What will we see in iOS 6?

With iOS 5.1 out now and WWDC coming up, most likely in June, we should start getting a picture of what will be coming in iOS 6.

Here are some of the features I would like to see:

New Maps.

With Apple’s license agreement for Google Maps coming up for renewal in 2013 as well as the many map related acquisitions Apple has made, I think it is time for Apple’s home grown mapping app to appear. The big addition I would like to see in the new Maps App would be free turn-by-turn navigation. It should also be integrated with Siri so that I could ask Siri not just for directions, but also to navigate me there.

Siri Support in third-party apps.

This has already started, with Siri now being able to interact with the Yelp! app. I think Apple will add some sort of API for developers to allow certain queries to bring up results in their apps. It may not be a fully open API in this release, but maybe reserved for use by Apple with select App developers.

Podcast subscriptions.

It would be nice if I could subscribe to podcasts on my iOS device through the Music or iTunes app and have them automatically download just like in iTunes instead if having to either sync or use the Get More Episodes feature. They should also be supported by iCloud and it would be really nice if it would sync my current stopping point with iCloud so that I could pick up listening on another device at the same place I left off.

Multiple user support.

There needs to be a way for users to log into an iOS device and see their particular settings. This would be most useful for the iPad, which is more likely to be shared by multiple family members. It would be really nice if this feature was activated by face recognition using the front facing camera or by fingerprint scanning. Of course, for older hardware, the standard PIN entry could be used to determine the user.

Dashboard widgets.

This would be most useful on the iPad and would give it a home for the missing apps like calculator, stock ticker, weather, etc. These widgets could be located on the search page when swiping left from the first home page and could also link to full screen, more detailed apps

Non-programmer’s development tool.

This would be like HyperCard for iOS — a development tool for non-programmers that would allow users to create their own personal apps for use on their own personal iOS devices. The apps would be created on your computer and then synced through iTunes to any of your iOS devices.

These are just a few of the things on my wish list for the next release of iOS.