SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is kicking an important Googleapplication off its iPhone and buddying up with Facebook ratherthan Google's social network, as it distances itself from a bitterrival in the phone arena. Google's Maps application has resided on the iPhone since Applelaunched the very first version of the phone in 2007. It's one ofthe core apps on the phone, and can't be deleted by the user. But on Monday, Apple executives said Google Maps will be replacedby an Apple-developed app in iOS 6, the new operating system foriPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. It's set to be released late thisyear. Apple and Google are locked in a fight over the attention ofhundreds of millions of phone users, and the advertisingopportunities that come with owning a mapping application. Smartphones from companies like Samsung and Google's own Motoroladivision are the chief alternatives to the iPhone, and Apple hasbeen suing those manufacturers in court, accusing them of rippingoff the iPhone's ground-breaking features. Apple also said it's building Facebook into iOS 6, snubbing theGoogle Plus social network. Users will be able to update theirFacebook status by talking to their phones, and "like"movies and apps in Apple's iTunes store, Apple executive ScottForstall said. The announcements were part of the keynote presentation that kickedoff Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in SanFrancisco. Apple presented new features in both phone and Mac software, plusupdated laptops. But investors were mildly disappointed, as theyexpected more substantive news, like a hint of Apple's ambition toget into making TVs. Analysts had speculated that Apple would atleast update the software on the Apple TV, a small box thatconnects a TV set to iTunes for movie downloads, as a prelude toperhaps launching a fully integrated TV set. Apple shares closed down $9.15, or 1.6 percent, at $571.17. Apple updates its iOS software every year, to coincide with thelaunch of a new iPhone. Among other updates in iOS 6, Apple's voice-command applicationSiri will add a host of new languages, including Spanish, Koreanand Mandarin Chinese, Forstall said. "She" will also beable to launch applications and movies, and will run on iPads forthe first time. Apple also said the new version of its Mac operating system,Mountain Lion, will go on sale next month for $20. The updatebrings features from Apple's phone and tablet software, like theiMessage texting application, to the Mac. Microsoft Corp., Apple's competitor when it comes to computersoftware, is also making Windows more like its phone software, withthe release of Windows 8 later this year. A key difference is thatMicrosoft is betting that PCs will have touch screens, while Appleis betting they won't. Mountain Lion will also bring dictation to Macs. Users will be ableto input text by talking to the computer, in any program. This isalready a feature of Microsoft Corp.'s competing Windows software. On the hardware side, Apple showed off a laptop with a super-highresolution "Retina" display, setting a new standard forscreen sharpness. The new MacBook Pro will have a 15-inch screen and four times theresolution of previous models, Apple executive Phil Schiller said. Apple already uses "Retina" displays — withindividual pixels too small to be distinguished by the naked eye— in its latest iPhones and iPads. On the phones and tablets, the Retina display is a standardfeature. On the MacBook, it's an expensive upgrade. The new MacBookwill cost $2199 and up, $400 more than the non-Retina MacBook withthe same-sized screen. The new MacBook borrows features from the ultra-slim MacBook Air.It's only slightly thicker, and like the Air, lacks a DVD drive.Instead of a spinning hard drive, it uses flash memory for storage.In the most radical departure from the last decades of PC design,it lacks an Ethernet port. Those who don't want to use Wi-Fi toconnect to the Internet will have to buy an adapter that goes intothe MacBook's "Thunderbolt" port. Apple's other MacBooks are being updated with the latest processorsfrom Intel Corp. Apple will still sell a more traditional 15-inchMacBook Pro, with a standard display. ——— Peter Svensson contributed from New York. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Stainless Steel Rolls Manufacturer , Cold Rolled Steel Coil Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Spring Steel Strips today!
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