Apple Quietly Releases Podcasts App ahead of iOS 6

Podcasts on iOS App Store.

Rumors that iOS 6 would drop Podcasts from iTunes into the form of a stand alone app seemed to make a lot of sense. Other than practicality, the idea of a stand alone app for podcasts was just that, a practical idea. For years Podcasts have been a pain to find and often lost among the piles of stuff in iTunes. Many people, including myself who love podcasts hated the way Apple treated podcasts making them not only hard to find, but a pain to manage as well.

However, today, Apple quietly released Podcasts a head of iOS 6 with a stand alone app that according to Apple "is the easiest way to discover, subscribe to, and play your favorite podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Explore hundreds of thousands of free audio and video podcasts from the Podcasts Catalog, and play the most popular podcasts, organized for you by topic, with the all-new Top Stations feature." 


Here is a list from Apple of the features and requirements for the new Podcasts app:


Features:

• Enjoy all of your audio and video podcasts in a single app

Podcasts on Apples iOS App Store

• Explore hundreds of thousands of podcasts including shows in over 40 languages
• Try the innovative new Top Stations feature to find new podcast series in a variety of topics, including arts, business, comedy, music, news, sports, and more.
• Browse by Audio or Video podcasts, or see what's most popular in Top Charts
• Tap subscribe for your favorites and automatically receive new episodes for free as they become available
• Stream episodes or download to listen while offline
• Skip forward and back using simple playback controls
• Turn on Sleep Timer to automatically stop playing a podcast while listening in bed
• Share your favorite episodes with friends using Twitter, Messages, and Mail
• Optionally sync your favorite episodes from iTunes on your Mac or PC
• Sync your episode playback for seamless transition between devices

Requirements:

• Requires a device with iOS 5.1 or later
• Optionally syncing episodes requires iTunes 10.6.3 or later
• Streaming or downloading episodes requires Internet access over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection



So what do you think of the new podcasts app? Do you want to download this app? Is this something that has you excited or do you hate podcasts and couldnt care less? Let us know in the comment box below or at our Facebook, Google+, and Twitter pages. Peace Apple Nation!