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WWDC21 Everything Apple Announced This Week!

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WWDC21 and Apple have announced a slew of new features for iOS, MacOS and WatchOS. Lots of features aimed at improving your social side of life, both with connecting with others and reducing the amount of time that you spend on your devices!

iOS15 – WWDC21

Apple showed off updates to FaceTime, a new way to reduce distractions, enhanced on-device intelligence to discover information. Plus there’s also updates to Maps, Weather and Wallet!

Facetime

FaceTime gets an update to help make conversations on screen feel more natural over video calls. Spatial Audio helps to make the voices from who you are talking to sound as if they are coming from where the person is positioned on screen. There are also new microphone modes to separate the voice from the background noise. Portrait mode also comes to FaceTime and is designed specifically for video calls so users can blur their backgrounds and keep themselves in focus. Furthermore in Group FaceTime there is a new grid mode which enables participants to see more faces at the same time.

FaceTime entertianment

Make FaceTime more entertaining with SharePlay. You can now listen to Apple Music, Watch a TV show or Movie in Sync and even share your screen with them! SharePlay works across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Users are also able to share playback controls so anyone can play, pause or jump ahead. SharePlay can even connect to Apple TV, so users can watch content on the big screen. All while keeping your devices in sync. Disney+, ESPN+, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Paramount+, Pluto TV, TikTok, Twitch, and many others are integrating SharePlay into their apps.

FaceTime calls can now extend beyond Apple devices with the ability to create a FaceTime link and share it through Messages, Mail or any 3rd Party app. Anyone can join a FaceTime call from their web browser or Android and Windows devices. FaceTime calls on the web remain end to end encrypted so privacy is not compromised.

Focus

Distraction will be a thing of the past in iOS15. Focus is a new feature that filters notifications and apps based on what the user wants to focus on. Users can set their device to help them focus by creating a custom Focus or select a suggested Focus. The device will use on-device intelligence to suggest which apps and people are allowed to notify them. It will be suggested to them based on a users context, like during work hours or while they are winding down for bed. Focus can be set on one device and then extend across all their Apple devices. Home Screen pages can also be created with apps and widgets to moments of focus and only display relevant apps and reduce temptation. When you are restricting incoming notifications, their status is displayed to others in Messages. Letting others know that you are not currently reachable.

Notifications

Notifications have also been redesigned. Contact photos for people and larger icons for apps make them easier to identify. Reducing distraction a new notification summary will collect non-time-critical notifications for delivery at a more opportune time. Such as in the mornings or in the evenings. The on-device intelligence will arrange notifications by priority, with the most relevant notifications rising to the top. All based on a user’s interactions with their apps. Urgent messages will be delivered immediately. While it is easy to temporarily mute any app or messaging thread for the next hour or day.

Cool On-Device Intelligence Tech

Live Text will use on-device intelligence to recognise text in a photo and let users take action on that. For example, users can search for and locate the picture of a handwritten recipe, capture a number from a store front. Then using Apple Neural Engine can either copy and paste the recipe or call the number that was on the store front.

With Visual Look Up, users can learn more popular art and landmarks around the world, plants and flowers found in nature, breeds of pets and even find books. Spotlight will alsu use intelligence to search photos by location, people, scenes and objects using Live Text. It can even find text and handwriting in recent conversations, shared photos and even location if shared through Find My. Photos also has an update to Memories. With a new look, interactive interface and integration with Apple Music.

Safari

Safari gets a cool new redesign making it easier to control and reach with one hand. The tab bar is now compact and lightweight and now has been moved to the bottom of the screen. Therefore making it easier to swipe between tabs. Tab Groups also allows users to save tabs and easily access them at any time on any device. There is now a customisable start page and web extensions on iOS.

Apple Maps

Apple Maps now will be significantly enhanced with new details in cities for neighborhoods, commercial districts, elevation, buildings and new road colors, labels, custom designed landmarks and a new night mode.

