The COMPUTEX Taipei trade show has just closed its doors, and E3 is right around the corner, but in between there is an event that specialized press cannot ignore: the 2015 edition of Worldwide Developers Conference organized by Apple. This year, the Cupertino giant changed its strategy in favor of several small announcements, yet among them some bombshells deserve a closer look.
From the start, it was known that this edition of WWDC would be a bit 'lighter' if you will. All hardware announcements will likely take place between September and October, although the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch still have plenty of mileage. Therefore, it is the software that brings us here today. Cupertino's interest goes far beyond mobile devices, as has become evident through various specific announcements; nevertheless, the trio of operating platforms will not remain untouched: OS X, iOS, and watchOS will all receive direct updates, each accompanied by improvements to existing apps and the introduction of new services.
OS X El Capitan
The first item on our list is El Capitan, the new version of OS X. According to available information, El Capitan is a rock formation in Yosemite National Park, a detail that in a way reveals what we will find in the operating system. Basically, El Capitan will be a revamped Yosemite, with drastic improvements to the Spotlight system thanks to the incorporation of technology from Siri, interface tweaks in Mission Control, multitasking optimizations, the appearance of a sort of 'Aero Snap' for managing windows, and updates to apps such as Notes (which received multiple tweaks to bring it on par with Evernote), Mail (with a new system of trackpad gesture commands), and Safari, with persistent tabs and indicators to report which tab is playing audio. The El Capitan novelties close with advances in performance, something many users have demanded since Yosemite's arrival. Apple anticipates up to a 50 percent increase in rendering speed, courtesy of the Metal API. The public beta arrives in July. (By the way, Apple writes 'Capitan' without the accent, a detail that was corrected.)
iOS 9
Moving from the desktop to mobile devices, we find iOS 9. Just as with El Capitan, the Spotlight feature received several improvements, to the point that we could declare Spotlight part of Siri. The new Spotlight also presents information related to details like the time of day or our current location, which reminds us a bit of Google Now. Another debt that Apple manages to settle (partially) in iOS 9 is Apple Maps. Cupertino's mapping system has been a headache since its birth, but now its new version has public transit information, in an attempt to gain ground against Google Maps. The new News app will seek to achieve the success that Newsstand dodged all this time, and most importantly: iPad multitasking. Market numbers are compelling. The iPad has stopped shining as a tablet, and to inject some life into the platform, iOS 9's plan is to offer features like Split Mode (available only on the iPad Air 2) and Slide Over to overlay apps. The iPad keyboard in iOS 9 will experience some tweaks, and in terms of security, the passcode now requires six characters as a minimum. The strangest thing? Move to iOS, an app to help Android users transfer data to iOS.
watchOS 2
Finally, we come to watchOS 2, the update for the Apple Watch's operating system. As expected, the smartwatch has not escaped the pains of being a first-generation product, and in less than two months we are already facing the first major software update. New watch faces and the Photo Face feature, which lets you place a personal image as the background, touch on the aesthetic side, but the most important stop is probably Time Travel, a function that lets you easily explore past and future events using the digital crown. watchOS 2 also adds audio support for FaceTime, meaning users will be able to call directly from their Apple Watch to other users with compatible devices, and send dictated replies via email with Siri's assistance. With the arrival of watchOS 2, developers will be enabled to create native apps on the Apple Watch, thus gaining much broader access to its hardware resources.
Apple Music
The finale of our WWDC 2015 coverage is dedicated to Apple Music, a new streaming service that will seek to compete with Spotify, Pandora, Google Music, and other similar platforms. Rumors piled up for months, but all of Cupertino's actions (from the Beats acquisition to the pressure to block Spotify's free tier in the United States) led to this point. In essence, Apple Music was the 'One More Thing' of the keynote, and its battle plan is divided into three parts: recommending music, offering 24-hour radio (which absorbs iTunes Radio), and connecting users with their favorite artists. The social component of Apple Music reminds us of the great failure that was Ping, but I imagine Apple learned the right lesson. There will be a free option that focuses on the radio service, a premium account costing 10 dollars per month, and a family plan that for 15 dollars will give access to up to six users. The most interesting part? Apple Music will not be exclusive to iOS, and there will be a dedicated app for Android. It all comes down to content and convenience. Spotify has a big lead, but if Apple Music proves better, the competition could get very tough for both. Available starting June 30, with the first three months, free.
