In what was probably their shortest Keynote ever, Apple released a brand new iPhone and a smaller iPad Pro. Apart from that, Apple also announced four major software updates — iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, watchOS 2.2 and tvOS 9.2. Let’s take a quick look at all of them.
iOS 9.3
Apple called it the “biggest dot release in iOS”, meaning that it’s quite a large update from 9.2.
The latest iOS version doesn’t bring any new design changes; however, it does introduce some really cool new features.
The NightShift mode — Using the built-in clock and the geo-location of your iOS device, NightShift will automatically dim your display to a comfortable colour so that your eyes don’t get strained.
Touch ID secured Notes — Your notes can now be password protected using your Touch ID. That’s really useful given we tend to store a lot of sensitive info on Notes.
iPad education features — They will provide comprehensive database management solutions to schools and universities that deploy iPad as tools of education.
Apple Music — Third party apps can now add music to your iCloud Music Library.
Mac OS X 10.11.4
This update to the Mac OS has got some really useful features:
Notes — Notes is now compatible with Evernote. You can sort your Notes alphabetically, by date created, or date modified. And the best feature? You now have the power to password protect your notes. (Thank you Apple! Seriously!)
iBooks — Sync your PDFs to iCloud so that they’re accessible across all your devices
iMessages — With support for Live Photos, iMessages just got more interesting
iTunes — Available as a stand-alone update, it makes your iTunes compatible with iPhone SE and iPad Pro. (Highly recommended)
Note: To upgrade your Mac OS, simply launch the App Store app and navigate to the “Updates” section.
watchOS 2.2
Not nearly as big an update as iOS 9.3, the watchOS updates still have some pretty decent features to show off.
Maps — The new “Nearby” feature lets you locate restaurants, theatres, gas-stations, etc that are in your vicinity. Also offers instant navigational support from your current location to your home or place of work.
Multiple Pairing — You can now pair more than one Apple Watch to any given iPhone.
Developer Tools — the Watch now offers more support to developers to design and develop apps for it. This might not seem useful to us right now, but in the long run, it means more and more Apps will support the Apple Watch.
NOTE: You will need to upgrade your iOS to 9.3 before you can download the watchOS 2.2. An update will be available right in the Settings menu on your iPhone.
tvOS 9.2
The most comprehensive of the four updates is definitely the one for Apple TV. The new tvOS 9.2 has brought some major overhaul to the OS in terms of design and functionality. Let’s have look:
Input enhancements — You can now dictate stuff to Siri whenever you want to insert some text in search fields, login screen, etc. Alternatively, you can also hook up a Bluetooth keyboard!!
UI enhancements — Just like in the iOS, you can now create folders to organise your apps on Apple TV. An “app-switcher” is also available for quick navigation between apps.
Photos app — The Photos app now gets synced with your iCloud Library, so all your photos from iPhone and iPad are instantaneously available to view on your Apple TV. Be careful with this feature. You could get into a lot of trouble, if somebody else sees the pictures you don’t want them to see.
We’re really thrilled with all these updates. We’ve always been in favour of updating software as soon as a newer version is available, and we suggest you do the same. Trust us, it’ll make you life so much easier!