While using and navigation with Apple Maps on iPhone or Car Play, Maps will feature a 3D city driving experience. With new road details, therefore making it easier to understand improtant details. Such as when to turn lanes, medians, bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks. Transit riders can now find nearby stations more easily and pin favorite lines. Maps will automatically follow along a selected transit route, notifying users when it’s nearly time to disembark. Furthermore in iOS15, users can hold up their iPhone and Maps will generate a highly accurate position to deliver walking directions in augmented reality.

New Keys and State ID’s in Apple Wallet

Apple Wallet now has support for additional types of keys! Last year Apple introduced digital car keys, with BMW being the first manufacturer to take advantage of this tech. Digital Car Keys get even better with support for Ultra Wideband Technology, making it easy for users to securely unlock and lock their supported vehicle without having to take their iPhone from a pocket or bag. Futhermore iPhone can also be used to unlock a user’s home, office or hotel room. All with keys stored in the Wallet.

For those in the US, participating states will allow users to add their drivers license or state IDs to Wallet. TSA is working to enable airport security checkpoints to be the first place that customers can use their digital Identity card in wallet. ID cards in Wallet are encrypted and stored safely in the Secure Element. Using the same tech that makes Apple Pay private and secure.

Privacy

iOS15 now has even more privacy controls. On-device speech recognition, audio of Siri requests is now processed entirely on iPhone by default. Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from learning whether an email has been opened and hides IP addresses so senders can’t learn a user’s location and use it to build a profile. App Privacy Report will also offer an overview of how apps use the access that has been granted to location, photos, camera, microphone and contacts in the last 7 days and which other domains have been contacted.

Weather and Notes

Weather gets a nice new facelift and adds graphical displays of weather data, full screen maps and dynamic layouts which change based on conditions. Animated backgrounds more accurately reflect the sun’s position and precipitation and notifications highlight when rain or snow starts and stops.

Notes will add user created tags that make it easy to quickly categorise notes and mentions allow members of shared notes to notify each other of important changes. While an all-new Activity view shows the history of a shared note.

Additional features WWDC21

  • Siri now can announce notifications on Airpods and the ability for users to share what’s on their screen just by asking
  • Shared With You. Will work across Apple Devices to show articles, music, tv shows, photos and more which are shared in Messages and display them conveniently in the appropriate app. Photos in Photos app, TV shows in Apple Tv and Podcasts in Apple Podcasts for example.
  • iCloud+ can now hide your email, expanded HomeKit Secure Video support, new innovative internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay all at now additional cost.
  • Health App now allows you to share health data with family, caregives, your doctor or a care team. Trends will also give users a way to focus on meaningful personal health metrics.
  • Find My allows uers to locate a device that has been turned off or erased as well as live-streaming locations for family and friends who have turned on sharing their location. Seperation alerts will notify a user of they leave an AirTag, Apple Device or Find My network accessory behind in an unfamiliar location. A new Find My Widget also offers an at-a-glace view directly from the Home Screen.
  • Translate also adds a new Live Translate feature which makes conversation flow naturally across languages. Systemwide translation allows uers to translate text anywhere on iPhone.
  • Apple TV will now feature a row titled “For All of You” which will showcase a collection of movies and TV shows based on everyone’s tasets from within a select group of people or household using the data discovered through each Apple ID.

iPad OS15 WWDC21

iPad gets a new and easier way to multitask, a new home screen design with widgets, the App Library, systemwide note taking with Quick Note, SharePlay and a redesigned Safari Experience and new tools to stay focused.

MultiTasking

iPadOS 15 makes working with multiple apps much easier. There is a new multitasking menu at the top of apps, letting you go into Split View or Slide Over with a simple tap. You can now have quick access to the Home Screen when using Split View, making it easier to get to the right app. Furthermore there is a new Shelf section where you can multitask with apps which have multiple windows such as Safari or Pages. Furthermore there is an experience with external keyboard which allows users to get more done with keyboard shortcuts and a redesigned menu bar. You can quickly set up and switch between Split View and Slide Over with new shortcuts for multitasking right from the keyboard.

Widgets and App Library

Users can now place widgets much like they can on iPhone on Home Screen pages. Providing more information at a glance and offering a more personalised experience. Designed specifically for the larger display of the iPad, there is a new larger Widget size for showcasing videos, music, games and photos. The App Library is also coming to iPad, automatically organising apps into helpful categories, like Productivity, Games, Recently added and more. Allowing users to access all their apps right from the Dock.

