Apple on Monday, during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) unveiled the iOS 14 for its devices that offer new features with more intelligent, more personal, and more private apps that will help users get things done faster and efficiently like never before.
The new features touch almost all existing apps in the iphones; from widgets to voice commands and the newly introduced CarKey, the redesign comes with a scintillating experience.
Apple also unveiled a new custom chip and announced it’s moving its Macs from Intel processors to its own chips, a milestone development that the CEO Tim Cook said “it’s the game changer.”
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In the new features, widgets have been redesigned to give information at a glance – and can now be added to the home screen with such flexibility that gives users the ability to arrange them however they want.
Calls from your iphone, Facetime, and third-party apps display in all-new compact design that doesn’t take up the full screen. It means, you can keep watching videos or continue your Facetime call while making use of another app.
The iOS 14 is redesigned to help users stay connected to the conversations that matter most, keep track of group conversations, and express themselves how they like. The ability to pin up conversations has been elaborated that one can pin up to nine of his most important conversations to a list where he can easily access them.
You can create a group conversation and give it a visual identity by adding a memoji or emoji. To send a message to anyone in the group, type a name. When you are mentioned, your name is highlighted. And you have the ability to customize an active group where you can only receive notification when you are mentioned.
The emojis have been elaborated to accommodate diverse figures, face coverings, age, 20 new hair and headwear styles to reflect your hubby, profession, and personality.
The maps have been enhanced to help you to explore and navigate better. In iOS 14, you get cycling directions using bike lanes, paths and roads. You can also see elevation, busy streets, stairs, and steep passages when planning a trip.
Siri has been updated with 20x more facts than the past three years. It can now answer your questions using information from across the web. You can now send audio messages with Siri.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the iOS 14 is the CarKey and the CarPlay that has transformed the relationship between your iphone and your car. You can now unlock and start your car with your iphone. This is in addition to using your iphone as a credit card that was introduced before now.
The CarPlay technology will be available in 97% of new cars, starting with the 2021 BMW 5 Series. Apple is partnering with standards groups to pave the way for expanding the technology to other cars.
Apple has a plan to build its own cars, but it’s still a long shot and the company wants to delve into the auto industry now using its most lucrative market – the iphone.
Emily Schubert, Apple senior manager of car experience engineering demonstrated how the car key works. From tapping the car door with the card to unlock, the drivers place the iphone on the car’s charging pad and press the ignition button to start the car. Just like similar wireless car technologies, the Apple technology relies on what’s known as Near Field Communication that allows devices within a few centimeters to exchange data wirelessly.
Apple is working to reimagine the CarKey, which is considered big and bulky. Vice president of software engineering said: “They’ve been around for over 100 years but they’ve become big, bulky and ripe for reimagining.”
The virtual car key can be shared using iMessage for BMW users. Another company with such technology is Volvo; its world-first digital-key allows you to grant single use access to another user.
Federighi said Apple is expecting support for the new ultra wideband standard in new vehicles next year, as it works to expand the number of car models that CarKey technology can work with. Apple is also planning to switch to a different technology that will involve ultra-wideband, which will allow drivers to unlock the cars from longer distances while the iphone remains in the driver’s pocket or bag.
The new redesign is expected to take effect this fall.
On the other hand, the new chip, Apple Silicon, is a more powerful, desktop-sized version of processing chips that Apple built for iphones and ipads. The company said it is designed to allow Apple Silicon to run in the same environment, making it easier for developers to build apps that work across all Apple devices.
Cook said Apple’s first computer outfitted with Silicon will ship by the end of 2020, and that other Macs will be transitioned to Silicon in the next two years.
Apple said the Silicon’s CPU power’s new chips will make Macs better at running demanding programs like games, machine learning tools, and video editing software.
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