iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite – What’s new

The 2014 Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) has just kicked off with the announcement of iOS 8, OS X Yosemite and a new programming language called Swift.

I’ll try and keep this article short and only cover the main additions to the consumer products and take an in depth look at Swift when more information becomes available in the coming days.

Unlike previous years, neither iOS or OS X have any new standout features – though there are plenty of new features.

OS X Yosemite

Design

Last year iOS went through a major redesign and this year OS X has the same treatment. A flat design has been applied throughout the whole operating system with the popular translucent style applied to windows and toolbars. A close up of the dock can be seen below:

Spotlight

Spotlight is OS X’s popular search tool (the one in the top right). It will now be able to search the web and perform many of the features Siri can perform on iOS, including getting movie times and nearby restaurants.

Phone Calls and SMS

You will now be able to make and receive phone calls and SMS messages directly from within OS X via an iPhone. This is made possible by using your Mac as a Bluetooth headset. It’s a very simple concept that I’m not aware was possible before today and proved very popular with the WWDC audience.

Other Features

Other new features include Continuity, a simple way of getting work from an iOS device to your Mac and iCloud Drive, basically a copy of Dropbox.

iOS 8

It’s only been a year since iOS 7 was first announced with its overhauled user interface and flat design and so no one was expecting any changes on the scale of those announced year.

Interactive Notifications

With iOS 8 you’ll be able to reply/respond to a notification without leaving your app. This has been a feature request for a number of years and is sure to keep fans happy.

Keyboard

Quicktype is a form of predictive text that displays words above the keyboard. Its main aim is to increase typing speed and reduce typos as well as giving personalized predictive responses (that’s personalized for the recipient). Apple will also be allowing developers to submit custom keyboards for the first time ever.

Health App

This was one of the predicted new features of iOS 8. It is a one-stop shop for all your health related data. It will know when you’re going to having a heart attack and have an ambulance waiting for you at the end of the street. Ok, not yet but this will be supported by major health clinics.

Family Sharing

“I told you not to buy that game on my credit card” will be a thing of the past. Families will be able to control purchases and ask for the bill pays permission before continuing. This is likely a result of number of high profile cases in the UK where families have paid thousands due to a child’s actions.

Other Features

In addition to the above new features, Apple has allowed developers to add widgets to the notification center. Spotlight search has also been improved with similar features to OS X.

Conclusion

I don’t think you’ll find many users that aren’t pleased with the new features Apple have announced today. Were you hoping for more from today’s announcement? Leave a comment below.

As if a new version of OSX and iOS wasn’t enough for one day, Apple has also announced a new programming language called Swift. There were certainly a number of shocked developers around the world (including myself). I’ll be writing a separate blog post over the coming days as more information is released.