Apple‘s AirPods have become a staple for many users, offering a convenient way to listen to music, take calls, and interact with Siri. This fall, an AirPods software update brings a range of enhancements focused on improving communication and interaction with your iPhone. The update was announced at Apple’s recent WWDC.
The upcoming update introduces Siri Interactions, a feature exclusive to AirPods Pro (2nd generation). With Siri Interactions activated, users can initiate interactions with Siri by simply nodding their heads for “yes” or shaking their heads for “no.” This intuitive approach eliminates the need to reach for your iPhone or use voice activation commands, offering a seamless and hands-free way to control various functions. Imagine adjusting music playback, making calls, or even getting directions while on the go, all with a simple head gesture.
Source: Apple
For those who frequently use AirPods for calls, the update introduces Voice Isolation, a new feature available on AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and AirPods Max. Imagine taking a call in a bustling coffee shop or a crowded airport and having your voice clearly transmitted to the other caller, even amidst background noise. Voice Isolation utilizes advanced algorithms to distinguish your voice from surrounding noise, ensuring clear and uninterrupted communication. This feature caters to professionals who rely on AirPods for conference calls or anyone seeking a more focused calling experience in noisy environments.
Convenience is further enhanced with the introduction of press-to-mute functionality. This feature is available on AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), and AirPods Max. Imagine quickly muting your microphone during a call by simply squeezing the stem of your AirPods. This intuitive gesture allows for effortless control over audio during calls, eliminating the need to navigate through menus on your iPhone.
As mentioned earlier, the update is expected to arrive on the AirPods starting this fall.
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) returns starting June 10th, 2024. The event offers developers a chance to gain insights into upcoming software updates and access tools for building apps across Apple’s various operating systems.
The conference will kick off with the highly anticipated keynote address, providing a first look at the latest updates coming to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and potentially visionOS. Developers can expect details on new features, functionalities, and tools specifically designed to enhance app development for Apple’s ecosystem. Following the keynote, the Platforms State of the Union dives deeper into these advancements, offering a more technical perspective. Both presentations will be streamed live and available on-demand later.
A Week of Insights and Expert Engagement
WWDC goes beyond the keynote presentations. Over the week, developers can participate in over 100 online sessions. These sessions delve into specific frameworks, best practices for app creation, and other development-related topics. This provides an opportunity to expand their knowledge and skillset through expert guidance and industry insights.
For Apple Developer Program and Enterprise Program members, WWDC offers valuable opportunities for direct interaction with Apple experts. Online labs and in-depth consultations allow developers to seek guidance on implementing the latest technologies, following best practices, and improving their apps. Additionally, live forums staffed by Apple engineers and designers provide technical assistance.
All WWDC sessions will be recorded and made available on the Apple Developer app, website, and YouTube channel. This allows developers to revisit specific topics at their convenience and explore areas of particular interest. Additionally, curated guides will be available to walk developers through the conference’s biggest announcements and resources.
A Celebration of Innovation: Swift Student Challenge and Design Awards
Apple recognizes the importance of fostering future generations of developers. The Swift Student Challenge provides a platform for young talent to showcase their skills. This year’s winners will have the opportunity to visit Apple Park for a unique experience during WWDC week.
The Apple Design Awards celebrate excellence in app and game design, recognizing developers who bring exceptional craft, creativity, and technical expertise to their work. The finalists are now listed on the Apple Developer website and app, with winners announced soon.
Staying Connected with the Developer App
The Apple Developer app serves as a central hub for everything WWDC. Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, the app features the latest news, video sessions, announcements, and activities. Developers can browse topics, register for consultations, watch sessions collaboratively with SharePlay, copy code directly from videos, and more. All WWDC content, registration details, and resource materials are also accessible via the developer.apple.com website.
WWDC 24 provides developers of all experience levels with valuable opportunities to learn, connect, and stay up-to-date on the latest advancements within Apple’s software ecosystem.
