But if you’re the prototypical user who only opens a handful of apps per month – and owns an Apple everything – your day-to-day life is about to get a little slicker. “This is a huge moment for us – four great platforms that become even more capable with working with all of you”.
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The new operating systems and app will be released to the public this fall, Apple said. Siri will also be able to search YouTube through Apple TV if you want to quickly watch things like all of Steph Curry’s best three-point shots. The developer preview will launch Monday, with tvOS 2 coming to customers this fall.
Apple today unveiled the next version of its Mac operating system, codenamed Sierra. It features improvements in continuity and cloud services. And when you get a search result on asking for something from local files or the web, you can drag and drop it in any app or pin the results to your notifications. Apple said it is also opening up Maps to developers for integration to allow users to complete more actions without having to exit the Maps app. Microsoft (MSFT) has already done the same with its Cortana application on Windows PCs.
Just like Siri on iOS, Siri on macOS is also able to initiate music, open other apps and send text messages via voice commands.
iOS meets tvOS – The iOS 10 reveal also included a few new features that will connect its iOS and tvOS platforms.
Apple is introducing more artificial intelligence to the iPhone and iPad, with devices now able to understand conversations and recognise faces in photos. Apple’s virtual assistant has felt a bit long in the tooth as rival offerings from Amazon and Google have improved.
In any case, Apple’s latest update to the tvOS will let developers make the device an integral part of the users’ households. For example, Photos is gaining facial recognition for finding images of certain people, object and scene recognition, and a feature called Memories that’ll bundle together photos and videos of a trip or event and create a little movie for you. But the app also gives more experienced developers the ability to play around with the full iOS software development kit on their iPad, something that wasn’t possible before.
Among the most unexpected announcements from WWDC was the slew of updates coming to Apple’s messaging platform iMessage. Also, Siri is now capable of making VoIP calls, to search photos from 3rd party photo applications and even make payments.
Security – As expected after the company’s recent battle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation over encryption, Apple executives talked up privacy features.
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The company also added handwriting support called “Scribble”, as well as a new SOS mode. On Monday, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said that thanks to the feature, “Children of tomorrow will have no understanding of the English language!” Rather than requiring you to touch your Mac against a contactless terminal, this allows you to easily pay for stuff you’re buying online, as long as the site you’re on supports Apple Pay.
