The iOS 6 Review: Maps Thoroughly Investigated and More
by Brian Klug & Saumitra Bhagwat on September 19, 2012 2:21 PM ESTUnlike other apps in iOS, Mail has seen a steady stream of new features, usability improvements and UI tweaks in almost every release. We’re on the 6th major release of iOS, and Mail is already a very mature app in terms of its feature set and capabilities. At this point, there is very little that can be done to improve the core functionality of the app. So the focus is on small usability tweaks that enhance the overall user experience and workflow.
In iOS 6, Mail gets support for VIP lists introduced in OS X Mountain Lion. The main screen gets a dedicated VIP folder that lets you keep track of emails from the important people in your life. Tap the blue arrow, and you can easily manage your VIP lists and set custom notification alerts. The latter can also be accessed through Notifications under Settings. I find VIP lists to be quite useful, especially on my old Gmail account that gets more spam mail than mail that I actually care about. VIP lists makes it really easy to filter out and keep track of important emails.
One of my biggest gripes about Mail has finally been addressed in iOS 6, and that is the ability to add photos and videos to emails from within the app. This was quite frustrating earlier, when I’d write entire emails, only to realize that I needed to scrap the draft and rewrite the whole thing again after adding the photo/video from a third app. Well not anymore; a simple long tap brings up a contextual menu that lets you add a photo or video to your email. I’m amazed at how such basic functionality has been missing from the Mail app until the 6th release of the OS.
To top it off, there’s a cool new animation on the main screen when you swipe down, that refreshes all mailboxes simultaneously. Quite the time saver.
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crankerchick - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - link
The overwhelming theme I keep seeing as I read the various iOS 6 reviews is a tendency to make excuses for Apple. This article and Rene Ritchie's both say things to the nature of "It took a lot for Apple to do [x] so that is why this feature was [y]."I can't help but point out that when it comes to Android, reviewers are a lot quicker to point out something that sucks and offer no excuse for why it's excusable, yet when it comes to Apple releasing another boring update to iOS, with the exception of Maps, all is more or less excused because, "Maps took a lot of work and time."
When I'm on Android-centric site, I get excuses for why Android is still the best. On an Apple-centric site, I get excuses for why Apple is the best. On AnandTech, I expect (and usually receive) more unbiased opinions. In this case, I don't get the bipartisan vibe though. It reaks of excuses. Just my opinion.
UsernameAlreadyExists - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - link
This is not the only article I've had this problem with. I had the same feeling while reading the article about the data&voice support. The worst thing is that I've used to rely on Anandtech being rather objective and declaring things as they are. I just hope that they won't invent a completely new camera into iPhone 5 when they review it like SlashGear did (unlike Engadget and Digital Photography Review).mrandross - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - link
Does anyone know how they changed the wifi signal to display in dBs?They're not jailbroken with SBsettings on iOS6...
yticolev - Saturday, September 22, 2012 - link
I'd like to know that too, especially if it represents the cell tower data signal and not just wifi. I love having my iPhone voice bars represented in dB and would like the same for data as I do use data more often than voice.mrandross - Saturday, September 22, 2012 - link
I found a couple different ways. If you had it previously from a jailreak and restored from that backup, then it'll appear again.If you don't have that available there's a plist edit
http://idevicecentral.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&p=...
yticolev - Saturday, September 22, 2012 - link
Thanks! I saved the page for future use.I've never done a jailbreak. I used this method to hack the bars into dB:
FieldTest dial *3001#12345#* - you can then keep numerics instead of bars in the top left by force quitting FieldTest after launching it (hold down power/lock until power off appears, then hold the home button).
IndyJaws - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - link
Perhaps I overlooked it at the iOS 6 announcement, but I'll admit to being disappointed for the lack of two main features for iPhone 4 (not 4S) owners - turn by turn navigation and panorama photos. I understand the graphical horsepower needed for 3D flyby, but sad that Apple chose to leave those of us out for the other two features, especially when there are a plethora of apps that do provide those abilities. Yes, I realize I can use them instead (in fact, must), but would prefer OS integration for convenience. Brian (or Saumitra) mentioned that there might be additional horsepower needed for the panorama feature, but there's nothing special about it that makes me think it's just a way to Apple to prod users to the latest phone.Stas - Sunday, September 23, 2012 - link
Solution: give Apple more money for new device.Sind - Thursday, September 20, 2012 - link
iOS 6 maps are terrible period. I'm starting to believe the hype that AnandTech is putting an Apple spin on things instead of one that is aimed for the consumer. Terrible biased review of a bad product that lowers user experience. What happened to "it just work's"? Don't release something until it is ready. Apple has put their corporate intentions ahead of the user experience and that is wrong, and Anand's failure to mention that is damning.ciparis - Sunday, September 23, 2012 - link
Have you personally had trouble with Maps?