The next version of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system, has been announced at WWDC, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference taking place this week in San Francisco.

iOS 6 will be made available as a free software update in the autumn. While Apple says there are over 200 new features, they aren’t particularly headline grabbing.

There’s a new maps app that accepts spoken directions and that uses vector-based map elements; support has been added for Siri, the voice assistant, on the latest third-generation iPads; better integration with Facebook; and a new Passbook app that lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use coupons, passes and loyalty cards.

For developers, the good news is that Apple has also released the beta of the iOS 6 SDK, which now includes an iOS simulator that lets you simulate either iPhone or iPad on a Mac.

If you need encouragement to sign up to the developer program, Apple also announced that there are now 650,000 apps in the App Store, and there have been 30 billion downloads since the App Store was launched.

One good reason for choosing to develop for iOS, according to research from Flurry, is that you’ll typically make four times as much money from iOS apps compared to Android apps.

Flurry has compared the revenue generated by popular apps on both platforms, and says that for every $1.00 a developer earns on iOS, he can expect to earn about $0.24 on Android.

More Information

Flurry blog

Related Articles

Siri for iPhone 4S

To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, install the I Programmer Toolbar, subscribe to the RSS feed, follow us on, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Linkedin,  or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Comments

Make a Comment or View Existing Comments Using Disqus

or email your comment to: comments@i-programmer.info