The WWDC conference on Monday kicked off with Apple’s software announcements and the media’s live-blog extravaganza. Amongst the announcements of Apple Music and the new “OS X El Capitan” was the unveiling of the iOS 9 software, which will be available for almost all of Apple’s mobile devices this fall.
Siri
First on the updates is Siri. She’s getting an intelligence boost by learning from usage patterns. For example, Siri can learn the type of music a user listens to based on the time of day and location. Once a user plugs in their headphones, it will automatically show the controls from the user’s favorite music app. Siri will also be able understand commands like “email this to Frank” or “show me photos from Hawaii last September”. Basically, Apple is beefing up Siri to compete with Google Now by becoming more of a proactive assistant.
Apps
- Maps will have new transit route directions to help navigate public transportation. Hopefully, there won’t be a repeat of the tragic Apple Maps initial release and end up directing people from NYC to bus routes in Bangladesh.
- Notes is getting a few new features like being able to make sketches with your finger and save notes from other apps. But more importantly, Apple is finally adding the ability to create a checklist.
- News is Apple’s way of tackling and distributing content from publishers such as ESPN and The New York Times, which will give Flipboard some competition (by copying them).
- Apple Pay has some changes coming with its new compatibility with Square and its integration with loyalty programs such as Dunkin Donuts and Walgreen’s. Also some genius at Apple thought of renaming Passport to Wallet.
iPad
The iOS 9 may make iPads more relevant by allowing users to “take advantage of the power of iPad, working in two apps at the same time with Split View, Slide Over or Picture-in-Picture,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
Other iOS 9 updates included the promises of longer battery life, software updates taking up less storage space and enhanced security features for Apple devices and Apple IDs.
Ultimately, these updates are to make life easier for Apple fiends and it’s easy to see why everyone to freaks out over any Apple announcement, since recent data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows 94 million iPhones users in the U.S. If you still need to feed your Apple addiction and have 145 minutes to kill, check out the recording of the event here.
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