Developers, Get Ready for iOS 6

In just a couple of weeks, we’ll all find out exactly what Apple has in store for us. In the meantime the rumor mills are churning. Here’s a little wrap up of what some of the Net is either asking for, or expects in iOS 6 that developers may have to keep in mind when the veil is finally lifted at Apple’s WorldWide Developers Conference.

To start, here are four wish list items from ZDNet.com:

• Protection: They are looking forward to Apple providing the fix that prevents apps from accessing your entire contact list without permission. Long overdue, the fix may require developers to call alerts or notify users of what functions and data they require on the phone.
• A Siri API: The possibilities could be endless for developers if there was an API that could be called to invoke Siri from third party apps.
• Reading text: Another wish for Siri. How great would it be if it could read you your emails, txts, articles, etc. while commuting. This would take hands free to another level and make the longest commute bearable (maybe).
• Android-like Widgets: As cool as the iOS products are, they lack the ability to customize how you interact with the device in the way Android does. Shortcuts to frequently used apps, access to settings (wi-fi on/off, or airport mode for example), quick views of info from non-Apple apps (like Weatherbug) are all part of what makes Android such a hit with consumers. The ability to use widgets would let developers create whole new experiences for customers on iOS.

On another website, BGR shows leaked images of the new 3D maps application that watchers have long expected. It looks like a sure thing for iOS 6. You can look at BGR’s guess at what it will look like in their article here. Will developers need to switch to Apple’s map data rather than Google’s? Will they even have a choice once Apple launches its own service?

Of course you can’t talk about iOS 6 and not mention the iPhone 5. Experts are pretty well convinced that it won’t be released until fall, but some of the projected form factor changes can impact developers.

The biggest rumor of all is the new 4 inch (measured diagonally) display. A report in the Wall Street Journal, and repeated everywhere, the iPhone 5 has a larger display. There’s no official comment from Apple on the report. Other mock-ups of the new device show the display from edge to edge on the device, no border on the right or left hand sides, effectively making the screen larger. A larger screen size means yet another display size developers need to consider when creating their products.

And just for fun, who doesn’t want a phone made out of LiquidMetal? Apple purchased a license to use LiquidMetal back in 2010. Rumors abound about the new casing for the iPhone 5. Mashable put together a mock-up of what the phone could look like here.

Pretty cool isn’t it? And it is just so much fun to say. Liquidmetal. Very Apple-like.

What’s your favorite iOS 6 or iPhone 5 rumor?