Apple's WWDC: What You Need to Know

Image: Apple Press

Unless you were under a rock yesterday and not online, you've probably heard that Apple held it's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (or WWDC) yesterday. This year didn't have a many big announcements as in previous years but there is still plenty to share...

iOS 9 (Photo: Apple Press) First off, before we get started there was no new iPhone announced this year. Don't really think there was a need seeing how they released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last year. But iOS 9 was officially announced. Some of the most notable changes coming in the latest release of Apple's mobile OS are: More Intelligent Siri: With the help of Proactive Assistance, Siri will help present you with relevant apps or people to call based on your usage (SkyNet anyone?). Siri will also be able to let you know when you should leave for meetings and appointments, even factoring in traffic, so you're not late. Oh and it can also learn what type of music you listen to at certain times of the day or at certain locations, so you plug up your headphones up at work and it brings up the music. Not to worry though all the information that Siri is using and studying on you is stored locally on your iOS device Transit feature in Maps: Now of course the Apple Maps is nothing new to iOS but it will now be able to give directions to users that take public transportation with Transit. So you can really plan your trip down to the steps. It takes into account buses, trains, and subways.

Tranist in iOS9 (Photo: Apple Press) Improved Battery Life: No you don't get a new battery, but with the new Low Power Mode feature your phone's battery life can be extended up to 3 hours. *Drumroll for this next one*........Apple is allowing is Swift programming language (Swift 2 is the latest incarnation) to be open source! Developers rejoice! Seriously if you have been following tech for any number of years, you know Apple is very tight with their technologies. Apple Pay: While Apple Pay is still being adopted the capabilities may make it go a little smoother. At WWDC it was announced that in iOS 9 Apple will be adding support for Store Credit cards, debit cards, and those reward cards that we all have on our key chains. Finally I can do something about this janitor key look my key ring has. Also, small business owners, Apple hasn't forgotten about you, Apple Pay is coming to Square in the fall.

Apple Pay in iOS9 (Photo: Apple Press)

And one more thing, for the first time ever, Apple will be releasing iOS 9 as a public beta in July with the final version to be released to everyone in September (Fall as is the norm). If you want to sign up for the public beta go here.

OS X: El Capitan

No that's not a joke, the next release of Apple's Mac OS X is really called El Capitan. I really want to see the think tank process for these names one day. The new OS isn't a major overhaul but has some nice new features, such as the split screen view so that you can work in two windows at once (sounds familiar right?) Another desktop window management feature is improved Spaces functionality. You can drag a window or two to the top of your screen and it essentially becomes it's on desktop. I think this feature is great as most of us are working on more than one task at a time, and if you're on a laptop it gets crowded quick.

An improved Notes app allows you to add PDFs, pictures, video and other content easily into a note. Spotlight (that's search for non-Mac users) now allows for you to search more intuitively. You can type a phrase to search for items. For my gamers, Metal will be in El Capitan...(I know you're like well metal is in computers right?)...Metal is Apple's graphics technology which improves graphics performance as well as system efficiency. Basically it's going to make it easier for you to be a gamer on your Mac.

Mac OS X El Capitan, Split screen feature (Photo: Apple Press)

Last but certainly not least....Apple Music!

Now we all knew this announcement was coming when Apple purchased Beats Music back in 2014 . Apple officially announced it's new streaming service Apple Music. The service combines your library, and adds of course music streaming, profiles for artists to connect and share with fans, and Beats 1. Beats 1 is a live radio station broadcasting in over 100 countries 24 hours a day. Drake made an appearance at the WWDC during the Apple Music announcement and like it has been rumored, he will be partnering with Apple Music. Drake is going to release his next album using Apple Music's Connect feature. The new music service will be offered free for the first three months (sign up with your Apple ID) it goes live on June 30th. After the free trial, it is $9.99/month for an individual and $14.99/month for a family of six (this sounds like the better move to me). As always stayed tuned for more updates! ~ChicDivaGeek