The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Apple unveils new iOS and OS X

Apple+unveils+new+iOS+and+OS+X

By Sara Tucker, Inside columnist

For many techies, San Francisco was the place to be today, at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This year’s conference runs from June 2-4, and this morning’s presentation revealed a new iOS for iPhone, as well as a new operating system for Mac computers, Yosemite.

Apple executives and Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, presented the new material with plenty of demonstration. Overall, the new OS X 10.10 looks more like iOS 7, and iOS 8 turns the iPhone into a more user-friendly “remote” for Apple users.

With the new OS, Yosemite, Apple Maps will be easier to navigate, users will get a new notification center (which looks just like iOS 7’s notification center), iCloud will get an update and Mail will allow for “Markup” on emails, including highlighting and drawing.

Another big change:  calls can be made from the desktop using a mobile number, which will function differently from FaceTime audio or video calls (which are made through your Apple account rather than your mobile number). To demonstrate the new calling system, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, called Apple’s newest acquisition, Dr. Dre.

For those more interested in the new iOS for iPhone, the functionality won’t change much, but certain features will become more convenient.

There are “interactive notifications,” which will allow users to respond to texts directly from the notification center. This interaction will also be possible from the lock screen – “the lock screen is the new home screen” according to a BuzzFeed article about the changes.

Additionally, there will be quick access to recent contacts whens users double tap the home button. Where before there was just a summary of the apps currently open, there will now be small pictures of favorite contacts that can be clicked on to call or text.

iMessage took some cues from WhatsApp, with a new “QuickType” feature, a “Do Not Disturb” feature and a recording feature, in which users can record an audio text, rather than a word text (similar to leaving a voicemail, except directly in the message feed).

There’s also some new technology for editing photos directly on the iPhone, rather than waiting to transfer to iPhoto.

While some Apple fans were disappointed by the lack of new products, others are happy with Apple’s response to consumer requests and the increased functionality and “transparency” of the new OS and iOS.

 

Photo courtesy Andy Ihnatko, Creative Commons. 

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