Apple’s WWDC 2023 seems to be a big one. They announced a new iOS. They also announced their ultra-powerful (no pun intended) Apple M2 Ultra integrated chip that powers their newly announced Mac Studio desktop beast. The most shocking and interesting announcement they did though is not their new large format desktop with their most powerful integrated chip ever. They announced a sort of wearable headset that comes packing two processors. They call it the Vision Pro.
They referred to the Apple Vision Pro not really as a Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) machine though, funnily enough. They referred to the headset as a Spatial Computing tool, a sort of headset that “seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world”. So, an AR goggle it is, except it is a little different compared to the VR/AR goggles that we are used to these days.
Instead of dedicated controllers or physical navigation interfaces, the main interface with Vision Pro is gestures. You can technically connect other form of controller interfaces with the Apple Vision Pro, especially if you want to play traditional games on it. But it is designed to be controlled via your body and hand gestures almost entirely.
We mentioned two processors powering this new Vision Pro. It comes with an Apple standard M2 silicon integrated chip. Alongside that chip is Apple’s R1 chip. The R1 chip works alongside the M2 as an image controller and processor. Instead of crunching mathematical issues like the M2, the R1 controls feeds from 12 different cameras, five sensors, and six microphones that translates to navigation across the interface on the Vision Pro.
Source: Apple
For the Vision Pro, they introduced an entirely new interface they call the VisionOS. They say that the the VisionOS will have access to the App Store and most of the apps made for the iPhone and the iPad. It even has access to FaceTime and allows you to take FaceTime calls with Spatial Audio if you like. Rather than your participants watching you wear a comically large headset, they see you as an avatar that you commonly see in iMessage. Your participants even get to see the entire body being represented in the video call with all the delicate finger movements and everything thanks to the highly advanced cameras and sensors. Apple even says that you can technically watch movies at what feels like 100-inch displays via the Vision Pro.
How they achieved this feat is by fitting two micro-OLED displays that offer up to 23 million pixels combined. Apple says that the micro-OLED displays are only at the size of a stamp and offers HDR and wide colour gamut coverage for the most accurate and immersive experience on an AR goggle you can get. They can even fit a Zeiss optical correction inserts into the Vision Pro if it is required by users. For Spatial Audio, there are speakers that are fitted right into the head band near your ears and works with the sensors within the Vision Pro to create a surround sound feel to your space. It can even be used wirelessly at up to two hours at a time. If not, just keep yourself tethered to a charge point for an all-day use. The proprietary battery pack has to be attached externally though, and you will still have a running cable from the battery pack to the headset.
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
So how much for all this innovation? A cool US$ 3,499 (MYR 16,114*), according to Apple. It will be available in the United States only for now and is only coming next year in 2024. Apple says that they will be bring the device to more regions in 2024 but did not specify which regions. We are not expecting the Vision Pro to make it into Malaysia at the same time as any other region though. There are no confirmations that the Apple Vision Pro will make it anywhere near the region too, so we are not entirely hopeful as well about its local availability. For more information on the Apple Vision Pro, you can head out to their website.
*approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.61 as of 07/06/2023 on xe.com
At WWDC 2023, the one that just happened, we expected a new iOS, and we got a new iOS for the not so new iPhone, and it is a major one. The iOS 17 replaces the iOS 16 and it is technically better than the older iOS in some ways. No, you do not get a new iPhone to come along the new iOS. Yes, it is still the same iOS that you have come to know and love. The people from Cupertino have made a few minor improvements that might majorly change your user experience though.
New Phone App, Who Dis?
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
One of the minor things they changed is the Phone app. It is a minor change but huge experience improvement, supposedly anyway. Instead of a boring plain screen with the usual ‘swipe to answer’ slider and a few other buttons, you can now customise what appears on the caller screen. You can choose a photo that not only appears in a small circle, but fill the entire screen with the photo, just so that you know is calling. You can even change the fonts that shows the name of the caller, just to add some flavour to your friend’s caller ID screen. If you want, you can even add emojis to it. They call it Contact Poster and it does not just work with the default phone app. Apple says that Contact Poster is also available for third-party apps, so you can expect your Telegram and WhatsApp calls.
