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6 Features We'd Like To See In Apple iOS 6

 & Jeffrey L. Wilson Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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What to Expect: iOS 6

Apple's iOS 5, its current mobile operating that debuted in October 2011, is a well-designed, stable mobile OS that remains one of the best in the smartphone and tablet arenas—but it isn't perfect. Recently, the iPad 3 rumor mill has cranked out speculative articles on the iPad 3 (also possibly known as iPad HD) ranging from the screen size, screen resolution, new wireless connectivity protocols, and more. Truths will be revealed on March 7 when Apple holds its iPad 3 event in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center, but the one rumor that we're really hoping to see come to fruition is iOS 6's grand unveiling. Apple, as usual, has remained quiet; no iOS 6 details have been revealed thus far. We'll have to wait for Wednesday's event to see if there is news on the OS front.

We've put together six features that we'd like to see implemented into iOS 6. These range from turn-by-turn navigation to a smarter Siri to the ability to display multiple apps at once. Note, however, that our wishlist doesn't include features that would require hardware additions (for example, the rumored NFC and 4G LTE wireless technologies, as well as whatever software tweaks would be necessary to go along with the much-discussed possible Retina Display), but Apple has a history of releasing new gear with improved specs on an annual basis.

Let us know if you agree or disagree with our iOS 6 wishlist by leaving a comment below, or better yet, share your ideas of what you'd like to see in the operating system. Here are our six most-wanted iOS 6 features—check out the slideshow for our selections.

FaceTime Opens Up

FaceTime is Apple's video-calling app that lets users chat with friends, family, and colleagues on their iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch, and Mac units. The only problem? It's a closed system. We'd love to see Apple open the gates so that non-Mac users can communicate with FaceTime users—especially since Steve Jobs mentioned that such as feature was in the works when it the app debuted.

Turn-by-Turn Navigation With Voice

Right now, unless you download MapQuest or jailbreak your iOS device, there's no way to get turn-by-turn GPS navigation on your Apple iPhone or Apple iPad. We're hoping that Apple takes the functionality of those third-party apps and bakes it directly into the operation system. Considering that Apple was accused of tracking your movements last year, this seems the next logical step.

Automatic App Updates

Between the apps that I use on a near daily basis, and the apps that I keep handy for review comparisons, my iPad is filled to the brim with software. That also means that I also receive an incredibly high number of alerts stating that software updates are available. Certainly, launching the App Store and tapping the Update icon isn't very time consuming, but I would appreciate it if Apple and the respective app developers allowed updates to automatically downloaded on their own—in the background—without my intervention (but with my permission, of course).

An App Shopping Cart

25 billion downloads. Think about that for a second. That number represents more downloaded iOS apps than there are people on the planet. It goes without saying that the Apple App Store has proven wildly successful, so it boggles the mind that the company only allows users to make one purchase at time. I discover a handful of cool and interesting apps on nearly a daily basis as I explore the best iPad apps—I would love to be able to queue up a string of apps in a shopping cart, and then move on to do other things as they download to my iPad.

A Smarter Siri

Siri, Apple's "intelligent personal assistant," is neat piece of software that take dictation, fetches answers to questions you ask, and more, but it could be better. We'd like to see expanded language support; currently English, French, and German are the only compatible languages. Thankfully, Siri's FAQ page states that Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Korean are coming in 2012—we hope that it arrives this week.

Ability to Display Two Apps On-Screen Simultaneously

One of more annoying iPad limitations is the tablet's inability to display two apps at once. For example, is there any reason why I can't keep Safari open while viewing a YouTube clip? The iPad's 9.7-inch display has plenty of real estate for multiple apps, and it would be especially helpful if users could resize the apps--by pinching and zooming--as they see fit.

About Our Expert

Jeffrey L. Wilson

Jeffrey L. Wilson

Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming

Since 2004, I've written about consumer tech for many publications, including 1UP, Laptop, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skill set as the managing editor of PCMag's apps and gaming team.

The Technology I Use

As a member of the App & Gaming team, I use a wide variety of apps and services. Google Drive is an essential file-syncing service for moving documents between team members in this work-from-home era. Scrivener has been an invaluable writing tool as I rework my fiction manuscript. YouTube Premium and YouTube TV deliver hours of entertainment (though I only use the latter service during the F1 and NBA playoff seasons).

In terms of hardware, I use a Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon X1 laptop for work and an Origin PC tower for playing PC games. I also have a Steam Deck, which lets me play my favorite titles under a shade tree. Of course, I have a smartphone, and the Google Pixel 9a is my handset of choice.

My main input devices are the Das Keyboard 4 Professional and Logitech MX Vertical Ergonomic Mouse, though I bust out the Hori Fighting Commander Octa or Hori Fight Stick Alpha when mixing it up in fighting games. I have a thing for arcade sticks. I collect Neo Geo AES games, too, but only if I can find the carts on the (relative) cheap.

For video and music consumption, I fire up my Lenovo Tab P11; it has a sharp screen and great Dolby Atmos-powered speakers. My Kindle Paperwhite has received much use, too. I have a standalone, Sony Blu-ray player connected to a TCL television when it's time to go full cinephile. I'm also a vinyl guy, so the Bluetooth-enabled Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT keeps the wax spinning.

My first computer was a Commodore 64. Long live BASIC and retro computers!

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