Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2015 That Really Matters
Apple announced all sorts of things today, including its new streaming music service, iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, and watchOS 2. The conference has been long, so let me summarize.
iOS 9 offers more transport options, public transit routes, and more
As expected, a new version of iOS will be released on iPhone and iPad this fall. There are not many major changes here, but there are still a few small improvements to be made.
iOS 9 Gets Proactive Features Similar to Google Now
iOS 9 is more active and learns from your behavior. For example, if you plug in headphones while you’re at the gym, your Now Playing track will start playing immediately. Likewise, if it detects an upcoming event in your email, it will automatically add it to your calendar. It will even check your current driving conditions and send you a notification when it’s time to leave.
Spotlight can now search apps
Spotlight in iOS 9 is much more powerful and predictable. By pulling it out, you will see your recent contacts, as well as the applications that you usually launch at certain times of the day. You can also search apps like Netflix and Vimeo, do basic math, and more. More importantly, Spotlight now has an API, so this feature can (and hopefully will be coming soon) in many other apps.
Apple Maps gets public transit maps
Apple Maps is finally getting public transit maps and directions. For major transport hubs, the time spent walking through the terminal will be included in your time estimates. However, the launch window is quite small and will only be available in a few major cities, including San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC.
Apple News compiles a personalized list of news articles
Apple News is a big new app in iOS 9. It’s basically Flipboard, but it’s Apple-specific — you pick the topics that interest you, as well as the individual feeds of your favorite sites, and they’re all merged into one universal visual app. … Gizmodo is looking closely .
IPad gets multitasking and QuickType keyboard
Perhaps the most exciting new feature in iOS 9 is for iPad: true multitasking . You can now view two apps side-by-side just like in Windows 8, so you can use both at the same time. Both are independent of each other, so you can move them around and resize their columns as needed. Even cooler is the new picture-in-picture mode for the Video app, so you can watch videos while you work or play in another app. Most of the multitasking functionality is limited to iPad Air and newer, and split-screen mode will only work on the Air 2.
QuickType keyboard for iPad now also has formatting options. You can also swipe with two fingers to create a trackpad for selecting and editing text. If you use the keyboard, you also get a few new keyboard shortcuts for switching between apps.
All the rest
The standard Apple Notes app now has formatting options and support for photos. You can also draw sketches in the Notes app and instantly add links to your notes from Safari.
Apple also enhances security by giving you more granular control over what data you share with Apple. If iOS 9 really needs to call home, this will be done anonymously, and nothing will be associated with your Apple ID.
Apple Pay has also been updated to include Discover credit cards and a host of new merchants. It is also now available in the UK.
IOS 9 also brings some improvements that extend the battery by about an hour. More importantly, the new Low Power Mode switch lets you skip an extra three hours when you need extra juice.
iOS 9 will be available in the fall and the public beta in July. If you are looking for more, Gizmodo can help you .
OS X El Capitan Improves Yosemite with Minor Improvements
Apple also announced a new version of OS X called El Capitan. It comes with several new minor features, including some new gestures for closing mail, Safari gestures for pinning, and a new mouse cursor locator.
Now you can move the Spotlight window and it gets a natural language parser for searching. This means you can search Spotlight with words like “Letter I ignored from Phil” or “Papers I worked on last June.”
Full screen has been redesigned in Apple’s own apps. You can open tabs in apps or view two apps at the same time. All of this can be done through the flight control gaps panel.
Several other minor improvements are also expected, including some performance improvements when launching applications, switching applications, and opening PDFs. Apple is also bringing Metal, the iOS graphics technology, to the Mac. This should improve graphics performance in both applications and games.
OS X El Capitan will be a free update this fall.
Apple Music Streams Entire iTunes Library to Your Devices
As “One More Thing,” Apple announced Apple Music, a multi-platform streaming service similar to services like Spotify. It connects to the iOS music app and has a personalized For You section. You can also create live playlists using the Next function, which works in much the same way as it does in iTunes. As you’d expect, it’s all connected to Siri.
In addition to streaming the entire iTunes music library, there is also a built-in social network that allows artists to connect with fans, as well as a global 24/7 live DJ radio station called Beats One.
It launches on June 30 alongside iOS 8.4 and an updated iTunes for $ 9.99 a month. They also give away a free 3 month trial. A version for Android will be released this fall. Gizmodo takes a closer look at this.
WatchOS 2 brings native apps and minor improvements
When the Apple Watch was launched, the apps were linked to your iPhone. With watchOS 2, it will have its own apps . This means you don’t need an iPhone to use it, which is a good thing.
WatchOS 2 has received several improvements as well. You will have new faces with time display, information from third-party applications on your face, “bedside mode” with alarms, time travel function for viewing upcoming events and much more. You can now reply to emails, reply to FaceTime audio, and store award cards on your watch.
WatchOS 2 will go on sale in the fall.