iOS 9 Features: What can we expect to see?

iOS 9 Features: What can we expect to see? 

Apple's iOS 9 is here. The update to last year's iOS 8 brings with it a whole load of features including a dedicated News app and a smarter Siri. Here's everything you need to know so far.

As expected, Apple’s Tim Cook took to the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to unveil the latest iteration of its mobile operating system, iOS 9. Here's the lowdown on the key new iOS 9 features
Claiming it will 'elevate the foundations of the platform', Apple sees iOS 9 as the update to address issues like improving iPhone battery life while continuing to protect users data.
Launching in public beta in July and in full in the Autumn, there's plenty of iOS features for iPad and iPhone users to look forward.
So what's new? Well, there's plenty. These are the iOS 9 features to look forward to the most.

New improved Siri

Apple says there has been 1 billion requests per week since it launched the digital assistant and now it's 40% faster and more accurate than last year's version. With a sleek new UI, Siri will let you search for photos from specific places and times. You'll also be able to create reminders from emails much easier too. But there's more...

A more proactive assistant

Think Apple giving Siri a Google Now makeover and potentially making it better than its rival. Through iOS 9, Siri will know when you're going out for a run in the morning and launch the music app when you plug in the headphones. It can automatically open up an audio book when you're in the car because it'll learn that's when you regularly do it and can even start giving out directions.
One of the most impressive features is the ability to automatically put meetings or events into your calendar sent through emails and messages.
Inside Spotlight, you'll now find the new Siri suggestions which is basically people you may want to contact or apps you may want to use based on the contextual information generated from your Siri request.

 

Who's calling?

We've all been there. Someone calls you, there's no caller ID and you don't want to pick it up in case it's the dreaded automated PPI recorded message. Now Apple will do some digging for you, searching through emails and messages to try and identify the user. It's one of the smallest iOS 9 features, but could be one of the most useful.

Apple Pay

Apple's mobile payment service is not new but it's evolving into a platform where you really can forget your wallet at home and not have to worry about trying to pay for a round of beers or a new shirt. In iOS 9, you'll now be able to add store cards and rewards cards as well so you don't miss out on those discounts and club card points.

 

Improved search

In iOS 8, finding things on your iPhone and iPad became a lot easier and was a more unified approach. Now Apple is taking things up a notch in iOS 9. You can search for sports scores, video in VEVO and content in the iTunes store. Like Google, you can directly play content from search results. Apple is also opening up the Search API, which means you can now find content from third party apps installed on your iPhone or iPad.

Privacy

After Tim Cook's privacy blast last week, Apple reiterated its commitment to not let your data fall into the wrong hands. It still promises not to link your information to other Apple services, share with third parties and says that 'You're in control'. iOS 9 users will be able to stay anonymous and only time will tell if Apple will be able to keep its promise.

 

Passbook is no more

Well, it's being renamed. Passbook will now be called Wallet and will become the place for all of you credit, debit and loyalty cards. You'll still be able to store boarding passes as well as concert and sports tickets just as you can with the current Passbook app currently.

New Notes app

Apparently there's a lot of people that use the Note app on the iPhone and it's going to be able to do more than simply store some random thoughts. A new toolbar will let you create headings for example, while a new checklists mode will let you tick off items in a shopping list as you thrown them into the shopping trolley. Other new additions include adding images to notes from the camera and simply drawing an item in notes.
To sift through you library of memos, you can now view by thumbnail, dates and even browse through attachments stored on your device.

Apple Maps goes on the tube

Apple's answer to Google Maps has had a rough ride since it first launched, but the latest changes could persuade some to actually start using it. A new Transit mode now provides mapping for train stations giving you multi-routing and step by step directions. Apple has even gone to the effort of suveying entrance and exits and stations to give you the exact distance from your current location to help you decide whether it's actually worth running for the last train.

London and New York will be among the first major cities to benefit from the new Transit mode when it launches with iOS 9 later this year.

Other new Apple Maps features to highlight include finding locations nearby and will even notify you of which establishments support Apple Pay.

News

For the first time in a while, Apple has launched a brand new native application and it's all about, well, news. The Flipboard-esque application lets you choose the content topics, whether it's travel, science or sport. Then it'll pull content into one unified magazine offering interactive static content. You can bookmark articles to read content later and a new photo mosaics mode puts high resolution images into an easy to view gallery.

Apple has worked with the New York Times, EPSN, Vogue, GQ and Men's Health as the first publications to offer unique content for the new News app.

Low Power mode

We called for a battery saving mode and Apple kind of delivered. While Tim Cook was sketchy on the exact details, iOS 9 promises a new setting that can add up to three hours of battery to your iPhone from a single charge. We wish Apple spent a bit more time talking about this, as no doubt it's an issue that all iPhone users hope can get better.

