Apple’s announced a lot of things in its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). For our readers’ interest, we have compiled everything in a simple way. So, let’s dig in.
OSX 10.11 is El Capitan
Apple has announced the new OS X 10.11 for Mac users and they have named it El Capitan. El Capitan will have features like gestures, such as shake to enlarge the mouse cursor, and a new way to pin websites on Safari. Moreover, the browser will also add a speaker icon in the URL bar to mute music coming from any tab opened.
You can also search better with Spotlight in El Capitan. You can look for files you worked on in a particular period of time. El Capitan will have Metal 3D graphics SDK to enhance the gaming and apps on its desktop.
iOS 9
The new iOS 9 was showcased with Siri’s upcoming improvements. The new “context sensitive” features make Siri smart enough to learn that when you say “remind me about this,” it will know you are referring to the webpage you are currently viewing on Safari. Siri will also search through your emails for an unknown caller id and give you a possible match. Moreover, Apple announced a new app for iOS 9 called News. This app will show personalized news content to the users. The app is a bit like the Flipboard.
Apple Pay
Apple announced that Square will launch a new reader that supports Apple Pay. Moreover, the newly announced buyable pins by Pinterest will also be compatible with Apple Pay on iOS. Apple Pay is coming to the United Kingdom next month, supported by Transport for London on the Tube, buses and trains. Users can add their credit and debit cards into the Wallet.
Swift 2.0 and all the kits
Apple announced Swift 2.0 and it will be open sourced. There are a lot of updates coming to Apple developer kits. For example, HealthKit is getting hydration and reproductive health support.
watchOS 2
Apple’s watchOS is getting more watch faces such as “Photo Album” face to rotate through your pictures in the background. Developers will be able to display data from different apps, like flight times to sport scores, right on the watch face.
Other features include the ability to respond to emails, watch videos, and make FaceTime audio calls straight from the Apple Watch. Moreover, users can also ask Siri to start the Workout app without ever touching the watch. Wallet and live transit data via Maps are also heading to Watch.
One more thing
Tim Cook finished the event with traditional “one more thing” tease. This time it was about Apple Music, its streaming service powered by iTunes. You can search content on “My Music,” or find song recommendations in the “For You” tab. To populate “For You,” Apple Music will ask your musical preferences, artists and playlists. For an ad-free, on demand version of Apple Music will be available for $9.99 per month, after a free three-month trial period. A family membership will also be available for $14.99 for up to six members.
Wrap Up
Apple’s WWDC 2015 was up to the mark as usual. We have witnessed a lot of exciting new things coming our way. Apple Music was the biggest sensation of the event. However, we will have to wait to see, how it will compete against the likes of Spotify and Pandora.
