It was a busy day on 9th September, 2015 at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, where Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO unveiled his set of new innovative products to the world.
Apple once again came up with revolutionizing communication products. Most captivating and highlight of the entire event was the launching of the iPad Pro device and tvOS.
Let us look at the some of the major highlights of the event in brief:
watchOS2
Airstrip witnessed the demo of Sense4Baby watch app at this event. The app was not only able to sense the heartbeats of the baby but was also able to map the baby’s heart rate. To enable this functionality, the mother needs to put Apple watch on her belly. Additionally, once the data is received by the Apple Watch, it can be shared with the doctor for further diagnostics.
To know further, read our detailed blogpost on What’s new in Apple WatchOS2?
iOS 9
Along with watchOS2, Apple announced the launch of iOS 9. Its most exciting feature is multi-point touch and multitasking on iPad as it allows running of two apps side by side in a single window that leads to optimum utilization of the time, phone, and the apps as well. It is highly optimized for storage and performance when compared with iOS 8. Some other notable new features of iOS 9 include the iCloud Drive app for sharing files between iOS and Mac, video zoom-in feature, improved Apple Pay, enhanced battery settings, smarter Siri and a lot more. iOS9 has created a huge impact in the market as already almost half of Apple device users have upgraded to it
iPad Pro
Phil Schiller, SVP Marketing, Apple, was all excited to exhibit a brand new iPad – iPad Pro. iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad, with A9X chip, Apple has created.
Apart from the enhancement in size, resolution and energy saving techniques, iPad Pro has 4K video capturing capabilities. iPad Pro has many notable improvements and optimization in the graphics section from its predecessor, a move which will surely captivate gamers and game programmers.
Apple Pencil
Simple yet powerful, obvious but revolutionary!
The Apple Pencil is another innovation by Apple. Apple Pencil requires special pressure-sensitive hardware to operate. Needless to say that Apple Pencil would not work on any earlier device other than the iPad Pro.
There is nothing that you cannot do with the Apple pencil in the digital world when compared with our (physical world) real pencil. Moreover, you have exceptional control on your strokes while drawing with the Apple Pencil than a real pencil. Pressure-sensitivity and response to it are the most important differentiating factors between a stylus and Apple Pencil.
tvOS
tvOS is another platform Apple has launched. It is the operating system for the all new Apple TV. Infused with some amazing features like voice search via Siri, remote with touch surface, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc., Apple has opened a new gate for software developers as well by providing a built-in App store. Developers can also create universal apps which will be available for iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro and Apple TV.
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
3-D touch is an ace feature Apple has added to iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. This feature is for better control and quick access over apps. When a user presses a certain icon little harder, a “Peek” detail is delivered.
A Peek is a pop-up with a set of shortcuts to several commands or features of the app. If the user continues to press more, then “Pop” will appear. A Pop will take you to the detailed view of that feature in the app. Example, if the user is viewing an email, performing a “Peek” brings up the content preview of the message. If the user presses for more time, then “Pop” opens the message fully.
With the addition of 3D touch icons of the app on the Home screen, users can now do more than just launching and deleting the app. Live Photo is another great addition to new iPhone 6S. Facebook app supports Live Photo and it is a superb feature for new updates to appear on the screen.
This event has unveiled new opportunities for developers to create universal, innovative and beautiful apps. ISVs can enter the market with simple but smart ideas to implement on small devices like Apple Watch. Eg. Reminder for medicine. At the same time, ISVs can dig deeper for graphics and can have full benefits across all devices like iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro and Apple TV. One thing is for sure, the Universal App is a grand slam by Apple!
