Apple’s iOS 6 operating system and its latest generation of mobile devices offer new capabilities that could benefit some publishers. Changes included with iOS 6 that are aimed at enhancing the user experience will be important for developers to keep in mind as they continue to update their apps and produce new ones optimized for Apple’s latest operating system and the smartphones and tablets it runs on.
Apple Maps
Apple Maps has received some well-deserved criticism since its release with iOS6, with misplaced or misrendered landmarks, a lack of public transit info, no street view, and turn-by-turn directions that can leave travelers in some unexpected places. But as Apple continues to make enhancements to the application, travel-themed publications could offer readers integrated maps along with travel guides and feature articles, taking advantage of Apple Maps’ turn-by-turn directions and voice integration to increase user engagement for a longer period of time.
The Ability to Sell Apps From Within Your App
With iOS 6, app developers can now offer users the opportunity to purchase other apps from within their applications. Publishers could use this feature to cross-promote their apps and enable readers to buy sister publications or special editions from within the publication they’re already reading.
Security and Privacy Features
Although Apple no longer allows advertisers to use the controversial UDID (unique device identifier) code to track users, it has added three other tracking features. IFA (identifier for advertisers) is turned on by default, but users can opt out of it by selecting Limit Ad Tracking under general settings; IFA generates a random, anonymous number for each session that logs a user’s browsing and purchasing behavior to send targeted ads. A UUID (universally unique identifier) is linked to a specific app. And each “identifier for vendor” generates an alphanumeric string that enables a vendor to uniquely identify a device on which its apps are installed.
According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, “The vendor identifier is cleared when the user uninstalls the last app on their phone by a given vendor; the advertising identifier persists until the device is completely reset; the application identifier persists only if the application saves it, and then only until that application is uninstalled.”
There is also now a Privacy tab under Settings where users can manage the information that gets shared with their apps. Apps will now need a user’s permission in order to access a device’s location data, contacts, calendar, reminders, photos, and Twitter or Facebook accounts.
Speed
According to Min’s Steve Smith, the combination of computing power and network speed offered by devices like the iPhone 5 and the iPad will raise the bar for digital publishing. “It will move mobile content consumption forward by a significant margin, I suspect. And users will have higher expectations of what your site or app could and should do for them,” he adds. So be prepared to up the ante when it comes to providing rich-media experiences such as video to your audience. But be careful when it comes to app size—if a user needs to delete files to make room for new ones, you want to make sure your app is a keeper.
Siri and Social Media
Siri is finally available for the iPad, and the virtual assistant has been integrated with social media. Users can not only launch an app using voice commands, but also recommend a story or app on Facebook or Twitter by speaking—a feature that offers potential promotional value, especially if you make a point of reminding your readers to use it.
Collection Views and Flow Layout
The new Collection Views and Flow Layout capabilities in iOS 6 will provide more flexibility to app developers for presenting content. Collection Views enable content to be laid out in grid patterns more easily than could be done in iOS 5, and Flow Layout can be used to customize layouts. These feature provide publications with more control over how content is displayed, thus enhancing the user experience.
Posted by: Gina Barrett