If you are not available to listen to voicemails, the app also now does real-time transcriptions. That way you can just read your voicemail like it is a text from your friend. You can either choose to reply to your friend via messenger apps or the default messaging app. It even cleverly filters out identified spam calls even when they leave a message.
New Messages Too, Who Dat?
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
iOS 17 also updated the iMessage app. While stickers have been a feature for the iMessage app for a while now, they have improved the experience with the 17th iteration of iOS. You can now create Live Stickers, allowing users to quickly create stickers out of their everyday subjects and environments in an instant. All that can be done through the iMessage app itself.
Apple has also overhauled the search engine for their messaging app. It is more precise, more powerful, and much more accurate this time. There is a new catch-up arrow tat allows users to know where their conversations trailed off or where they left their conversation. You can easily reply to different text lines too on the app by just swiping the desired bubble. Live Locations is also a new feature added to the app. Even audio messages can be turned into a text with the new app with Live Transcription. Rather than texting your loved one that you have arrived at your destination safely, the app allows you to quickly Check In to quickly send out notifications to your family members and friends with is a single click. Your emergency contact will also receive information on your location, battery level, and cell service status when you are not making any progress to your destination.
Autocorrect and dictation is now better than ever. Instead of just picking predicted words, you can form full sentences with Autocorrect now. Based on how you type, and the kind of words you like to use, the algorithm can easily complete your sentences as quick as you can hit the spacebar. There is a new speech recognition model too that is supposed to be more accurate for Dictation.
FaceTime, Now on Apple TV
Leaving voice messages is one thing, you could never have left a video message, not like what you do with FaceTime now. Instead of hanging up the video call, you can just directly leave a voice or video message right on the FaceTime app itself. You do not have to hang up and then record a video, or a voice mail and send it to them via your messenger anymore, which adds a layer of convenience to FaceTime that has never been seen before.
FaceTime now also allows users to express like never before. You can be more expressive with the addition of Reactions in FaceTime now. For iPhone users, it is not just FaceTime that gets the feature though, other video calling apps can also take advantage of the new features.
They also made FaceTime even more accessible than ever before. The Apple TV 4K now supports FaceTime with the new update. In fact, the new update will also install FaceTime to Apple tvOS by default. Users can now start video calls directly from their Apple TV hardware and use the cameras from their iPhones or iPads. You can even start the call from your iOS devices and pass the call on to the Apple TV. Center Stage also makes it to FaceTime for Apple TV.
AirDrop, NameDrop, Drop Whatever You Want to Each Other
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
AirDrop is the one feature that Android users wish they had, and it is now better than ever. NameDrop now allows users to quickly share contact information by just putting their iPhones close to the other iPhone they want to share information with. You can even do that with Apple Watch devices. AirDrop now also works with SharePlay feature to share music quickly from one iPhone to the other. They also say that you can share a game session with another iPhone user all from using AirDrop bringing all kinds of possibilities for mobile multiplayer gaming.
Everything Else
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Since wireless charging and docking has been a thing now, your iPhone with iOS 17 can be more than just a smartphone you put on the wireless charging station. It can sort of become a quick info hub on the side of your bed, or your workstation with the new StandBy feature. There is also a new Journal app that helps users take notes and keep a log of their daily lives. You can even include photos and videos in the journals app to keep tabs on what you have been up to. They have improve Safari and its Private Browsing functions and protection. There is a new Health app that offers new mental health check and measuring features. Maps is also now available in offline mode, if you need to still find your way around without data. They even improved the Home app so that you can track your use data in the past 30 days. Of course, your Privacy is now more important than ever in iOS 17 with more parental control options and a new Sensitive Content Warning feature that also helps adults navigate the web safely.
Availability
iOS 17 is now available on Beta for developers on the developer link. You technically can sign up as a developer and try out the beta version for yourself. If not, they are releasing a public beta in a month’s time. They have not mentioned the availability of the full-fledged iOS 17 just yet. We are guessing it will be available about a month after the public beta is released. More information on iOS 17 can be found on their website.
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2022 was a big success. We saw the Apple M2 chip being introduced to the world. We also saw the new MacBook Air that is no longer a wedge-shaped laptop. There is also new MacBook Pro with M2 chip in it, obviously.