Note Taking

Note taking on iPad gets even better with new features which make it easier to capture thoughts and ideas. Notes goes systemwide with Quick Note. A new fast and easy way to take notes anywhere on the system. Whether that is browsing on Safari or finding a restaurant on Yelp. You can bring up the Quick Note feature anywhere and jot down a thought. Even add links and provide an easy way to get back to what you were doing.

Notes will also organise, collaborate and capture information easier and better. Tages make it easy to categorise notes and quickly find them with an all new Tag Browser and tag-based Smart Folders. For those working in Shared Notes, mentions creates a way to notify collaborators and link them back to the note. There is also a new Activity View to show recent updates.

FaceTime

iPadOS 15 gets the same FaceTime update as iOS 15 and makes conversations more natural with spatial audio and share experiences with SharePlay. Share songs on Apple Music, Watch a Tv Show in sync and view apps together with sharing your screen. Also share playback controls and let anyone play, pause or jump forward or rewind.

Safari

Safari gets a new tab design, like the iOS 15 Safari update, you can now see more of the page as you browse. A new tab bar takes the colour of the page that you are browsing. Tabs are now combined with the tool bar and search field into a single compact design. Tab Groups offer a new way to easily save and manage tabs. Great for planning trips or shopping. Tab Groups are also synced across Mac and iPhone and other Apple devices. So users can continue their project from anywhere. Safari on iPad now lets you add web extensions to them available from the App Store.

Find Focus

Much like on iOS 15, iPad OS 15 delivers powerful tools to keep you focused. Focus is a new feature that filters notifications based on what a user is doing. You are able to set your device to help you be in the moment by creating a custom Focus setting or a suggested on based on their context. Such as during work hours or while your winding down for bed. You can also create Home Screen pages with apps and widgets that apply to moments of focus to only display relevant apps to reduce temptation. A new notification summary will organise a collection of notifications which can be delivered at any time the user chooses. Such as in the morning or after work.

New Photos Experience

iPadOS15 uses the same on device intelligence to recognise text in a photo and let them copy and paste text or call a phone number from a picture. With Visual Look Up, users can identify objects within a photo such as a type of dog or flower. Spotlight can now seatch the Photos app and web images and has all-new rich results for contacts and context like recent conversations, shared photos and location if shared through Find My. Using Live Text, Spotlight can also look up a photo of a public transit map, receipt or a screenshot of a cooking recipe. It can also work with handwritten text, great for searching text on whiteboards or notes.

Translate

Translate app now comes to iPad with new features that make conversations easier and natural. Auto Translate will detect when someone is speaking and in which language, so users can converse naturally without having to tap a microphone button. Face to face view allows people to sit across from each other with iPad inbetween them and see translations of the conversation on their side. Text can now be translated from anywhere on the iPad by slecting it and tapping translate. Handwritten text can also be translated! You can even translate text in photos!

Additional Features WWDC21

  • Universal Control lets users work with a single mouse and keyboard to move between iPad and Mac for a seamless experience, with no setup required. Users can even drag and drop content back and forth between devices — great for sketching a drawing with Apple Pencil on iPad and placing it into a Keynote slide on Mac.
  • Photos gets an update to Memories with integration with Apple Music and a fresh new look.
  • Maps gets the same update as iOS 15 allowing you to navigate more with new road colours, elevation, enhanced details in cities for neighbourhoods, commercial districts, elevation, and buildings, new road colours and labels, custom-designed landmarks, and a new night-time mode with a moonlit glow.
  • Siri now can announce notifications on Airpods and the ability for users to share what’s on their screen just by asking
  • Shared With You. Will work across Apple Devices to show articles, music, tv shows, photos and more which are shared in Messages and display them conveniently in the appropriate app. Photos in Photos app, TV shows in Apple Tv and Podcasts in Apple Podcasts for example.
  • iCloud+ can now hide your email, expanded HomeKit Secure Video support, new innovative internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay all at now additional cost.
  • Privacy gets an update with Mail Privacy Protection help to stop trackers from snooping on an email, and App Privacy Report provides transparency into how apps are sharing information with other companies

macOS Monterey – WWDC21

Monterey adds new ways to connect with friends and family, work smarter across devices, and stay focused!

