Confirming the rumor regarding the launch of a new Maps application that probably won't "give us back", those from TechCrunch I argue that the new iOS 6 could bring quite a lot of changes for both iOS application developers and users. They say first that Google will have a lot to lose from this change, because Apple would completely remove the Google Maps system from the Maps application, but also from the SDK for developers, so the people from Google would no longer be included in so many applications, most of them based on the native system developed by Apple.
More interesting to me is the implication of this switch. Let's assume that alongside this change, Apple will also be replacing the default hooks in the iOS SDK that currently use Google Maps. This is a big deal for third party developers. While some choose to use other maps APIs (like Bing Maps, for example), the vast majority go with Google Maps because it's baked right in and easy to hook up.
Going further, they say that iOS 6, aka Sundance, will finally bring Siri to the iPad tablet, the problem of porting the assistant has to do with the way the interface is designed and not with any desire from Apple to offer Siri exclusively on iPhone 4S. In addition to the iPad tablet, Siri could also reach third-party applications in the App Store, with Apple preparing some APIs that would allow developers to integrate the assistant into their own applications, giving us the opportunity to control them using the assistant.
As a quick aside, while there's not much other iOS 6 information floating around out there right now, there have been whispers backing up Gruber's assertion that Siri APIs are another possibility. There have also been whispers about Siri for iPad finally coming. Specifically, I've been led to believe it's more of a UI issue than anything else. After all, Apple is using the technology for the Dictation functionality found on the new iPad. They've just been working on what Siri for iPad will look like, I've been led to believe.
In the end we find out that iCloud could be improved and with it could come iTunes 11 which would bring a new design plus some new functions, similar to those of Spotify. Of course we must not forget about possible changes to the user interface and so we have a somewhat complete picture of the future iOS 6 that we should see for the first time at WWDC 2012.
