iOS 6 release date September 19

Apple announced iOS 6 would be released to the masses September 19th, at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Apple that iOS 6 has stated that the update will be available for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, and new iPad. The iPhone 5 will already have it installed.

The OS has been expanded with a few key features that were really missing from iOS 5, such as Facebook integration. We also saw some rivalry with the removal of Google Maps and yes, sadly, YouTube will be missing as well (though it was replaced by a YouTube app from Google). What to expect from the coming operating system:

Facebook
To date, Apple has only provided its iOS 5 users with the ability to share content through Twitter, e-mail, and SMS messages. Although the Facebook application can access things like your photos and videos, but having to open the app, go to the photo upload area, and then finally upload, makes it has far too many steps to go through. The exclusion also brought up questions about Apple’s relationship with Facebook.

Do Not Disturb
We all have times when we need a break from the sharing and the talking, and that’s where iOS 6′s “do not disturb” feature really comes into play. The Internet is a buzzing, whirring, blinking, distracting thing that makes our phones even more attention-seeking. Do not disturb puts your phone into an even deeper silent mode, where it will still receive calls and messages, but will not light up, vibrate, or sound off. It is customisable in that you can let certain actions, such as calls come through.

Maps App
The Maps app is based on the Open Street Maps system, a veritable Wiki for map data. It includes 3-D images, which were likely courtesy of C3 Technologies, a company Apple acquired in October that does just that, provides 3D-imaging for maps.
The app also includes turn-by-turn navigation, traffic data, and Siri integration. It is also deeply integrated with Yelp. With the aid of Yelp’s data, people can now query the maps app to “find friends nearby.” Apple is already partnered with Yelp to add intelligence to its Siri voice-assistant.

Passbook
This is a new built-in app that holds all of that “wallet clutter” like gift cards, coupons, loyalty cards, and all kinds of tickets. It’s another step toward having your phone become your wallet and your wallet become an old, bendy piece of leather.

Developers looking to access Passbook, however, have a couple things to consider, as Giftango CEO David Nelsen notes in his guest post about what Apple hasn’t told developers about Passbook. Developers are going to need to watch out for legal issues when it comes what gift cards can look like on their app, getting access to the merchant’s gift card processing program, and more.

FaceTime
Finally you don’t have to be near Wi-Fi to use FaceTime any longer. The video-chatting feature now works over cellular data networks, making it even more competitive with Skype. Of course, 3G data networks tend to be a lot slower than Wi-Fi, so chances are you’re going to opt-in to using FaceTime over traditional methods. We expect the iPhone 5 to feature LTE 4G connectivity, which will truly be able to take advantage of FaceTime over cellular. People are also now able to get in touch with you over FaceTime even if they don’t know your Apple ID. Apple now associates your phone number with you Apple account, so you can pick up FaceTime calls to your phone from your iPad and Mac as well.