Safari

Safari gets a redesign and reimagines the browsing experience with a new tab design, which allows users to see more of the webpage as they scroll. The tab bar gets a facelift and takes on the colour of the webpage that you are on. It also combines tabs, tool bar and search field into one single compact design. Tab Groups offer a new way to easily save and manage tabs. Tab Groups will also sync across all devices.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts is now on Mac. Helping users to automate everyday tasks and achieve peak productivity. Just like shortcuts on iPhone and iPad, Shortcuts on Mac lets users quickly accomplish tasks with the apps which you use the most. There is a rich gallery full of pre-build actions designed just for Mac, users can share files, make animated GIFs and much more. While power users can take things further and use the Shortcuts Editor to match workflows. Shortcuts is intergrated throughout macOS, including the menu bar, Finder, Sportlight and even hands free with Sir. Users of Automator can import their existing workflows into Shortcuts too.

Notes

Notes can help users stay organised, collaboirate and create notes from anywhere. With Quick Note much like on iPadOS15, users can jot down notes from anywhere in any app or website. Making it easy to capture thoughts and ideas whenever. You can even links from an app to a Quick Note to create context or even an address in Maps. Add mentions and see everyone’s edits in Acitivity View and categorise Notes with Tags to quicklt and easily find them in the new Tag Browser and tag-based Smart Folders.

Focus

Focus on Mac can stay in the moment by filtering unwanted notifications unrelated to what they are doing. You can signal your status to let others know when you are focusing and not available. When you are in Focus on one device you are in Focus across all Apple devices. All of this is custom to their current activity too.

FaceTime

Much like FaceTime updates to iPadOS 15 and iOS15, Mac OS Monterey also has the same new upgrades:
  • FaceTime now includes a suite of new audio and video features that make calls feel more natural and lifelike. With spatial audio, voices in a FaceTime call sound like they are coming from where the person is positioned on the screen, while Voice Isolation ensures the user’s voice is crystal clear and uses machine learning to eliminate background noise, and Wide Spectrum allows all the sound in the area to come through so participants can hear everything. Portrait mode taps into the Apple Neural Engine in the M1 chip to blur the user’s background for a stunning video effect, and a new Grid View shows participants in same-sized tiles.
  • SharePlay is a powerful set of system features that enables users to have shared experiences while on a FaceTime call. Users can share their favourite music, TV shows, movies, projects, and more with friends and family in real time — kicking off a shared listening party, watching movies and shows, collaborating in apps through screen sharing, and more. With an API built for easy adoption, third-party developers can bring their own apps right into FaceTime.
  • Shared with You makes it easy to locate and enjoy all the great content that’s shared through Messages, including photos, videos, articles, and more, right from a Shared with You tab within Photos, Safari, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, and the Apple TV app.

Continuity

Universal Control will let users work with a single mouse and keyboard and move between Mac and iPad for a seamless experience, with no setup required! Users can even drag and drop files between each of your devices. You can sketch on iPad and then move it to a Keynote slide on Mac! AirPlay to Mac allows you to play, present and share anything from their iPhone or iPad to their Mac! The Mac can also be used as an AirPlay speaker, so users can play music on their Mac or use their Mac as a secondary speaker for multi-room audio.

Additional New Features of macOS Monterey WWDC21

  • Maps gets the same update as iPadOS15 and iOS15 but it also has a new interactive globe too!
  • LiveText features in iPadOS15 and iOS15 also come to MacOS Monterey
  • iCloud+ also is available
  • Use your Airpods Pro and Airpods Max to deliver a new experience with Spatial Audio with Macs which have the M1 Chip
  • The all new Privacy features from iOS15 and iPadOS15 are also available.

WatchOS 8 – WWDC21

watchOS 8 now offers better access to your Wallet, more capabilities with the Home app, new workout types, and an updated Breathe app.

