The Apple WWDC event is underway and the company has launched a series of updates for its entire software range, which includes the iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13, macOS Catalina. It’s the beta version that is available at the moment though, with the full release set for launch later in the year.
Here is a brief introduction to each of the platforms.
iOS 13:
Among the key changes introduced include the ability to reply to messages via AirPods with Siri while users will also be able to share audio among friends. Plus, there is the new Photos app as well that does a better job at organizing the images so that those are easily searchable via day, month or year. This will help in searching for images that applies to particular life events as the user will just have to search for a particular period and the images become available instantly.
These apart, the Photo app also comes with several new editing options as well while the OS would be smart enough to strike out duplicates, thereby saving space. The new update will also introduce new ‘Sign in with Apple’ feature which aims to replace existing means of authentication using Google or Facebook accounts.
Also, another standout feature of the new iOS 13 is the new Dark Mode which is being introduced to the Home Screen, News, Calendar and several more apps. These apart, the new iOS is also about speed and reliability, with Apple claiming twice as fast app loading times as any time before while app downloads itself has become half in size.
The new iOS 13 will only be compatible with all iPhone 6s and later models.
tvOS 13:
Apple previewed during the event it’s new tvOS 13 which will form the default operating system for Apple TV henceforth. Among the new features that the tvOS 13 will come with include support for multiple users with each user having their own queue of shows, they wish to view next. Then there is a new Control Center as well which also serves to be the place that will allow users to switch accounts.
Music played on Apple TV will be accompanied by lyrics for user convenience. Another nice feature of tvOS 13 that is sure to appeal gamers includes support for Xbox One and PlayStation DualShock 4 gaming controllers, which means gamers will be able to play games on Apple TV with either of the two most popular gaming consoles.
iPadOS:
The iPad now has an OS of its own which has been better optimised for operating in a big screen environment. The OS has also been redeveloped to make the most of the expanded display, which includes the ability to pack in more apps in the home screen. Also, each open app will be able to support several windows in split view.
Another huge improvement with the iPad OS is its native support for external disk drive and SD cards which can be accessed via the Files app itself. In fact, with the new iPadOS, Apple intends to make the iPad to seem closer to the Mac and away from the iPhone category of devices. For instance, the File app now comes with a column view which is similar to that on the macOS. iCloud too supports sharing of an entire folder apart from sharing files so far.
Usual activities such as cut, copy and paste can be accomplished using three finger gestures while a three finger swipe can be used to undo the action. The Apple Pencil too is now better optimised with latency times improved to 9 milliseconds from the current 20 milliseconds.
There is a new download manager as well, as is new shortcuts for launching the keyboard. Speaking of the latter, the keyboard itself has been provided with a compact mode which makes it to occupy the least space on the screen. The iPad too has been better optimised for supporting Web apps like Google Docs or Squarespace.
The new iPadOS is compatible with iPad Air 2 and newer devices, iPad 5th-gen or later, iPad mini 4 or later along with all iPad Pro devices. The OS will available for download completely free this fall.
macOS 10.15 Catalina:
The macOS has been provided a through makeover with the addition of new security features along with other improvements. These include the ability to add the iPad as a secondary display, something that Apple is calling as the Sidecar. Then there is a new Voice Control which allows the user to control the entire OS via voice commands. That includes opening apps, editing text, selecting items and so on.
The new macOS also introduces Screen Time which means users can control their screen limits across all Apple devices. Further, podcasts will now enable users to search for text that has been spoken in the Podcast using advanced machine learning techniques. Also, the new macOS 10.15 comes with a brand new Music, Podcasts and a TV app as well, which means the end of life for iTunes.
These apart Apple also announced its UIKit will be introduced to the Mac very soon which will enable developers to introduce iPad apps on to the Mac quickly. The project is being named Catalyst with Twitter being among the first to introduce a Twitter app on Mac.
Apple said the new macOS 10.15 Catalina will be available this fall and will be compatible with all Mac devices that have been launched in 2012 and later.
