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Apple WWDC Keynote 2015: The Highlights

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I sat down to watch Apple's WWDC15 keynote speech last night with a certain degree of trepidation. On one hand, the company was unlikely to make any dramatic announcements having only just released the surprisingly successful Apple Watch, but on the other, a lack of BIG upcoming releases surely meant we were going to see a slew of more innovative and unexpected smaller announcements. And I wasn't disappointed, as that's exactly the route that was taken, with the only mainstream worthy news piece involving the official launch of Apple Music, which was celebrated by a rather uninspiring live performance from trip-hop act “The Weeknd.” We'll go into that later though, for now let's get to the basics.

 

OS X El Capitan Announced

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Foregoing the usual route of using a wild cat to name their operating systems, Apple has decided to go ahead with the precedent set by Yosemite with the latest version of OS X; El Capitan, their second operating system to be named after a national park. The update is available now to developers, with a public beta due in July. It should be rolled out for free to all iMac, Macbook and Mac Pro users this Autumn. The new OS was announced by Apple's SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi, who said it would focus primarily on user experience and performance.

The El Capitan OS X operating system is available now to developers, with a public beta due in July. It should be rolled out for free to all Mac users this Autumn

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New features include the ability to increase the size of your cursor simply by shaking it, new finger swipe functionality in Safari (Apple's default web browser) and the ability to easily mute browser audio. The biggest new feature, however, is the introduction of “Metal” to Mac, which is big news for Mac gamers (both of them). Metal is a core-level graphics technology that allows developers nearly untethered access to system GPU hardware for highly efficient processing. What this means in practice, is up to 40% greater rendering efficiency, 2x faster app switching, 1.4x quicker application launches, and more, which means Metal will not only improve how games run on Mac machines, but all applications utilising graphics (all of them). Speaking of games, Apple also brought in “Gears of War” and Fortnite developer Epic Games to showcase what Metal can do in El Capitan. Epic showed off Fortnite running entirely on Metal, showcasing Unreal Engine 4's dense real-time lighting and rendering effects.

New features include the ability to increase the size of your cursor simply by shaking it and new finger swipe functionality in Safari

In terms of improvements to existing feature, meanwhile, the Spotlight search feature has been significantly improved to allow users to find what they're looking for in a contextual manner. They can also now search by date and subject. Mission Control has also been made “Smoother, simpler, and faster,” as has Mail, which now features tabs, minimised windows, and drag-and-drop between messages in El Capitan. Windows can now be snapped to half the screen for split view by holding the green button. In all, it seems like Apple have made great strides to make their OS X operating system feel more like the iOS operating system used on the iPhone and iPad. Whether or not this turns out to be a good thing remains to be seen.

 

New features planned for iOS 9

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Many were expecting Apple to share details on the new iOS 9 update yesterday and they didn't disappoint, with Federighi showing off the operating systems new features. According to Apple, iOS 9 will extend iPhone, iPad and iPod battery life, increase general performance, enhance security, and improve the user interface, starting with the most-used apps. Siri has also been improved to be approximately 40% more accurate, and you can now set reminders for almost anything in much the same manner as Microsoft's competing “Cortana” service. There are few major new features, with the update more of a stability focused affair, but one really stood out. Called “Proactive Assistant,” it will make your device smarter. For example, if an unknown phone number pops up, your phone will now look through your email and suggest who the caller might be.

 

Apple Pay expands its reach

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Since it was first announced last September during the iPhone 6 event, Apple Pay has promised a lot but delivered very little. This could all be set to change though, with Apple yesterday announcing the freshly named Apple Wallet, an all-in-one application for storing card information, travel documentation, and more. In the US, Apple Pay have also signed up major retailers such as Best Buy to the service, and credit provider Discover will also be joining the scheme before the end of the year.

The Apple Pay service is set to roll out in the UK in July this year

The service is set to roll out in the UK in July this year. Originally planned to support eight of the most popular banks, several more will join by the end of the year, and Londoners will be able to use Apple Pay to pay their tube and bus fare! In the UK, people will also be able to make payments by waving their iPhones or Apple Watches at contactless payment terminals from next month. British companies already signed up to Apple Pay include the pharmacy Boots, the coffee chain Costa, the supermarket Waitrose. Barclays Bank has also said it is currently in “Constructive talks” with Apple.

 

Apple Watch 2.0

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Even though the device itself is just over a month old, Apple will be releasing the first update for the Apple Watch OS soon. WatchOS2 will upgrade the Timepiece function so users will be able to use any photo as a watch background and will include a new Time Travel app which will allow users to dial through their calendar using the watch's dial. When you put the watch on its side while charging, it now functions as a regular alarm clock with the buttons on the top working as the off and snooze buttons. Communication has been improved too, as you can now reply to emails and take Facetime calls directly from your wrist. Finally, a new Activation Lock theft deterrent feature means that activating your watch requires your iCloud Apple ID and password, so in the event that it's lost or stolen, your information remains safe.

 

Apple Music makes a big noise

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This was the big one, and was rightly chosen by Apple to close out their WWDC keynote. With celebrity speakers (chart-topping rapper Drake) and a major information drop, the Apple Music presentation was easily the standout moment of the conference. The new app is Apple's answer to streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal, and looks to combine this approach with an extensive music video library, an internet radio station and a unique new way for artists to share unreleased tracks and other material.

The new Apple Music app is Apple's answer to streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal

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The unique internet radio station, with shows to be hosted by ex-BBC DJ Zane Lowe amongst other big names. Called “Beats 1,” the station will be free to all subscribers, and is the main feature that helps Apple Music stand apart from Spotify, though Spotify has an ad-supported free level to help sell its premium packages, which Apple doesn't, so it still has a unique selling point. The new app also works with Siri, to allow unique new features such as the ability to ask Siri to play a song from a particular movie soundtrack without knowing the name of the specific track or artist. The “Connect” aspect of the app was also spoken about at length, with Drake telling the audience about the unique social network made specifically by musicians, for musicians.

The service will launch in more than 100 countries on June 30

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The service will launch in more than 100 countries on June 30, with a cost of £6.50 per month per person. It will initially be restricted to iOS, Windows PCs and Mac computers, but will extend to Android phones and Apple TVs later in the year. As an introductory promotion, Apple will make the first three months free for everyone.

Apple Music – An Introduction

 

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.

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