Wallet

Apple Watch and watchOS8 can now have access to unlicking their car from a distance and start it from the drivers seat with supported vehicles. You can now have access to the keys that are in your Wallet which control the house, office and hotel. While in participating states in the US, you can add your drivers or state ID to Wallet. So watchOS 8 will have access to that too!

Home

Home app in watchOS 8 has even better conenient access to accessories and scenes needed in a particular moment and the ability to control accessories by room. For example, with a HomeKit enabled camera you can view who is at the door directly on your wrist. Also, you can also tap the Intercom to quickly broadcast a message throughout the home or to individual rooms via HomePod, HomePod Mini or other personal devices.

Workout Types

watchOS 8 introduces Tai Chi and Pilates to the workouts app. While, the new workouts are supported by powerful validate custom-built rate and motion algorithms to provide users with accurate metrics.

Mindfulness

Furthermore, the Breathe app has been reimagined as the Mindfulness app and will feature and enhanced Breathe experience and a new experience, Reflect. Reflect will offer a mindful intention to focus on as little as one minute and can be done at any time. Each Reflect session welcomes the user to think with a positive frame of mind. So, for example the app may ask you to “Recall a time when you recently felt a sense of calm. Bring that feeling into this moment”.

Sleep

Apple Watch can help users meet their sleep goals by establishing a pre-bedtime routine and will track metrics like time asleep, heart rate and blood oxygen. watchOS 8 will give users more insight to their sleeping respiratory rate, which is the number of breaths per minute. While, it does this via the in built accelerometer to measure respiratory rate whilst sleeping. It can be viewed along with trends over time on the Health app on iPhone.

Watch Faces

watchOS 8 introduces new ways to engage with your favourite photos. The new Portraits watch face brings to life stunning portrait photos which are shot on iPhone. With an immersive, multi-layered effect. Intelligently recognising faces in photos and cropping in to highlight the subject. The photos app is also redesigned. So, it will offer new ways to view and navigate collections, memories and featured photos which sync to Apple Watch.

Messages

Also, you can now combine the use of Scribble, dictaion and emoji all within the same message. For dictated messages you’ll have the option to edit the presented text. You can now also simply enter a word or phrase and select from loads of GIFs. Contacts app is now available on watchOS8 too! While, allowing you to browse, edit, add and share contacts directly from the app.

Focus

watchOS8 supports Focus which is on iPadOS 15, iOS 15 and Mac OS Monterey. Helping you to reduce distraction, it will filter notifications based on what you are doing. While, Focus will use on-device intelligence to make suggestions based on usage patterns.

Additional watchOS 8 Updates – WWDC21

  • Multiple Timers can now be set and given a label, for example Cooking Timer and Laundry Timer.
  • More Apple Watch Apps support Always-On display such as Maps, Phone, Podcasts, Stop Watch and more.
  • While, Assistive Touch enables one arm usage of Apple Watch by sensing hand gestures to interact without touching the display.
  • Furthermore, Find My is available on Apple Watch allowing users to locate tagged items using the Find My Network. The Find Devices app which is new helps users locate Apple Devices. Which are signed in using the same Apple ID.
  • While, Apple Music App has been redesigned
  • Weather App now supports severe weather notifications, displaying government alerts about certain severe weather events. As well as Next Hour Precipitation alerts and updated complications.
  • Also, later in June, Fitness+ introduces a new series of workouts featuring Jeanette Jenkins. A new Artist Spotlight Series with workouts featuring entire playlists from Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Alicia Keys.
(Apple)
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WWDC20

WWDC20: Everything that went down!

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Lots got announced at WWDC20, so let’s crack on and tell you all about them!

iOS14 – WWDC20

iOS14 is a fairly big update at WWDC20. With Apple’s main focus to improve performance and reliability. Whilst expanding on a number of features which have been added previously. There’s been updates to search, widgets added to the homescreen, improvements to message and better sleep tracker.

Apple is allowing you to adjust your iOS14 home screen. You can move apps around and group them in new ways, such as hiding apps from the main home screen and adding them to a new App Library. A way to highlight all of your apps and group them automatically, in one big beautiful list. Even will learn what apps you use the most and group them at the top as an app suggestion.

