This morning kicked off the first day of Apples Worldwide Developer’s Convention, a week where we find out what this year will look like in Apple. The keynote began with a short video starring Bill Hader to prove that Apple is the hippest company.
After a anecdote about baseball from Tim Cook, the company began going into it’s newest offerings to the world, and some are pretty exciting. Here’s what you need to know:
1. The newest computer OS, El Capitan, is going to make navigation much easier
Named for a destination inside Yosemite, El Capitan will focus on making searching through your folders full of documents easier. Open Spotlight and type “documents I worked on last June,” and you will be able to browse through everything you opened in that time period.
The most notable new feature is the ability to work in split-screen. Switching between windows on your computer can be a pain, but now by sliding on the track pad you will be able to look at two windows at the same time. Have your browser in one, while you’re typing an email in the other. You can even pull down on the top and switch out screens without losing any information.
2. Picture-in-picture makes ignoring work even easier
On your computer you can play a show or movie in one tab and work in another, but that doesn’t work on a mobile device. You can only be in one app at a time. Well, iOS 9 solves this problem with a picture-in-picture feature. Pull up a streaming video and minimize it to hang out in your corner while you send an email or browse the internet. Move it anywhere on your screen, or even all the way over to the side if you just want the sound.
3. iOS 9 will be available this Fall and it will act more like your personal assistant
Riding the coattails of Google Now, Apple announced Proactive, a personal assistant feature. After using iOS 9 for awhile it will begin to learn about your routine. So if you always work out in the morning, it will pull up your music app as soon as you plug in your headphones. Or if you listen to an audiobook on your commute to work it will queue it up for you. Proactive uploads the invitations you get on text or email and even calculate when you should leave to get there on time.
4. Apple Pay is available in the UK
Apple Pay is really expanding this year with over one million places supporting it including some across the pond. You can even store all of your credit cards in Wallet, formally known as Passbook. Import your debit, credit and even rewards cards from certain companies so you never need to pay with a plastic card again.
5. Apple Music
Thought his announcement wasn’t much of a surprise, it is still exciting. It combines all your music with everything in Apple Music. Look through your personal playlists with custom artwork or tap all to see an artist’s full library. Like Genius playlists in the past, you can create random lists based on who you listen to regularly.
You also have access to Beats One, a streaming radio service. Listen to radio stations, or interact with artists using Connect. Here musicians can upload behind-the-scenes videos and photos so you as a fan is always in the loop. Even new artists can get involved in this feature and reach more people than they could have just on Facebook or Twitter. The service will cost $9.99/month with a free first three months.