According to Mark Gurman, the Apple guy at Bloomberg, who has also been a highly reliable source for all things Apple, WWDC 2022 is really a pre-cursor to what Apple has planned out for the rest of 2022. In that case, 2022 looks rather busy for Apple.
We know that Apple’s next new iPhone will be coming somewhere in September, and it will come with a new proprietary Apple chip. The new Apple iPhone models, four of them, will also be the most powerful iPhone devices you can get your hands on. That is also a given, and a known fact.
According to Gurman, the new iOS 16 that was announced at WWDC 2022 is a good indication of what is to come with the next-generation iPhone. The revamped lock screen points to an always-on display feature on the new Pro models of the iPhone. At the same time, the lock screen could display a lot more information than just the clock. It could tell you the weather, your calendar, stocks, activities, and other information. For the sake of privacy, you can also control how much of the information gets displayed on the always-on display.
While the EU has made regulation changes and enforces that every electronics manufacturer, including Apple, to start transitioning to USB Type-C standards in the coming years, the new Apple iPhone 2022 will not sport USB Type-C just yet. It will still feature Apple’s proprietary Lightning port for now. You can expect USB Type-C iPhones to come in 2023 though.
Then there will be the new iPads. Apple did not release the M2 for nothing. Like the M1 chip in the iPad Pro, you can expect the new iPad Pro launching later in the year to feature the M2 chip. In that sense, there will be new 11-inch and 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro models coming at the end of the year with M2 chips. The M2 chips should be able to take advantage of the new iPadOS 16’s Stage Manager multitasking functions too. There is also a chance, according to Gurman, that Apple will launch larger form factor Apple iPad Pro models. He expects Apple to launch 14 and 15-inch variations of the Apple iPad Pro.
Unlike how Apple took their time with M1 chips spreading across Apple’s range of products. The M2 might spread more like wildfire this time. Gurman expects Apple to start launching even more products equipped with the M2 chip. There is an M2 Mac mini, M2 Pro chips on the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro models. There could be the M2 Max, M2 Ultra, and M2 Extreme chips coming too, since Apple already has the knowhow on building even more powerful chips based on their original SoC design.
The HomePod is also something that Apple might be looking to upgrade in the coming months. Apple might be looking to update the new HomePod with new processing chips, like the new Apple Watches. There is also supposed to be some new optimization made to the smart speaker in terms of size and audio performance. There are also rumours about multi-touch functions. Gurman also expects new AirPods Pro to be launched with new updated processing chips and higher quality audio.
Remember that all these things are just speculations. There are no straight up confirmations from Apple that they will be launching these new products immediately or in their regular September launch. Until they do make their official announcements, we can only wait and watch.
Apple’s iPad ecosystem is one of, if not the most successful tablet line-up in the entire world. Even though we have always been fans of the Android ecosystem, even we must admit that the Android tablet experience pales in comparison to the modern iPad, especially when you consider the iPad Pro line-up. Sure, the Android tablet experience have improved tremendously over the years with more choices popping up at the same time. Even then, the basic iPad will still be our tablet of choice, if a decent basic tablet is what you are looking for.
Of course, every story today has a humble beginning. For the iPad, it started out as an oversized iPhone that runs on iOS. The iOS that was on the iPad evolved to become iPadOS though, and it started differentiating itself from the iPhone counterpart pretty much from the get-go. Now with iOS 16, we have iPadOS 16.
To be fair, the iPadOS 16 is not the 16th generation of iPadOS. The iPadOS was an adaptation of the iOS for much larger screen formats, hence its confusing yet dignified naming scheme. Still, the iPadOS 16 is most likely the most significant iPadOS that Apple has ever developed for modern Apple iPad devices.
The whole idea behind the iPadOS 16 is making use of the Apple M1 chips you can now find on the Apple iPad Pro devices from 2021. Since the iPadOS can take advantage of the bigger display of the iPad devices anyway, it is built with more multitasking functions than ever. To make the iPad more of a productivity beast than ever before, there are more collaboration tools and capabilities built into the interface too.