Apple will also show incoming calls, (Facetime included) in a new more compact view which simply drops down from the top of view.

Widgets is being added to the Home Screen. Which are customisable in size and can add them where you want on screen. There’s a new gallery app which will make widgets easier to find. Whilst Smart Stack will stack multiple widgets on top of each other. You can then swipe through them easily, showing you the most important information on each one.

Picture in Picture is being added to iOS 14. You can watch videos and re-size the player when multitasking. Videos can even be played in the background by swiping the video all the way to the left/right of the screen. Visuals will disappear, yet the audio will remain. Simply swipe back to view your video.

Messages

Memoji is also getting customisable options such as a new face mask customisation option. Apple will add inline replies to Messages, allowing you to respond to a specific comment in groups. You can also tag people within groups as well. Groups are being enhanced so you get a better idea of who is in the chat and who spoke recently.

The messages app will also let you pin select chats at the top of the screen, so they’ll always be at the top.

Siri is also getting a new smaller streamlined view. With Siri getting an update itself. Better translation support and the ability to send audio messages.

Car Key

Apple have introduced CarKey which will allow you to unlock your car wirelssly simply by tapping a few buttons on your phone. First up to use this is the 2021 BMW 5 Series. Set up is simple as pairing your Apple Watch or iPhone with an eligible car. Then when you want to unlock your car, just hold your device near the NFC receiver on the car. Then use Face ID or Touch ID to confirm your identity.

CarPlay is getting custom wallpapers and new apps such as parking apps, EV charging apps and food apps.

Apple is updating the Maps app with new cycling routes, EV charging info and a range of new guides covering points of interest in a specific area. Such as tourist destinations, shops and best restaurants.

You can add your own guides and add their favourites to a list of suggestions. When new places get added by Apple, that info will automatically update in your customised guide as well.

Clips

App Clips is being introduced too. A way of accessing small snippets of an app, without having to download and install a full app. App Clips can be accessed via the App Library, a special QR Code or NFC Tag too. This would be helpful for parking places that uses apps or things like bikes or scooters in cities. Better yet, sign in with Apple can be used to sign up for an account quickly and easily without having to make a brand new account for everything.

(Gizmodo)

iPad OS14 – WWDC20

As well as receiving the same additions as iOS14, such as App Library, a smaller Siri notifications, Widgets and smaller incoming call notications iPad OS14 is also getting upgrades of it’s own!

Apple Pencil is receiving one of it’s biggest improvements. One of them that’s impressive is the Scribble feature. You can now handwrite into any text field and iPad will automatically change it to text. If you handwrite on the same page as drawings you can select the handwriting and avoid the surrounding art. Furthermore you are able to change the colour of the text and move the text around in the doc.

iPad will also recognise Chinese and hand-written addresses and phone numbers.

Universal search is also being added. Start typing into the search bar and you can launch, apps, websites and documents instantly.

An all-new sidebar will bring additional navigation features to Apple apps. Apple highlighted this from within it’s own Photo app. You can drag a photo from an album into the sidebar and move it to another album. A streamlined toolbar, with additional controls, and side bar will also appear in mail, notes and files.

(Engadget)

Watch OS7 – WWDC20

Apple now let you personalise your own watch faces with Face Sharing. When you see a face you like you can add the watch face directly to your watch. Even if you don’t have the complications needed for that specific watch face. Also share the watch face by long pressing on a face you wish to share.

A new watch face is being added called the Chronograph Pro Face. This includes a tachymeter. The Photos face will offer different colour filters and a new X-Large face will let you add a rich complication. Developers are now able to add more than one complication per app on any watch face.

Health

Apple’s own Workout app gets a few additions too. Cycling tracking, which also includes directions and tips on when to dismount. Also Dancing gets added to the workout app. There are new sensors which can detect movement differences between the upper and lower body and even full body movement. This is done via ‘advanced sensor fusion’. So, using the accelerometer, gyroscrope and heat rate sensors to detect and differentiate movement.

