Apple have taken the stage at their yearly WWDC event to announce a wealth of new software updates and services to their range of devices. Apple Music, iOS 9, Watch OS 2 & OS El Capitan are just the beginning of what seems to be a much more unified experience from Apple.
Apple Watch OS2
Apple Watch OS 2 will let users create a watch face out of their favourite photo OR use a time-lapse from iconic locations including New York City, London or Shanghai. A new Time Travel feature will let users scroll with the digital crown to explore events in the future or the past. This will also be able to pull information from third party apps.
Nightstand Mode will transforms Apple Watch into a bedside alarm clock, with the Digital Crown and side button serving as snooze and off buttons for the alarm; the ability to use merchant rewards and store-issued credit and debit cards with Apple Pay, which can be added to Wallet. Apple OS 2 will release in Spring 2015. iOS 9
Siri features an all-new design in iOS 9. Contextual reminders and new ways to search photos and videos are just the beginning. Proactive assistance is a brand new feature which will start recommending suggestions before you even start typing. It’ll suggest apps to launch into or people to contact based on previous usage patterns.
iPad Air 2 is finally getting the Split View feature that has been heavily rumoured for over a year. This will allow you to use two apps at the same time. Maps is getting support for transit systems as well as food, drinks, shopping and more. Notes is getting completely revamped with the ability to sketch and create checklists.
The News app delivers a reading experience that combines the rich, immersive design of a print magazine with the interactivity of digital media. News can learn your interests and suggest relevant content that’s easily shareable with friends or saved for later. News delivers the best articles from a variety of publishers and over one million topics to help you personalise your reading experience, all presented in an elegant, uncluttered design. iOS 9 will be available in the Spring. For the first time, users can participate in a BETA starting next month.Apple Music
Apple Music is a revolutionary streaming service and app that puts the entire Apple Music catalogue at your fingertips across your favourite devices. Apple music will arrive on June 30th. Users will be able to receive 3 months for free.
Beats 1, Apple’s first ever live radio station dedicated entirely to music and music culture, will broadcast live to over 100 countries. Beats 1 is a 24-hour listening experience led by influential DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. Listeners around the globe will hear the same great programming at the same time. Exciting programs on Beats 1 will offer exclusive interviews, guest hosts and the best of what’s going on in the world of music.
Artists and fans now have an incredible way to connect with one another directly in Apple Music with Connect. Through Connect, artists can share lyrics, backstage photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fans directly from their iPhone. Fans can comment on or like anything an artist has posted, and share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter and email. And when you comment, the artist can respond directly to you.
OS X El Capitan
OS X El Capitan will largely focus on refinements to the overall operating system. The font currently being used on the Apple Watch will be bought across. Mission Control has been redesigned to access apps quicker than ever before. Similar to the iPad, Macs will be receving a Split View feature which automatically positions two app windows side-by-side in full screen os you can work with both apps without distraction.
Built-in apps are even more streamlined in El Capitan. Safari now features Pinned Sites to keep your favourite websites open and active in your tab bar and a new mute button to quickly silence browser audio from any tab. Mail introduces Smart Suggestions, which recognises names or events in a Mail message and prompts you to add them to your contacts or calendar with a single click.
Spotlight gets even smarter in El Capitan, generating results for even more topics, including weather, stocks, sports, transit and web video. You can now resize the Spotlight window to display more results or move it anywhere on your desktop, and use natural language to find documents and files on your Mac based on when they were created or who you sent them to. OS X El Capitan will be available in the Spring.