Messaging, but Even Better
Source: Apple
Messaging on the iPadOS should be a little more distinctive even compared to the regular messaging app you can find on iOS. On the iPadOS 16’s messaging app, you can edit or recall messages that are recently sent. If you have mistakenly deleted a message, you can even quickly recover them. In case you need to save your messages for later, you can even mark them as unread to remind yourself to come back to it later.
Work And Collaborate, but Smarter than Ever
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Apple introduces Freeform, a new collaboration tool that gives users the ability to see, share, and collaborate within a single space and with full support for Apple Pencil. You can contribute to the board and edit the contents of the board at any given time, in real-time. You can even create and start a board right from FaceTime and see real-time updates in your messages thread.
Mail is even better too. Like the iOS version of the Mail app, messages can be recalled and cancelled before it reaches the recipient’s inbox. You can even schedule emails to be sent at your desired time. If you so wish to, you can even set your emails in your inbox folder to ‘Remind Later’ just so you can look at it again at a more appropriate time. If you need to pull up older messages, the new search algorithm also ensures that you can easily find your older emails quickly and accurately.
Check the Weather on iPad, Finally
The weather app for the iPad is now here and is much better than before. Well, it is a weather app, there is no running from its basic functions of telling you the current weather and other weather predictions. Instead of a plain image or background though, the weather app tells you weather with interactive animations that changes according to the current weather and weather predictions. Users who live in high-risk areas can even get notified if a severe weather alert is issued for their area. At the same time, users can even check the air quality in a particular area with easy to read, color-coded scale.
Professionally Adapted
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The iPad Pro can now become another rather useful tool in a content creator’s arsenal. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro comes with a brilliant Liquid Retina XDR display that is rather wasted if not properly utilized. With iPadOS 16, users can now use the 12.9-inch display of the iPad Pro as a reference display for colour grading purposes and even compositing images.
There is also something called Display Zoom. It allows users to increase the pixel density of their display so that they can see more in their apps. When needed, Virtual Memory Swap can also adapt the iPad’s storage to expand available memory for differing application (up to 16GB) depending on their demands.
Apple also introduced Stage Manager, an iPadOS exclusive feature. It is a unique multitasking interface that automatically organizes apps and windows on top of one another so that users can easily and quickly switch between tasks. Windows can be stacked and overlapped atop one another in a single view too for more versatility in multitasking. Apps can also be grouped together if needed so that they can be quickly accessed when needed. Stage manager can also be used with external displays thanks to the power of Apple’s M1 chip.
More Mac Like that iOS Like
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
The biggest thing we think that Apple did not elaborate on with the Apple iPadOS16 is the fact that you can now run desktop, Mac class apps on M1 powered iPads. While there has not been too many examples or apps that is meant to run on the iPadOS and iPad devices, the potential of having a full desktop app like Adobe’s suite or even their own Final Cut Pro is a huge deal, considering that many are looking to replacing their current laptops and desktops with an iPad Pro.
Let us talk about Apple’s first foray into the silicon market – the Apple M1 chip. It was a somewhat successful endeavor. The M1 powered MacBooks proved to be rather popular among fans and even to new users. It is also the first successful implementation of a System on a Chip (SoC) solution for a major computing device with a desktop interface that is the MacOS in this case.
Of course, the success of the M1 chip also has something to do with the fact that Apple has somehow engineered the MacOS around the integrated silicon. But it also has something to do with the Apple M1’s specific build to optimise and be optimized with apps designed for MacOS.
Of course, while we expected Apple to come up with more powerful versions of their silicon last year, we were a little wrong to expect the second-generation of Apple’s silicon to be announced then. Instead, Apple launched variants of the M1 chip. You get larger footprints of the M1 that also comes with a lot more grunt from the SoC. Everything changes for 2022 though with Apple’s M2.
Welcome to the Apple M2 silicon, supposedly an evolution of the M1 chip. Obviously, it will be more powerful than the regular M1 chip. As with the M1 chip as well, the M2 will start out its life in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Why Should You Care?