Activity app is being renamed Fitness and getting a new summary look at the top. It will also highlight a streamlined view of workouts and awards. Algorithms for Core Training, Dance, Functional Strength and Cooldown are also being added. While Core Training and Functional Strength training won’t track reps. It will only count calories for those exercises.

While WatchOS 6 added the Noise app now the Noise app will notify you when you listen to too much music in a week.

Sleep Tracking

Apple is also adding sleep tracking, nativelty. There’s a section in the Health app for it. Apple says the Apple Watch will be able to detect ‘micro movements’ via the accelerometer. This will give you insights about respiration during sleep. You’ll receive on-wrist insights the next morning wich will show periods of wakefulness and sleep. Plus you’ll get charts of sleep trends. Though no breakdown of sleep stages such as REM, light and deep.

Furthermore the Apple Watch will be able to detect soap sounds and automatically start a 20second countdown complete with animations. It will also prompt users to wash their hands when they return home.

(Engadget)

macOS Big Sur – WWDC20

Mac OS X is getting one of the biggest upgrades in years. It’s called Big Sur and it’s visuals are getting a massive upgrade. WWDC20 is really impressing!

There’s now a customizable start page, a refined app dock and finer to make use of screen space better. Mail app has colors in the navigation interface and photos gets an updated sidebar. Gallery within photos is also backed by metal so animations show up quicker.

Menu bar is now translucent will take the color of your background. The menu bar is now customizable to give yourself one click access to Do Not Disturb. Simply drag and drop it from the settings. Notification Center has been updated to feature better organisation and add widgets of various sizes of the panel. Furthermore moving Mac OS and iOS closer. There’s an iOS-like Control Center to macOS.

Apps

macOS’ messages app is getting an update. Much like it’s iOS counterpart, you’ll have direct in-line replies and group updates. It’ll get a powerful search function. It has been updated to organise your results into file types and matching terms. Memoji is able to be customised on the mac and animations will also show across the window.

Maps is getting revamped and adding features such as indoor navigation for places like airports and shopping malls. You are also able to view and create Guides for your city for example. If you want to save cool spots you’ve visited simply add them and share them with your iPhone.

Safari

Safari is also getting a HUGE update. It will support extensions and they’ll be on the App Store for easier discovery. Each extension will have a button that shows up next to the URL box. Your browser is also customisable with your own photos as the background. Homepage will have sections such as a reading list and iCloud tabs.

Apple’s browser will have a built in translator, it will detect when you visit a website not in your default language and will ask you if you wish to translate the page or text. Tabs will also be easier to navigate. With loads on screen at once they will show favicons by default. Now when you hover over a tab, you’ll be presented with a preview thumbnail of the page.

(Engadget)

Apple Silicone – WWDC20

Apple is moving away from Intel processors and will start using it’s own chips in it’s computers. The Apple Silicone project will create powerful, energy efficient processors. Leading to future Macbooks with superior battery life than what we have now.

These chips will have deep integration in Big Sur. All of Apple’s won software will run as native apps on Apple silicon-based Macs. Such as Final Cut Pro, while Microsoft’s Office Suite will also work on the Apple Silicon. Furthermore Adobe is doing the same for it’s creative cloud apps.

Mobile Apps

iPhone and iPad apps will now be able to run natively on Apple silicon based Macs. You can download them from the Mac App store. This will allow developers to develop apps that will work between various devices and minimal friction.

Apple expects the developers will be able to update their Mac apps quickly and they’ll have the tools to do so within Xcode12. Apple hopes that existing apps will work on silicon based Macs. With the use of Rosetta 2. This will basically translate code as necessary on the fly and allow virtualization for Linux. Apple unveiled a Developer Transition kit to help developers update and develop their apps.

Apple announced at WWDC20, that it expects the move to silicon based Macs in 2 years and as smoothly as possible. With the first set of Apple silicon systems to likely launch this year. While Apple are still working on Intel-based Macs and will support Macs with Intel processors for years to come.