For the iPad only

The iPad arguably got the most interesting updates in iOS 9, so here's the most interesting ones.

QuickType keyboard gets a virtual makeover

A staple for iPad users, the QuickType keyboard will be able to do a whole lot more and adds a pretty important feature. First, the suggestion bar now has shortcuts to copy and paste, add formatting and add attachments. More impressively, you can now use a two-finger gesture across the keyboard to select content in an article or document and hopefully make editing content on an iPad much easier.

Multitasking

This is a big one and could be the clearest indication yet that Apple has an eye on making a bigger tablet currently being dubbed as the iPad Pro. Like Microsoft and Samsung, you'll now be able to run two apps side-by-side on the iPad.

To start with, there's a new task switcher, which can be accessed by double-tapping on the home screen. Once you've chosen an app, the new SlideOver feature (iPad Air and above or iPad Mini 2 and above) will let you add in another app to the iPad screen. Now you can read your emails and browse the web at the same time. A series of gestures will help you move through content, windows can be resized and can interact with both apps running on the screen.

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A new SplitView mode, which will only be available on the iPad Air 2, will let users run two apps at exactly the same time. So for example, if you have an email open with map locations, you can have the map app open as well and it will move to those points in the map in real time.

If you love watching video, you can now also open up a video window and let it run while you're still in another app. You'll be able to resize the video window, move it to one side, or hide it altogether.

 

iOS installs are getting smaller

Getting the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system onto your iPhone and iPad should be quicker starting with iOS 9. Now it'll require freeing up just over 1GB (1.3GB to be precise) to install it. That's down from the whopping 3-4GB of space you needed to free up for iOS 8. That's good news if you're a hoarder of apps, photos, games and music.

Everything else: The bits you might have missed

If you're an avid iCloud Drive user you'll appreciate this one. Apple has finally decided to put in a dedicated app for the service into iOS 9, though it will be off by default. A simple trip into settings will turn it on though. You'll then be able to search through all your cloud saved files without searching out a third-party version.

Both Find My Phone and Find My Friends are now stock apps that can't be deleted, rather than optional apps downloadable from the App Store. We're happy to see Find My Phone there, the other one less so.

To add an extra hit of security to your device, iOS 9 now requires a six-digit pin instead of four. If you don't want that added protection, or are a little forgetful, you can switch back to four.

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Apple Zone: Apple Music review

Apple Zone: Apple Music review: Apple Music A streaming service that focuses on helping you find new music to enjoy.   Apple Music review You can count on one...

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Apple Music Review...

Apple Music review You can count on one finger the number of companies in the world that could launch a new music streaming service and expect to become a major player overnight.That company is Apple and today it duly obliged by launching Apple Music - the long-awaited music app that integrates subscription-based streaming capabilities with the playback of existing songs in your iTunes library. So you no longer need to buy an album on iTunes in order to listen to it on your iPhone inside stock apps, you can simply pay $9.99/£9.99 per month and stream as much music as you like directly into your head, preferably via the ears. And you can do it from inside the Music app on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, or with iTunes on your PC or Mac.........

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Apple Music Review...

Apple Music

A streaming service that focuses on helping you find new music to enjoy.

 

Apple Music review

You can count on one finger the number of companies in the world that could launch a new music streaming service and expect to become a major player overnight.

That company is Apple and today it duly obliged by launching Apple Music - the long-awaited music app that integrates subscription-based streaming capabilities with the playback of existing songs in your iTunes library.

So you no longer need to buy an album on iTunes in order to listen to it on your iPhone inside stock apps, you can simply pay $9.99/£9.99 per month and stream as much music as you like directly into your head, preferably via the ears. And you can do it from inside the Music app on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, or with iTunes on your PC or Mac.

(An Android app will be available later in the year - an app which is definitely still in development and definitely isn't being intentionally held back by Apple for, you know, reasons - don't be so cynical.)

Apple Music also offers extensive music discovery channels including round-the-clock radio station 'Beats 1' featuring renowned radio DJs like Zane Lowe, as well as social features that aim to put artists and bands closer to their fans. It's all exciting stuff.

The best thing about all this? Apple is giving everyone three months access to Apple Music as a free trial. That's a killer feature that gives Apple Music a good shot of quickly establishing a respectable subscriber base.

A challenge for Apple

The launch of Apple Music is an enormous moment for the music business, not just because Apple has been such a major player over the last 15 years but also because it's taken Apple so long to get here. After all - music streaming is not a new thing.
Spotify launched, if you can believe it, seven years ago now. It has 75 million active users around the world including 20 million paying subscribers who have collectively created over 1.5 billion playlists. That's not a temporary deal - Spotify is here to stay and Apple has its work cut out for it if it wants to be the number one.
But as we'll see, Apple's strategy is as self-serving, insular and crafty as usual, with its goal not necessarily to be the number one on the planet from the off, but rather to be a unique and reliable service that can be used in future to sell more iPhones and iPads while becoming a profitable service in its own right.