Source: Apple
PC users might snicker at the thought of an SoC running their Windows system. It is not too far-fetched of an idea though. Windows 11 seems to be more SoC friendly, and Qualcomm is working on a solution for that as we write this piece.
But the M1 is prove that an SoC can power a desktop class computing solution. The M2 just solidifies that position for Apple as the only manufacturer that dare to go beyond conventions. While Apple did point out that the M2 can game better with Metal accelerator, it still will not game like Windows PC can.
Instead, the M2 is tailor built to ensure that the MacOS is fully optimized and runs as fast as it can. The M2 chip is designed specifically to ensure that the MacOS and its apps are getting enough processing power in all the right places to ensure smooth, snappy experience. It just does everything that the M1 does, but better.
Bigger, Badder, Better
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Footprint wise, the M2 is slightly larger than the M1 chip. It is built with he second-generation 5nm technology, technically the current most advanced transistor technology. The new construction allows Apple to push the envelope a little bit with the M2.
It is supposed to be about 18% faster than the M1 in terms of CPU performance. In terms of GPU performance, it is supposed to 35% better than the older chip. The M2 is also supposed to pack a dedicated Neural Engine that is about 40% faster than before. While the M1 tops out at 16GB of memory bandwidth, the basic M2 can support up to 24GB in unified memory. You can find all 24GB powering the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The larger footprint can be contributed to the fact that Apple has squeezed 25% more transistors than the M1. More transistors also means that the chip can deliver up to 100GB/s in memory bandwidth with the speedy unified memory. At the same time, with a larger cache, the M2 does not require any more power than the M1 demanded. At the same maximum power consumption. The M2 still beats out the M1 in all processor aspects.
Faster Workflow = Better Productivity
Source: Apple
The result of all that can be seen in all the Apple silicon optimized apps. Thanks to the wider bandwidth, the M2 supports up to 8K H.264 and HEVC video encoding. It is supposed to also be able to stream more 4K and 8K videos on more displays, if you can find enough dongles or displays to plug the MacBook Air or the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
At the same time, while not spoken at length, the M2 features better security all around. Apple’s Secure Enclave ensures that your data is locally stored and protected instead of it being uploaded to iCloud. Of course, to fully take advantage of the chip’s power, you need Apple’s latest MacOS Ventura.
The MacBook Air – Now a Proper Baby MacBook?
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
For the first time ever, the MacBook Air got a redesign. Instead of the wedge-shaped aluminium slate, it now looks like a thinner version of the regular MacBook. It is not a bad thing.
It now features a more updated “MacBook” look in a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with the weird notch in the top middle section of the display. That notch houses an 1080p Full HD FaceTime camera and other sensors.
The US 1,199 (starting from) device now looks a little more up to par to a regular MacBook too, at least on paper. It now features dour speakers and MagSafe charging has made its way back into the thinnest and lightest version of the MacBook family. There are still no fans in the notebook for any significant cooling performance, but the M2 is an SoC that does not really need a dedicate cooling fan. The MacBook Air also comes in four different colour finishes now instead of the usual two that was offered before.
Every year at WWDC, Apple always says that their latest update to iOS is the biggest one ever. To be fair, iOS has come a long way since we first saw it in the first Apple iPhone. It got an App Store a few generations later and never looked back. But the modern iOS is more than its app store, it is the updates that Apple has added to the iOS that makes it such a versatile interface we know today.
Apple is not technically wrong to say that the iOS 16 update is the biggest ever for the iOS interface. In terms of visuals at least, iOS 16’s interface could be the most visually distinct iOS ever. It also seems like Apple is finally going into a completely different direction with making the iOS better than ever. The update, technically, is the most feature packed major update ever.
Lock Screen – Not Just a Screen Anymore
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Lock screens have always been the most plain looking part of the iOS experience. It is basically a transitional screen before you get to your main home screen. Most of the time, you probably use it as a sort of clock or watch replacement too, a quick glance to tell you the time of day and date.
The thing is, there is a lot more you can do with the lock screen. It is technically a blank canvas for quick glances. That is what they implemented on the iOS 16.