(Engadget)

HomeKit & Apple tvOS14 – WWDC20

Apple said at WWDC20 that it’s improving the tech that we use in our homes. They’re looking improve the ease of use in with multiple products. Such as using Airplay to push a video to your Apple Tv. Using the Home app to control various other smart devices in your home, such as smart lights. Apple have said that they’re open-sourcing HomeKit to prioritise privacy and ease of use. So when you add a new piece of smart tech to the iOS 14 Home app, it will automatically suggest a list of automation options.

Apple currently support smart bulbs but now it’s adding Adaptive Lighting. This new feature can be used to change the colours you see in various rooms around the house, automatically based on preference.

Home Security

Home Security has got a nice upgrade too. It will let users specifically designate zones that they want to monitor whilst excluding activity outside of that zone. Therefore if you can only opt to be alerted about activity within an area. Facial recognition is being added for close contacts that you’ve tagged within your photos. Furthermore this feature will also extend to Apple’s own products such as HomePod. HomePod can alert you who is at the door, while Apple TV will display a video overlay from your security camera in the corner of your screen. Apple have said that all cameras connected to the Home App will be linked to tvOS14 as well as through the control center.

The Apple Arcade

Arcade on Apple TV is getting an upgrade in tvOS14. Multi-User support is coming and you can even pick up where you left off. Apple TV will also soon support Xbox Elite 2 controller as well as the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Picture in Picture support is also coming to tvOS14.

A trailer for the Isaac Asimov’s Foundation was also shown at WWDC20

(Gizmodo)

(Gizmodo)

AirPods

Airpods in general will now be able to automatically switch between Apple devices. For example, finish up a podcast on your phone and then more to your iPad to watch a movie. Airpods will connect to the iPad without having to tap through to a Bluetooth menu. This process will be the same on a Mac. Simply you’ll soon be able to change from one device to the next simultaneously. Additionally you’ll switch to your phone if you get a call.

Airpods Pro

Furthermore the audio quality with Airpods Pro is improving. They’ll soon support spatial audio for more immersive experiences. Apple have developed custom algorithms to power this so it sounds like you’re in a theatre. It will also adjust to where your head is too so the audio will stay fixed when you moved your head. It does this by using the accelerometers and the directional audio filters and subtle frequency adjustments for each ear. The spatial audio feature will feature 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atoms!

(Engadget)

Privacy

Apple’s huge focus for a long time has been user privacy. Therefore they’ve announced a bunch more improvements to this years set of updates. In every store (app store, mac app store) that Apple runs, developers will be required to show exactly what they tell Apple. That’s both data collection and tracking.

It will show all this information via a label which gives you the most important details. Saving users from having to read an entire privacy policy.

Locations services are getting a change. You can now decide to share a rough or less specific location are to a map. Therefore the app can’t track your movement as easily.

Tracking permissions across apps and websites are also having permissions added. This will make it easier to keep yourself private when browsing the internet.

Small additions to mic and camera indications is that they’ll get a small light in the indication bar. Showing you exactly when they’re being used.

Safari is getting privacy updates too, you’ll now have finer control over how long websites and extensions have access to your data. A privacy report shows up when you press the shield icon next ot hte URL bar. This will also show what trackers are on the page.

(Engadget)

So that’s all of the information from WWDC20!

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Windows 95

Windows 95 Lives Once AGAIN!

/in /by

Windows 95 is BACK! Plus you can put it on your Mac too! What was once a powerhouse in home computing is now used as an indicator of what’s possible on modern computing devices.

We’ve seen the triumphant Windows 95 loaded on to just about anything these days. From an Apple Watch, an Android smartwatch, and the Xbox One. However the Verge are reporting that you can now run the ancient OS on an app on Mac OS, Windows and Linux. Guess the phrase “there’s an app for that” really does cover everything!

A developer from the awesome guys over at Slack, Felix Rieseberg is the man behind the web app. The nostalgia inducing app is based on an existing web project that currently supports Windows 95, 98, amongst others. You can use the Windows 95 web app, just like you did before. Play Minesweeper (how many hours was killed with THAT!?) or even use word pad. Only programme that doesn’t work is Internet Explorer.

Download it here it will work on both macOS and Windows. It’ll only take up a small amount of RAM when using it too, the Verge are reporting that it takes up 200MB

(Verge)

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