The basics of Apple Music

Apple Music costs $9.99/£9.99 per month for a standard dose of all-you-can-eat music streaming or 14.99 for a family package which gives access for up to six people.
That pricing is the same as most of Apple Music's competitors, but the family plan is a nice addition and offers real value for money.

 

Don't even try listening on more than one device at the same time with a standard subscription - you'll be instantly be cut off on one of the devices, given a stern warning and administered with a painful electric shock. One of those things isn't true.
Sound quality is possibly one area of contention, though, because while Tidal and others push towards CD-quality music at 1441kbps, Apple Music streams tunes at a fairly pitiful 256kbps, and in the MP3 format as well.
Even Spotify and Google are able to stream 320kbps in OGG, a far more accomplished method of music delivery. Come on, Apple, we've moved past 256kbps MP3's by now.
Give us more bits per second!

Focus on music discovery

The Apple Music library is 30 million tracks strong and growing - that's not quite as high as the number of tracks available in iTunes but on a par with Spotify and Google Music which are, lets face it, its biggest rivals.
Any music that you have in your own personal library that perhaps isn't available to stream you can upload to iCloud and have them seamlessly integrated with the other tracks that are natively available. You're currently limited to 25,000 but that will increase to 100,000 when iOS 9 launches.

The service has taken a leaf out of the Tidal playbook by offering playlists created by real, living, breathing (we assume), human music experts and initial signs are positive on that score - I found myself happily sitting through a number of them as I worked this afternoon and for me that shows real patience - normally I don't like anyone telling me what songs to listen to.
And the whole service is underpinned by Beats 1, a real internet radio station in the truest sense.
It's not an auto-generated playlist based on your personal tastes, though Apple has done a good job with those as well, but a full-blown DJ-hosted 24-hour radio station hosted by Zane Lowe and others, designed to help you discover what Apple wants to call "new music".
Whether "new music" to Apple means giving exposure to the indie stars of future or simply being the first to play Kanye West's latest deep sustained booming sounds remains to be seen.

 

First impressions

I'll be putting Apple Music through its paces for a while before delivering a full verdict, but here are some thoughts while you wait:

• As a non-Apple user and someone who abandoned the burning building that is iTunes many years ago, the design of the app is not particularly intuitive. I think the problem is that there is just so much going on in there, finding a place for it all has inevitably led to some compromises in the design. I'll probably get over it but I think it'll put plenty of people off right from the start.

• Sound quality is disappointing. I won't labour the point here but in an age where we're pushing for high res music, 256kpbs MP3 just doesn't cut it. It's noticeably inferior to other services when listening with a decent pair of headphones. Sorry Apple, it's not good enough - particularly as you, of all companies, can do a lot better.

• Apple has put music discovery at the very heart of this service and I think it works. For those people out there - hey dad - who like music but don't know what to listen to, Apple Music could be a dream come true. I don't usually like to be told what to listen to, but I'm looking forward to testing its effectiveness - does Apple know my music taste better than I do? We'll soon see.

• Beats 1 is a backwards idea but I think it's going to really work. Only Apple could pull off a global radio station like this, and while I can't imagine myself listening to it very often - or, let's be honest, ever - a lot of people will, I'm convinced.

• The app is slow at times on both my iPad and my iPod touch 5th gen. The app is divided into six main sections - For You, New, Radio, Connect, Playlists, My Music - and switching between them always gives me a spinning wheel of doom. Usually only for a couple of seconds, but still, don't make me wait - I'm impatient.

So to sum up my first couple of hours with Apple Music I'd say that I am impressed. For iPhone and iPad owners who don't currently stream music, it'll be a revelation and I suspect that the more time you spend with Apple Music, the more you fall in love with it.
But whether it's enough to tempt Spotify or Google Music subscribers to jump ship... I have my, albeit preliminary, doubts.
Don't take my word for it though - get stuck in with the free three month trial and let us know what you think of Apple Music in the comments below.

