MacRumors

It's been a busy day with today's launch of iOS 6 and associated news, so we thought we take the opportunity to provide a roundup of today's stories to help those who might have missed something get caught up.

With the public release of iOS 6, a number of reviews have hit the Internet summarizing the new features and enhancements. Apple has of course detailed many of the changes at both its Worldwide Developers Conference in June and its iPhone 5 media event earlier this month, and Apple's broad-reaching developer program has had access to builds for a number of months, but for many people the public launch is their first time getting their hands on the new operating system. A few of the interesting iOS 6 reviews we've seen so far include:

- iMore

Compared to previous versions of iOS, and compared to competing platforms, iOS 6 doesn't have the same level of customer facing pizazz this year. Sure, there's Do Not Disturb and the new Privacy features, FaceTime over 3G, Siri for iPad and iPod touch, VIP mail, Panorama photos, Safari image uploads, single-app-mode, and a few other enhancements, but making a new Maps app was a huge amount of work for Apple. Likewise, positioning Siri and Passbook for the future compromised Apple's ability to deliver in the present.

- Macworld

There are still gaps, to be sure, but it seems like there are fewer every year. And Apple is meanwhile trying to plant more flags with forward-looking features like Passbook. Whether it’ll take its rightful place on the Home screen with Mail and Safari, or end up consigned to the dust heap of history like Ping, it’s clear that Apple is not resting on its laurels, with iOS 6.

Simply put, there’s no reason not to update to iOS 6, and plenty of reasons for you to jump onboard.

- The Next Web

Overall, iOS 6 is very good, with some nice touches throughout that ease pain points and refine the experience. And Passbook has the potential to be wonderfully useful. But the question marks of Maps and the App Store are big ones, integral to the ability to recommend iOS as the best platform for a smartphone purchase down the line. These are challenges that Apple will hopefully meet, but we’ll see.

In addition to the iOS 6 launch, Apple pushed out a number of other software updates for both iOS and Mac, including the following:

- Apple Releases OS X 10.8.2 with Facebook Integration and Game Center
- Apple Releases OS X 10.7.5 with Gatekeeper
- Apple Releases MacBook Pro Retina EFI Update 1.0
- 'Cards' Gains iPad Compatibility and Multi-Photo Layouts
- Apple Updates Find My Friends with Friend Location Notifications
- Apple Updates iOS iLife Apps: iPhoto, GarageBand, and iMovie

We've highlight some of the new features in separate articles:

- iOS 6: Guided Access, Also for Kids and Kiosks
- iOS 6 Brings Panoramic Camera to iPhone 4S
- Passbook Enabled-Apps Start Arriving on App Store

Our iOS 6 forums are incredibly busy with questions and comments about the latest release. Finally, MacStories has posted a nice bullet-point list of lesser-known tidbits and features found in iOS 6. We've highlighted some we found most interesting here:

- "Settings > General > About > Advertising: this is new and you can limit ad tracking by toggling the off/on button"
- "When using Safari for iPhone in landscape, you get a full screen button."
- "You can now set an alarm with a song and not just a tone."
- "Updating apps doesn’t require a password anymore."

M.I.C. gadget points to a report from the ePrice forums indicating that grey market vendors in Hong Kong have already managed to obtain limited stocks of the iPhone 5 and have begun selling them starting at the equivalent of about $1100. Apple's retail price will start at roughly $720 when sales officially begin on Friday.

The report names the seller as "Mr. Lo", who has a history of selling Apple products prior to their official launches at significant markups.

When Lo was asked about the sales of the iPhone 5, whether there would be a demand for it, he said the stock for the iPhone 5 is quite tight, so he thinks it will be alright to re-sell the phone for a hefty markup, at least for the first two weeks. What’s more, he has prepared “secret” couriers in U.S. and Europe to hop on planes to Hong Kong after securing about hundreds of iPhone 5s. Right now Lo has already received 100-200 orders from mainland China customers before the iPhone 5 goes on sale in Hong Kong’s Apple retail store.

Lo is also said to have a standing offer to purchase sealed iPhone 5 units from customers at a premium of roughly $200 over their purchase price, as he expects to continue selling the devices at even higher prices due to tight initial supplies.

Hong Kong has been a popular point of entry for grey market iPhones headed to China, where the devices have launched at much later dates than in other countries around the world. These Chinese and Hong Kong grey markets are also fueled by purchases in the United States and other countries that are shipped back to meet demand in Asia, although Apple has instituted purchase limits and delays in launching unlocked versions in the United States in order to help combat this issue.

Hong Kong is part of the first round of launches for the iPhone 5 on Friday, but Apple is not taking online pre-orders at the moment and is advising customer that in-store sales will begin at the standard 8:00 am launch time on Friday.

Microsoft today announced the release of Office for Mac 2011 version 14.2.4, which brings support for the Retina display on the new MacBook Pro released in June.

We’re happy to announce that Office for Mac 2011 (version 14.2.4) now supports Retina display for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Text everywhere is incredibly crisp and all key areas of the interface are now sharper than ever. We hope you enjoy this fantastic software experience!

Beyond Retina display support, the update also brings a number of other enhancements for Outlook, including calendar event reminders, Mountain Lion compatibility for signatures, and fixes for several other issues.

Alongside today's launch of iOS 6, Apple has also released OS X 10.8.2 to the public. The update is currently available via the Software Update functionality in the Mac App Store.

