WWDC, or the Worldwide Developers’ Conference, is a highlight of Apple’s yearly calendar, a huge annual get-together for the company’s software partners and the media to see Apple’ unveil a range of brand new products.
During the keynote speech on Monday, June 8 by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the major tech company announced its newest version of the iPhone and iPad iOS and Mac OS X software, as well as a new music streaming service.
The latest version of the Mac OS X, El Capitan (named after the mountain in Yosemite National Park), will bring improved gesture support, the ability to snap windows to fill the sides of the screen, and natural language processing capabilities for Spotlight search. The update focuses on performance, including a new swiping gesture, SplitView and full-screen apps, and an improved Metal graphics technology for detail and game performance, and better processor-hungry apps. Cook also said that it’s possible to achieve 50 percent faster rendering, to improve the general performance for Mac users. The beta software is available today, and a public beta will be available for consumers in July.
With iOS 9, Apple introduced its Proactive assistant. Similar to Google Now, the assistant shows helpful reminders throughout the day based on the data on your phone and not linked to your Apple ID, making it a more appealing alternative for those concerned about privacy through the Cloud. With Proactive, your iPhone will be able to tell you things like when to leave for the airport, based on calendar events or a Passbook boarding pass, or location-based recommendations for restaurants at dinner-time. The tool will also highlight breaking news, with notifications easily accessed on the swipe-down panel.
Voice-activated assistant Siri has also improved, becoming 40 percent faster over the last year and handling over a billion requests per week, making your iOS experience even easier. “Siri is gaining more intelligence,” Apple executives said. “A user can tell Siri to ‘remember this’ and it will later show a link to a website viewed earlier.”
iOS 9 will also improve battery life, including a battery saving mode that can shut down non-essential features and make your iPhone last an extra three hours.
Split-screen function is now available on the iPad, enabling multitasking apps to run side-by-side on the tablet, and a new trackpad function built into the on-screen keyboard for a “cursor” control.
For commuters, Apple Maps now comes transit directions for 10 cities around the world, and gives you step-by-step information for using public transport.
Apple Pay, another new feature announced last year, will also expand to over 1 million locations across the US (as well as the UK) within the next month—including the ability to buy pins from Pinterest. Mobile-payment company Square will also launch a new card reader with Apple Pay support.
And for the newly-released Apple Watch, the company’s newest wearable product, a new WatchOS 2 software will be available in the fall. The operating system is faster, less buggy, and includes Digital Crown, TimeTravel, and HomeKit. Apple Watch apps will be able to access the microphone and accelerometer, play audio with the built-in speakers, and allow developers to add custom widgets and programming tools.
But the biggest announcement of Monday’s conference was Apple’s newest venture in the subscription music business scene: Apple Music. The streaming service, which costs $10 a month, combines on-demand listening, a 24/7 “Beats 1” Internet radio station hosted by live DJs, ad-free music videos, and a social forum for artists to give fans behind-the-scenes content from upcoming releases. The radio station will be led by former BBC host Zane Lowe.
“Apple Music is the next chapter in music,” Cook told more than 4,000 software developers attending the conference. “It’ll change the way you experience music forever.”
Competing with Spotify and Jay-Z’s Tidal, Apple Music will be launched later in June in more than 100 countries, and will be available on iOS, OS X and Windows, iTunes, as well as Android. The streaming service is also offering a free three-month trial for those on the fence, as well as a unique family-sharing plan. (With reports from Macworld, Gizmodo, Al.com, TechCrunch, CNET)
(LA Midweek June 10 – 12, 2015 Sec. A pg.5)
