October 15, 2012

Using Categories in the new iOS 6 Stores.

In iOS 6, browsing through all the selections in the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore is now significantly easier and more powerful. On the iPhone and iPod touch, you can use the Genres button at the top in the iTunes Store, and the Categories button at the top in the App Store and iBookstore, to produce lists of their sections within, and then go directly to any of them with a simple tap. On the iPad, the buttons are labeled All Genres and All Categories and the most popular choices (for instance, Games and Education in the App Store) appear next to them, with a More button on the right that will produce the tappable list of all the choices within. The Games and Newsstand categories in the App Store also produce subcategory lists themselves when you tap them (for example, Arcade, Puzzle, Crafts & Hobbies, Fashion & Style, and so on). And if you select the Charts tab along the bottom in the stores you can then use the Genres and Categories buttons to see what's charting throughout. It's like being able to beam yourself instantly around in a very large store.