOS 6 beta only works on the following devices:
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 4S
- iPad 2
- iPad 3 (The New iPad)
- iPod Touch 4G
As expected, Apple used the keynote of its annual
WWDC event in San Francisco to announce the latest version of their iOS
mobile platform. The sixth major build of the OS aims to bring the user
experience to the next level with no less than 200 new features,
services and UI tweaks.
The number is certainly huge, but then again so
were the expectations of the millions of Apple fans around the globe.
The fact that iOS 6 will only go official in three months' time heaps
even more pressure on the latest release of the platform.
The iOS 6 key features include a Siri upgrade, system-wide Facebook
integration and brand new Maps with turn-by-turn voice navigation.
There're plenty of lesser new goodies such as achievements in the Game
Center, new App store UI and the Music app, improved Safari with
full-screen mode, better Mail, etc.
The complete changelog is coming up, but first we'll get the issue of
compatibility out of the way. iOS 6 is compatible with the three
latest iPhone generations (3GS, 4 and 4S), iPad 2 and 3 and the
fourth-gen iPod Touch. The first iPad is not on the list, so if you are
still holding on to the original Apple slate, you might finally want to
consider an upgrade.
A few other restrictions apply, too: the iPhone 4S has finally lost
its Siri exclusivity, but it's only going to share it with the iPad 3.
The turn-by-turn navigation and the Flyover mode in Maps can be used
only on dual-core iDevices - iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad 3.
We are still a long way off from Apple releasing a public build of iOS 6
and although it is possible that the device compatibility list could
change, it remains extremely unlikely. However, the features available
on each piece of hardware don’t appear to be set in concrete at this
stage, and could be subject to changes in the future.
