In a move which has made a lot of people very happy, Apple has released its standalone podcast app ahead of the iOS 6. Instead of being hard to find, this app apparently helps you organize and subscribe and listen to your favorite podcasts. There’s a sleep timer, and sharing through Twitter, email and Facebook of course. You can see shows in 40 languages, sync your episodes from Mac or PC and enjoy seamless transition between platforms. But the main question of course is why would Apple make a move like this, and so quietly?
So much has been going on in the tech world so quickly, that gadgets and applications are crossing over from one competitor to another. This week Google is slated to release its Nexus tablet, which is being offered at a competitive price to the Amazon Fire, and a few weeks ago Google Maps no longer were the default mapping options on Apple iPhones and iPads.
Apple itself has been contributing to some very interesting changes lately. In its unveiling of the iOS 6, user integration on Facebook is claimed as one of the major advances, allowing users to see events on the Calendar app. Apple is also claiming to work with GM, Jaguar and Honda to integrate the cars with Siri in the next 12 months- their version of the Maps which replaced Google Maps. The unveiling of the podcast app seems to be just one in line of release of several other apps, meant to garner interest for the iOS 6.
There seem to be some glitches with the app though, which Apple should probably think of correcting in their update. For serious podcasters Instacast and Downcast are probably better options, because although it is free, it is not a pre-loaded app. Perhaps Apple is awaiting the release of the iOS 6 before it comes pre-loaded with Siri, Safari and PhotoStream. In any case, it is worth a wait to watch what more Apple will be upto. Already, it has made many quick updates to several existing apps based on user reviews. For example, for Safari, Reading Lists will now be made available to save links. PhotoStream will now be able to form an album viewable in Photos, iPhoto or a browser. You can also add videos and photos right to an email instead of uploading through Photos or Video app.
The podcast app needs to clear some glitches but on the whole, we welcome it hugely. Apple has been ignoring the mess of podcast, and hopefully this will make for easier arranging, organizing and searching!
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