Apple iOS 6 user reviews

Pros -New interface is nice for App Store and Music app
-That's about it

Cons -Tabs keep getting changed up in the App Store
-App store bugs out when you click on the categories tab and can't connect
-So slow on my iPod, it's about useless
-No Youtube or Google Maps
-Apple Maps is terrible
-Crashes when doing anything

Summary All I can say is upgrading to iOS 6 was a mistake. To start off, the removal of Youtube and Google Maps were a mistake. Apple's maps are terrible, not as in depth and seems way underdeveloped for public use. Also the most annoying thing out of this is nothing works right and the performance is really slow. I can't play many games I used to now because it can't handle it and they crash (mainly 3d games). Even the App Store and Safari are really unstable and crash alot. Also since I've owned it, I've been conducting performance tests. Now just stating, the form of testing I used required jailbreaking so I can collect some numbers. On 4.2.1 (which it came with), RAM free with no apps open was at 120 MB and game performance was good and smooth. On 5.1.1, RAM free average was about 90 MB and gaming performance was down a little, but still playable. On 6.0, RAM free average varies from 40 MB to 60 MB and gaming performance is poor and lags (even on games that used to not to). Also with not gaming, standard apps crash and battery drain has gotten worse. All I can say is this is a poor update and you shouldn't update if you have not done so already

Updated on Sep 24, 2012

Faster? My iPod is super slow now since updating

Pros Simplicity
Fast, smooth & reliable
Facebook Integration
Maps (turn-by-turn directions)
Sharing feature
App store (updating no longer sends you to the homescreen)

Cons Not everyone will appreciate the simplicity
Nothing over the top = nothing flashy to showcase

Summary When you're on top, everyone will look for things to nitpick. The competition (along with their legion of fanboys/girls) will use anything and everything they can to make you look bad.

Take the whole maps issue. It looks like there are some issues but I have yet to experience anything. If and when the time comes perhaps I'll feel a bit differently. As it stands now, the maps app has never been (and won't become) something of vital importance. I've tested it out just because it's new and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It works as well as I could have expected. If I hadn't already shelled out a good deal of money for the Navigon app I'd definitely use it as my turn-by-turn navigation. The fact that some remote island in the middle of nowhere isn't accurate or the rendered drawings on some bridge in NY are messed up doesn't affect me one bit. Even if I lived in NY it wouldn't as I'd just use the non-rendered version and be on my way. In short, it's something to nitpick at and not a big deal to me.

As far as the rest of the OS goes... there are a lot of minor improvements but nothing earth-shattering. That's both good and bad I guess. Personally, I like the simplicity IOS offers. My phone isn't supposed to get in my way with overly cluttered screens or complicated nonsense. Leave that for my real computer where I can appreciate that sort of thing. I use my phone for business purposes mostly and can't be slowed down. IOS is a great GTD type of OS as it only allows you to use/focus on one thing at a time. I dig that. I get that not everyone does and that's ok. Just don't knock it because it's simple. Sometimes less is more.

In summary... I've been using IOS 6 (beta) for the past month and the latest version since it's release. Both my iPad(3) and iPhone(5) run flawlessly with no manor (or minor) issues of any kind. I feel a lot of the criticism comes from biased types that are looking to make Apple look bad. Personally that kind of thing is lame. I appreciate all 3 major OS's and have nothing against either of the others. I feel they are all great and offer some tremendous features. Neither are right for me but that doesn't make them inferior. People really need to lighten up and embrace the competition. The better the competition is, the better your OS of choice will have to be. None of them are going anywhere so there's no need to worry about that. Any major company is going to want to be on all of them so you don't have to worry about that either. Bragging rights for being #1? lmao really??? How that could possibly have any effect on my life is beyond me. All I know is... IOS serves me well and I have no complaints whatsoever. If the Maps app somehow starts to suck there are always other options. It's not like Apple is forcing you to use their app. In short, if you're already on the Apple bandwagon, IOS 6 is a no brainer upgrade.

