Apple showed preview versions of the three main operating systems at WWDC, Mac OS X 10.11 “El Capitan”, iOS 9 and Watch OS 2. You can get a lot of more detailed information from the Apple web site but here’s what I feel are some of the more important new features coming soon to your devices.
Split Screens
I am not talking about what happens when you drop your iPhone on the driveway but rather a new way to view and use content. This new feature comes to Mac OS X with the ability to create a dual view interactive desktop for two applications. As I am writing this issue of Kibbles I am using this feature to have Safari on 1/2 of my screen and OS X Mail on the other other 1/2. For OS X this is pretty simple since we have had multitasking for a long time. On iOS 9 it is a bit of a more dramatic change.
On iOS 9 there are three new ways to split your iPad’s screen into sections, Slide Over, Picture in Picture and Split View. Slide Over allows an app to occupy about 1/3 of the screen while the other has the full screen behind it. Picture in Picture allows you to watch a YouTube video or FaceTime video call while you are continuing to use another app. You can move the video window around and resize it, too. Split View will only work on the iPad Air 2 but allows two apps to occupy portions of the screen and both are functional. This might be really handy for the rumored extra large iPad that might be in the works.
iOS 9 has full screen mode when you double click the home button to see what apps you have running. I’ve found this to be a big improvement, too.
Watch OS 2
I talked about this in the intro but this is another step in making the Apple Watch even more valuable. Native Watch Apps will not be long in coming!
News
Apple will be releasing a News App that will learn your preferences and present you with the news tailored to your interests. It is not included in the current beta but the demo looked awesome and I can see myself using that extensively to keep informed.
Transit Maps
Nothing worse than visiting a big city for this country boy and trying to navigate the transit system. None of the US systems are as simple to navigate as the transit system in Hong Kong but with this new addition to the Maps app mass transit directions will make getting around a lot easier. Already having Maps on the Apple Watch was a great experience for Grace when she was down in NYC last week. Now she should be able to navigate public transportation, too!
Siri Grows Up
Proactive is the word here. Siri can use the information on your iPhone to give you advice and options, like having your own personal assistant. Things like scanning your email and automatically putting invitations into your calendar or suggesting music for your particular activity. I’ve just started playing with this and I want to see just how useful it will be. Apple also made Spotlight smarter in OS X 10.11 although I wonder why they haven’t brought Siri to the Mac OS yet.
Apple Music
Apple’s “one more thing” this year was Apple Music. Coming in July the service will stream your favorites, allow you to watch music videos and has curated playlists. It also have a feature called Connect that lets unsigned musicians upload their music. Add in the Beats 1 music radio channel and you have a major revision to iTunes and Apple’s music offerings. It will be a subscription and will cost $9.99 a month or $14.99 for a family of up to five. Apple announced it is giving all its 120 million or so iTunes users a free 90-day trial.