iOS 6 confirmed for September 19

Apple officially launches iOS 6
It's all new over at Cupertino

Apple has officially launched iOS 6 alongside the iPhone 5 in San Francisco, ushering in a new, Google-free era for the Cupertino-base firm.

We saw iOS 6 unveiled during WWDC in June, where Apple revealed that it would be waving goodbye to Google Maps, brining in its own mapping solution, while also adding more features to the OS, including Passbook, Facetime over 3G, Facebook integration and Siri to the new iPad.

Several Beta versions of iOS 6 were released since that announcement, and it revealed Apple had also ditched another Google offering, in the form of the pre-installed YouTube app, which now needs to be downloaded via the App Store.

Most devices supported

If you're not willing to shell out for the sixth generation iPhone, but fancy some iOS 6 action then you may be in luck, as Apple will be bringing the update to the iPhone 3GS and above, both the new iPad and iPad 2, as well as the fourth generation iPod touch.

The new iPhone 5 will run iOS 6 out the box, which starts shipping on September 21, while Apple's other devices will start to receive the free, over the air update from September 19.

Sadly if you own an iPhone 3G or older, or the original iPad you will miss out on iOS 6 altogether, so you may want to start saving.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.