Pros Web browsing in Safari can now be utilized in landscape without the tool bars.
Do Not Disturb mode is a life saver
Much more options for email
Tap to Tweet or Tap to Post feature in the notification center
Sharing pictures is much more user friendly

Cons I miss Google Maps.

Summary The pros most definitely outweigh the cons in my opinion, so why wouldn't you update?

Pros 1. Maps is Awesome
2. Siri is a more intelligent, grown-up version of her old self
3. Shared Photo Stream
4. iCloud Tabs

Cons 1. FaceTime over Cellular Data Network
2. Passbook
3. iTunes update

Summary To begin, I am an Apple fanatic and it's going to take more than this, for now, to get me away from Apple. With that said, I will begin with what I like about the update now, give a description of the shortcoming, and summarize at the end. Keep in mind that this review is after only using iOS 6 for one day.

I absolutely love Maps and was surprised to read and hear the horrible reviews. I went to a restaurant last night by asking Siri "How do I get to Luigi's Restaurant in Leavenworth, KS." The Maps pulled up and immediately gave me directions. It took me directly to the front door of the restaurant on a beautiful, user-friendly display on my iPhone. I'm using an iPhone 4S by the way.

Siri has grown up. I've asked about when the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing again, what was the weather in Madrid, Spain, and a host of other questions. Previously with Siri, there would be a hick up from time to time although I still loved it. This already excellent feature is now even better. Maybe I just asked the right questions at the right time but I'm very impressed with Siri.

Shared Photo Stream is another neat feature. I have family all over the world. My spouse and I are now sharing photos with each other from opposite continents. It's beautiful, seamless, and instant.

iCloud Tabs is very easy to use. I started by reading a web page on my iPhone, walked into another room, and finished reading the same web page on my iPad. It's just that simple. It's exactly what Apple advertises.


Now let's move to the Cons. This first con is what made me come write this review. This is the only time in 3 years of having Apple products that I felt that I was misled. FaceTime over a data network requires that you have a shared data plan. This is ridiculous and with AT&T. I'm not sure if it's the same with Verizon and Sprint. When going to the settings and attempting to tell the iPhone to use FaceTime over data network, it will prompt you to call AT&T. So, bottom line up front, if you have a single line, no FaceTime over data network for you. This is very disappointing.

I simply could not get Passbook to work. This is the first app/feature that I simply could not get to work. It reminded me of when I used to have my old Windows based phones. These reasons are partially why I switched to Apple.

When returning home from work today, I realized that I was missing an entire genre of music on my iPhone. I plugged it into my computer to realize that the music is actually on the phone and synced but the genre will not show up on the phone. There seems to be a bug preventing me from seeing the genre. It's frustrating. This is similar to my old windows phone which had more bugs than features. Honestly, I would rather have the old version of iTunes. The new one actually seems to be an older version of the previous iTunes.

Oh, I almost forgot, I do like being able to ignore a call and send a text message. I also like the Do Not Disturb feature. They are very neat. But I had this option on my Windows phone 3 years ago. The program on that phone, back then, had a ton of more features that what Apple is offering now. Apple is moving in the right direction but I do believe that the rest of the cell phone manufacturers have caught up. Apple may be barely leading the pack in my opinion.

In conclusion, iOS 6 is not a superior, knock your socks update but is a good one. The iPhone is for you if you're new to the smartphone industry. If you already have an iPhone 4S, update to iOS 6 but I would pass on the iPhone 5 as a whole. If you have a 3GS, upgrading would be worth it. If you have an Android phone and like multiple customizations, you may want to stick with what you have. Personally, I'm sticking with Apple particularly my iPhone 4S. If Apple doesn't do something revolutionary with the iPhone 6, they will fall behind in the cell phone market and will only have a customer base of its die hard fans. Be careful Apple. I will update this review as I play with more of the iOS 6 upgrades.