Although iOS 6 is still in the beta stages for developers, many folks have noticed that podcasts are no longer accessible in from with the built-in iTunes app. This has led to rumors and speculation that Apple might introduce a new, dedicated Podcast app of their own.
There are still ways to access the podcasts section of the iTunes Store through the Music app in iOS 6, but only a banner shows at the top, with no actual podcasts available to choose from. While this could be a beta issue, according to All Things D , a dedicated Podcast app is more likely.
People familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.
We've seen that happen before -- last January when Apple took iTunes U out of iTunes and gave it a dedicated app. Now, assuming the information is correct, we'll see it happen with Podcasts as well by the time iOS 6 hits the masses.
iMore hasn't heard anything specifically about a Podcast app, but we have heard through the grapevine that Apple has put stuff in place in iOS 6 that would certainly make a Podcast app more effective. Basically, that Newsstand-type automatic content downloads will be expanded to more types of media.
Imagine for a second, iTunes had a method of knowing your battery life level, connection speed, and other factors, and when new podcasts were available to download, it would automatically weigh all those factors and simply handle it in the background. they will do so in the background when possible so that new stuff is always available when you need it.
And if surfaced as part of an API or service, Podcast apps in the App Store which offer additional features or different user interface concepts, as well as other content distribution apps could certainly benefit.
Source: All Things D