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Apple’s 2015 Product List: iPhone 7, Apple Watch, iPad Pro

Apple Watch

This is the only device that we can say with absolute certainty that Apple will release, as the company has officially confirmed it. Apple’s first smartwatch, the Apple Watch, will likely launch in spring, and is expected to drag the smartwatch niche kicking and screaming into the mainstream. One can expect a health-related focus with this watch, as well as the usual Apple emphasis on design and fashion cachet.

iPhone 7

Although it is a long time until Apple will officially confirm the release of the next generation iPhone, such a device release is absolutely inevitable. The iPhone 6was another massive success for Apple, indicating that the momentum generated by the world’s most successful smartphone has yet to halt significantly. Speculation regarding the make-up of this device is in an embryonic state, but it's reasonable to assume that Apple will ramp up the capabilities of the handset, and include some new innovations. Additionally, close collaboration with the Apple Watch is pretty much guaranteed.

iPhone 6s

Rumors persist that Apple will release a smaller iPhone model at some point in the next few months. There has been absolutely no word from the Cupertino-based Company on this persistent Internet gossip, but it would be logical for Apple to release an affordable smartphone for the budget and East Asian marketplace in particular. Expect such a release to feature a 4-inch screen, if indeed it does ever come to fruition.

iPhone 6s

Rumors persist that Apple will release a smaller iPhone model at some point in the next few months. There has been absolutely no word from the Cupertino-based Company on this persistent Internet gossip, but it would be logical for Apple to release an affordable smartphone for the budget and East Asian marketplace in particular. Expect such a release to feature a 4-inch screen, if indeed it does ever come to fruition.

iPad Pro

The iPad was a massive success when Apple originally released it, and although the tablet market has slowed since then, last year saw Apple significantly refresh its tablet range, breathing new life into the iPad. The likelihood is that this will occur again in 2015, and particular emphasis will be placed on this iPad Pro device; a high-spec tablet with a larger screen size that may be as big as 12.9-inches.

This will be potentially the most advanced tablet to ever be released, and Apple will possibly be aiming this to some degree at professional and corporate customers.

iPad Air and iPad Mini

Meanwhile, these two more consumer-focused devices will also probably see the light of day in 2015, as Apple looks to improve his entire iPad range. Some rumors have suggested that Apple will consider completely discontinuing the iPad Mini, but given the relatively strong critical and commercial reception that the last device in the series received, this appears to be a little wide of the mark.

It is unlikely that Apple will redesign these industry-leading tablets to a great extent, and the focus will probably on upgrading its capabilities and internal components.

12-Inch MacBook

The Apple computing range which preceded its dominance as a mobile producer was always proclaimed for the quality of devices, as well as the by now renowned design parameters. In accordance with this image, it is generally accepted that the MacBook range is the pinnacle of laptop computing.

And Apple is looking to significantly upgrade its MacBook range during 2015, particularly by including Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)'s 14-nanometer Broadwell chips. This will make this new MacBook release capable of 30 percent faster processing, while also introducing greater power efficiency to the range. The ultra-slim 12-inch Retina MacBook will be a particular highlight of 2015 for Apple, and will be well worth looking out for.

iMac

Apple has a lot to do to make a serious impression on the PC market, with the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows operating system still installed in around 90 percent of desktop computers worldwide. But Apple has begun to make some gains in this marketplace, and its introduction of the 27-inch Retina iMac in 2014, which featured the first ever 5K screen in a desktop, was an indication that Apple wants to deliver something of real quality in this niche.

2015 should see this device updated still further, this time built around the awesomely powerful Broadwell processor. Apple will also update the more affordable 21-inch model of this desktop. With new chipsets still under development, a likely release date for these devices will be the fall time.

iOS 9

There are already reports that Apple's next operating system for mobiles will be ready in due course, and IOS 9 is being linked with the next iPhone release in September. Functionality in this latest version of the critically acclaimed operating system will likely focus on mobile payment and Apple Watch functionality in particular.

Apple TV

Apple TV has been somewhat neglected in recent years, which is perhaps not surprising given that it has always been a minor product for Apple, with massive sellers such as the iPhone driving the company forwards both creatively and economically. Thus, Apple TV has not received an upgrade of significance since March 2012, and this stasis could insight Apple to upgrade the device over the next 12 months.

This has also proved a complicated and logistically challenging project for Apple, as agreeing suitable content deals with providers has been problematical. However, if these can be tied up successfully, then a brand new and significantly more powerful set-top box may be released in 2015, with enhanced App Store and gaming support.

Apple Television Set

The final item in this list is something of a speculative one, and is in all honesty not particularly likely to emerge in 2015. But it nonetheless remains a possibility. It is worth highlighting this remote chance, as senior Apple personnel have indicated that they believe the way that televisions present information to viewers could be significantly improved.

There is a massive potential for an Apple TV set, as surely consumers all over the world with a sense of style would love to have an Apple device at the heart of their living-room. Don't necessarily expect this to occur in 2015, but the possibility remains a tantalising prospect.

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Best iPhone apps for 2015

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Google Drive vs Microsoft OneDrive head-to-head review

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