Apple’s announcements this week

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Apple’s 2016 World Wide Developer’s Conference is being held this week.  On Monday, Apple kicked it off with some big announcements of new operating systems coming this fall.  I thought I would summarize them for you here.

Overall, what was announced was even further integration between Apple’s four major platforms:

  • Mac
  • iPhone / iPad
  • Apple Watch
  • Apple TV

Here are some examples:

  • You will be able to copy something on your iPhone and paste it onto your Mac.
  • You will be able to unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch.
  • You can share your Mac Desktop & Documents folders with your iPad and iPhone and if you have more than one Mac they are synced together.
  • Apps purchased on your iPad or iPhone can be automatically loaded onto your Apple TV.
  • Pay for items on your Mac using Apple Pay on your Apple Watch or iPhone.

So, the Apple ecosystem, the best on the planet, gets even better this fall.  Here are some details:

OS X

Big news is that OS X is no more.  It is now known as macOS.  This fall’s version will be known as “Sierra” and is technically named “macOS 10.12 Sierra”.   Sierra brings Siri to the Mac and Siri gets much smarter.  Also, Siri code is opened up beyond Apple to 3rd party developers for the first time.  Fantastic!

There will be a tool on the Mac to help you optimize storage on your Mac - archiving older files (documents, movies, music, photos and more) on iCloud, freeing your hard drive space.

Also for the Mac (and iPad / iPhone) comes major upgrades for the Photos app!  Faces, Places (your photos displayed on a world map) and search your photos by objects, scenery and people - “show me photos of Mary at the beach” or “show me pictures of waterfalls and mountains”.

iOS 10

Messages (texting) gets a major overhaul.  You can send messages in your own handwriting, add new emojis, stickers and invisible ink.. Messages is open to developers to add 3rd party content and features for the first time.  The Lock Screen (the screen before you log into your device) gets a major overhaul and is available to you by just raising your device.  The Music app and Apple Music get major overhauls.

watch OS 3

The operating system for the Watch gets a major overhaul, vastly speeding apps and adding a Dock, much like the Mac and iOS.  More watch faces are available and are easier to get to.  Also, an easy to use emergency contact feature is added.  I really love my Apple Watch and I encourage you to consider getting one, however, rumors are that there will be a new model announced this fall.

tvOS 9

The Apple TV (one of my favorite Apple devices that is very under-appreciated) gets some nice features - an advanced Remote app for your iPhone to operate your Apple TV.  It also gets better Siri integration and there will be just one login to enable all of your Apple TV apps.

OK, so there is some bad news in all this - and this is important for the many of you that have older hardware.  Apple is dropping support for:

Mid-2009 or earlier:
        MacBook
        iMac

2009 or earlier:
        MacBook Air
        MacBook Pro
        Mac mini
        Mac Pro

iPhone 4S and earlier

iPad 2, 3 & iPad mini (1)

All of these operating systems will be free and available in late September / early October (if history repeats itself).  Of course, as we get closer I will provide more details and exact steps for a proper and successful upgrade.

For more details on all of this, visit www.apple.com