They say that it is an inspiration from the Apple Watch. The home screen is now an information throve but designed in such a way that you can absorb everything by just quickly glancing through it. It now updates you on your next calendar agenda, battery levels, the weather, upcoming alarms, time zones, and even your activity ring progress. Of course, your essential time and date information will always be the front and center of your lock screen notification center. Of course, there is only a limited amount of space for information as well, so you get to choose which widgets go on your lock screen.
At the same time, users get to work with multilayered effects to really personalize their lock screen. You can artfully choose a lock screen image and iOS can cleverly layer your clock and widgets behind the art subject to create this rather interesting 3D layering of your lock screen. It is not really a Live Wallpaper kind of thing, but it is still rather interesting to work with.
Focusing on the Important Stuff
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Not much here, but Apple have claimed that they have improved Focus on the new iOS 16. To activate different focus modes, all you need to do is to swipe to differing lock screens you have on your iPhone. Different focus modes can also be customized to notify and show different notifications to ensure that users are given relevant information at whatever focus mode they choose to work with at any time.
A Shared Library
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
With the power of iCloud, you can now share your photo library with your family. The Shared Photo Library feature gives users the ability to collaborate or share the library with up to five other people. Each user can also share photos from their own personal library to be included in the shared library. Each user in the library can also add, delete, edit, and favourite their photos or videos in the library.
Unsend Stuff on Messages
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Usually, when you send messages, once it gets through, you can hardly retrieve it. With the introduction of new messenger apps like Telegram, you can now unsend messages that you sent to unintended parties. WhatsApp also recently introduced the same “delete message” feature with a certain time limit to it. Now the feature to unsend a message is available of the iOS native messaging app. They did not stop there/
You can now mark messages as unread, just so that it still can appear on your message list as unread, just so you can come back to it later. You can also recover recently deleted messages if you accidentally delete an important message. SharePlay is also new on iOS Messages. You get to enjoy synced movies or songs and even control their playback all while through messaging via Messages.
Mail Better
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
With the Mail app, you can now schedule your emails ahead of time, just so that you have a lot more control over your working time. Just in case, the Mail app gives you time to cancel the delivery of emails before it hits the recipient’s inbox. With Remind Later and Follow Up features, Mail can remind users to follow up on emails they might have missed after a while. Search is also now better on the Mail app than ever. Apple claims that the Mail app’s search algorithm is much more accurate and relevant compared to its predecessors to help you find older emails.
More Intelligent, Even On-the-Go
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Live text is now cleverer than before. You can use the feature in videos now by just pausing the video and interact with texts within the image or frame. You can even use Live texts as your personal translator or currency converter.
Beyond that though, Visual Look Up is also now improved. Instead of just recognizing a subject, users can now duplicate the subject and place it in other messenger apps. It also now recognizes birds, insects, and statues.
Apple’s Pay app is also improved at least in the United States (U.S.). They just introduced their very own microfinancing service in Apple Pay Later. If you have used Grab’s Pay Later wallet, it works very similarly there. The Pay Later feature also allows you to pay for your items in monthly instalments with no additional charges for now.
CarPlay is also improved with new features that makes it a powerful and versatile interface for in-car infotainment systems. CarPlay can now provide for multiple screens in a car to ensure that the CarPlay experience is consistent throughout a vehicle. There is more integration as well with CarPlay. Other than climate controls, CarPlay can also provide readings from multiple sensors in the car like fuel level, engine temperature, and even speed. Users can completely change what they see on their dash as well, if they choose to do so.
And more …
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
Source: Apple
There are plenty of minor updates and improvements done on Safari, Apple maps, Siri, and even the Fitness app. For example, the Fitness App no longer requires users to own an Apple Watch to track their fitness goals. Apple News also now has My Sports section to allow users to easily follow their favourite sports teams in their favourite games. Spatial Audio is also improved on the iOS 16 to allow for a more precise and immersive audio with TrueDepth camera for a more personally tuned experience.