The update includes a number of enhancements, most notably Facebook integration and Game Center. It also includes support for several features integrating with iOS 6, such as Passbook passes and iMessage/FaceTime access via phone number.

This update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users, and includes new features and fixes:

Facebook

- Single sign on for Facebook
- Adds Facebook as an option when sharing links and photos
- See Facebook friends' contact information and profile pictures in Contacts
- Facebook notifications now appear in Notification Center

Game Center

- Share scores to Facebook, Twitter, Mail, or Messages
- Facebook friends are included in Game Center friend recommendations
- Added Facebook "Like" button for games
- Challenge friends to beat your score or achievement

Other new features

- Adds Power Nap support for MacBook Air (Late 2010)
- iMessages sent to your phone number now appear in Messages on your Mac
- You can now add passes to Passbook (on your iPhone or iPod touch) from Safari and Mail on your Mac
- FaceTime can now receive calls sent to your phone number
- New shared Reminders lists
- New sort options allow you to sort notes by title, the date you edited them, and when you created them
- Dictation now supports additional languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean, Canadian English, Canadian French, and Italian
- Dictionary app now includes a French definition dictionary
- Sina Weibo profile photos can now be added to Contacts

Direct downloads available through Apple's site include:

- OS X Mountain Lion Update v10.8.2 (665.48 MB)
- OS X Mountain Lion Update v10.8.2 (Combo) (665.39 MB)

As expected, Apple has just released iOS 6 to the public, making the download available to users of recent iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch models. Users can obtain the update either by connecting their devices to iTunes and clicking the "Check for Update" button or checking for over-the-air updates on their devices via Settings -> General -> Software Update. It may, however, take a few minutes for the update to propagate to all users.

iOS 6 adds over 200 new features, including Apple's own Maps app, Facebook integration, Siri improvements, Apple's new Passbook digital wallet app, and more. Discussion of the new operating system is ongoing in our iOS 6 forum.

iOS 6 is compatible with the third-generation iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and fourth-generation iPod touch. It will also ship on the iPhone 5, which launches on Friday, and on the fifth-generation iPod touch launching next month. The operating system arrives as the golden master build 10A403 for existing devices, and Apple has also posted a special 10A405 build for the iPhone 5 and a 10A406 build for the upcoming fifth-generation iPod touch.

Following yesterday's publication of the first unboxing photos of the iPhone 5, several unboxing videos have now begun appearing. Among the first is one from UK gadget site T3, which received an official review unit from Apple and published its review as the embargo lifted late yesterday.

T3 has also posted a number of other videos showing off features of the iPhone 5.

A second video has been posted to the official YouTube account of Vodafone Germany. iFun.de noted that the video was pulled soon after it was noticed, but it has reappeared on the official Vodafone account.

Finally, a third awkward unboxing video has been posted by a YouTube user who tells us that he pre-ordered his iPhone 5 through Apple and that it was delivered by UPS earlier today. Apple's standard practice involves coordination with delivery companies to hold shipments until the official launch date, but it is not unheard of for a few deliveries to slip through these holds.

Update: Vodafone Germany has removed its video once again. We've replaced our embed with an alternate version.

Two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported on Apple's struggles to reach television content deals that would enable the company to broaden its living room reach by providing set-top boxes to blend live and recorded material. The report noted that cable companies have generally been reluctant to work with Apple as they seek to retain control over the software and other aspects of their businesses, with Time Warner Cable said to be the major cable company most receptive to Apple's proposals.

The Hollywood Reporter now notes (via TechCrunch) that Time Warner Cable Chief Operating Officer Rob Marcus acknowledged at an investor conference today that his company would be willing to cede control over the user interface in scenarios such as those being rumored for Apple's proposals, as long as it can retain the existing customer relationship. The comments by Marcus appear to specifically address integration of the cable company's guide information with Apple's mobile devices, but could obviously extend to other products such as set-top boxes.

Time Warner Cable is "hard at work at a cloud-based [TV] guide experience" and is open to giving up control of the user interface as it looks to make its service accessible via new devices, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, president and COO Rob Marcus told an investor conference in New York on Wednesday.

But he emphasized that this does not mean that the cable giant is willing "to give up the customer relationship" as the company is committed to ensuring that people know its TV services are provided by TW Cable and not any device maker or other third party.

Apple is rumored to have been working on a television product for quite some time as it continues to toy with the current Apple TV set-top box, which the company has repeatedly referred to as a "hobby" that it will continue to pursue as it assesses whether there is a larger opportunity in the market.

Rumors of an Apple television set have largely given way to talk of a new set-top box in recent months, a device that would bring Apple's hardware and software expertise to the consumer cable industry in an effort to meld live television with recorded and on-demand content while integrating into Apple's existing ecosystem. But with both cable companies and content providers being reluctant to strike deals with Apple, progress has been slower than many had hoped for.

Physical mockups of Apple's rumored "iPad mini", presumably based on leaked design specs from case manufacturers, have appeared with increasing frequency in recent weeks, and Gizchina.com has now obtained one of the dummy units to share new photos and a video giving an impression of how the device might look and feel. The dummy units are widely available through Chinese online marketplace Taobao for roughly $15.

Similar mockups in both white and black have appeared over the past several weeks showing the rumored thin side bezel design that would make the device more comfortable to hold in one hand than a uniform bezel such as that seen on the full-size iPad. The video also offers a good overview of the external features of the device.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPad mini at an October media event once the publicity from the iPhone 5 launch begins to subside.