Apple iOS 6 preview: First Look

New Maps - TomTom takes over from Google

Apple has finally done it. TomTom replaces Google as their supplier of maps and the entire Maps app has been redesigned.

The new Maps

An assortment of sat-nav apps has long been available in the app store (for a fee), with no other than TomTom having a prominent place on the list. They now supply the maps for Apple's own service, which comes with turn-by-turn voice guidance, real-time traffic updates, local search, Yelp reviews and the impressive Flyover 3D views.

The navigation will work even on the lockscreen or behind another app. Real-time traffic reports are available and Apple is also sourcing the live traffic info anonymously from iOS users on the road.

The navigation in action

The 3D Flyover mode is a great bonus for your viewing pleasure. When you enable the 3D view (outside navigation) you will be able to explore cityscapes from birds-eye view. The currently available selection is extremely limited, but hopefully more areas will be added later on. You can zoom, tilt and rotate using two-finger gestures to explore 3D landmarks rendered in real time.

The 3D and Flyover views

PassBook

The PassBook is a new e-ticket app that handles all kinds of electronic tickets (including boarding passes), loyalty cards, coupons, etc.

The PassBook

The location-aware app makes the right coupon available in the right place and at the right time. The PassBook will report the balance on coupons and cards, let you check your ticket seats and can even show you relevant notifications (e.g. gate or terminal change for a flight).

The PassBook app

Updated Safari browser

Apple has done some work on the Safari browser too. It is now faster than it was on the iOS 5 - you can see in the benchmark scores below.

SunSpider

Lower is better

• iPhone 4S iOS 5.1.1
  2237.1
• iPhone 4S iOS 6 beta 1
  1751.3

BrowserMark

Higher is better

• iPhone 4S iOS 5.1.1
  89054
• iPhone 4S iOS 6 beta 1
  109145

HTML5test.com

Higher is better

• iPhone 4S iOS 5.1.1
  324+9
• iPhone 4S iOS 6 beta 1
  360+9

A cool new feature is the full-screen view - it has a dedicated button on the taskbar and works only in landscape mode.

The landscape full screen view

iCloud tab syncing is enabled, along with offline reading. Finally, the new Safari allows access to your multimedia content without exiting the browser.

The new Safari