Availability
Apple’s iOS 16 is now available as a preview for members of Apple’s Developer Program. You can find it on their developer website. A public beta of the iOS will be available in the coming month. iOS 16 and its features will be available for iPhone 8 and later. For more information on iOS 16, you can visit their microsite for it.
Healthcare is getting more personal and as a result, medical professionals require more data than ever to effectively treat diseases. That said, individuals are also becoming more health conscious and have been tracking and collecting data such as sleep times, heart rate, blood oxygenation and more through wearables like the Apple watch. Apple is taking the next step in enhancing their Health app to allow even better insights and secure data sharing.
With the latest update to the Apple Health app on iOS, the company is making proactive strides to putting more actionable data into the hands of its users. The new update to health allows users to gain more insights with trend analysis. The new feature allows users to track and visualise data trends for 20 types of data. This includes cardio fitness, sleep and even resting heart rate. These trends allow Health app users to track and visualise health and lifestyle metrics that are important to them. The Trends feature will also proactively highlight changes in the data that may be significant to users. The changes will be highlighted and surfaced in a way that is easily understood.
Apple is also bringing a new feature called Walking Steadiness. The feature comes in the wake of an increasing number of cases where serious conditions and loss of independence resulting from a fall. A staggering 37 million cases were reported in April 2021 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The new feature collects mobility data as users use their iPhones. The algorithms assess balance, stability and coordination using the motion sensors of the iPhone. Based on this data, it will return a classification OK, Low or Very Low. The app will then notify users if their steadiness drops below their preset levels and recommend curated, clinically validated visual exercises to increase strength and balance. Joining the steadiness feature is the respiratory rate measurement on the Apple Watch which will allow users to monitor their breathing even when asleep.
Apple’s greatest contribution to personalised health comes with its implementation of Health Sharing. The new feature allows users to share their data with others. While screen capping has always been an option on other platforms, Apple is allowing users to curate and allow visual access to the data to others. This means that users are able to keep an eye on their ageing parents or even share relevant data with their healthcare provider for better care and management of their conditions. It will also allow users to have better, more meaningful conversations with their doctors and allow more effective management. Apple is also including the ability to store vaccination records and tests in the app.
That said, Apple Health isn’t leaving privacy in the lurches. Apple is allowing granular control of the data collected in the Health app to the user. In fact, the company guarantees that the data collected remains private and secure. The data stored is encrypted securely even during sharing and is locked behind a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID on the phone itself. The company guarantees that it doesn’t have any access to the data even when the data is shared.
The Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is a huge yearly ensemble for Apple. The annual conference is one of Apple’s most significant in a year. We see Apple upping the ante for WWDC every year too, and this year is no different. Apple this year is looking to make WWDC21 the biggest one yet.
WWDC is where we see the evolution, or the new iterations of Apple’s software. You can expect to see a new macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iOS, and even iPadOS. Sometimes, you might get to see some new hardware, or get an announcement as big as hardware dependency change like last year’s announcement. If you forgot, WWDC20 saw Apple announcing that they are moving away from relying on partner processors and move their supply chain to rely on their own Apple Silicon processors. Later in the year 2020 we saw the Apple M1 chip.
2020’s WWDC was also completely online due to the global situation that is the pandemic. There are some good that came out of last year’s WWDC though. It was accessible to everyone in the world, no matter their location or time zone. Last year’s WWDC was what Apple claimed to be its largest ever so far. They are expecting around 28 million developers around the world to tune in for this year’s WWDC.
While hardware has not been much of a focus for WWDC, we should not be surprised when Apple does make some announcements on hardware additions to their line-up. In 2019 and 2017, Apple launched new devices and even desktops during their WWDC keynotes. As usual also, there are no new details on what Apple will announce this year at WWDC. Although, some are speculating that Apple might launch their long-awaited AR glasses or some sort of VR headset. These are rumours based on the visuals Apple chose for this year’s WWDC21 tease.
Apple’s WWDC 21 is happening 7th June 2021 onward all the way to the 11th of June 2021. As per the current pandemic situation and like 2020, the event will be an all-virtual affair. For more information on WWDC21 you can head over to their website.
