WWDC 2015: Interesting Tidbits and Links

Every year at WWDC, Apple unveils dozens of new software features and hundreds of developer technologies, and 2015 was no exception. With new versions of iOS, OS X, and a big 2.0 update to watchOS weeks after its public debut, Apple is preparing for a busy Fall across its ecosystems.

Among big additions and redesigns, however, there are always smaller features and hidden changes that the company only briefly mentioned during the keynote or described with a short paragraph on their preview webpages and developer documentation guides. In this article, we’ve collected some of the most interesting details we didn’t cover yesterday, with links to the original articles, documentation, and tweets.

For more in-depth coverage, check out our overviews and first impressions:

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Apple Unifies iOS and Mac Developer Program

As noticed by Brian Webster, Apple has removed the existing distinction between its iOS Developer Program and Mac Developer Program. Now there is just the one Apple Developer Program which gives you access to the software, tools and beta OS releases for OS X, iOS and watchOS. The Apple Developer Program costs US$99 per year, which means developers who work on both iOS and OS X will save a bit of money, no longer having to pay for two US$99 programs every year.

Jonathan Kingsley also points out that developers do not need to have an Apple developer membership in order to test their app on their devices. This will be most useful to those who are just starting to learn app development and those who have not yet submitted their first app.

Apple News Overview

Apple today announced that coming with iOS 9 this Fall would be a new default app; News. As you would expect, News will collect and recommend news articles for you to read on your iPhone or iPad, based on what you like to read. The features of the News app are reminiscent of Google News (for the recommended articles), Flipboard (the ability to follow publishers and topics) and Facebook’s recent launch of Instant Articles (custom, gorgeous articles on mobile).

“News seamlessly delivers the articles you want to read in a beautiful and uncluttered format, while respecting your privacy, because Apple doesn’t share your personal data,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We already have nearly 20 publishers representing more than 50 titles joining us, including Condé Nast, ESPN, The New York Times, Hearst, Time Inc., CNN and Bloomberg.”

Availability

News will launch as part of iOS 9, coming later this Fall. At launch, News will only be available to iOS 9 users in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

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Apple Music Overview

At today’s WWDC 2015 Keynote Address, Apple announced its new Apple Music service which will launch later this month on June 30. Apple Music was introduced in a similar way to the iPhone and Apple Watch, with Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue talking on stage about how Apple Music is really three core products:

  1. A Revolutionary Music Service
  2. A 24/7 Global Radio Station
  3. Connecting Fans with Artists

Apple Music was first introduced on stage by Jimmy Iovine who described the product as “one complete thought about music” and talking about how Apple Music is “All the ways you love music. All in one place”.

“We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan’s fingertips,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app — a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.”

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iOS 9: Our Complete Overview and First Impressions

Apple announced iOS 9, the next major version of its mobile operating system, at WWDC 2015 this week, with a focus on iPad productivity, enhancements to built-in apps, better intelligence, and improvements to performance and security.

Part an iterative update aimed at refining missteps and missing features of iOS 8 and part a new beginning for Siri and iPad users, iOS 9 isn’t the “Snow Leopard release” that some tech pundits were asking for. iOS 9 is building upon the foundation of iOS 8 with dozens of new features – many of which could profoundly impact the way we interact with our apps and devices every day.

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watchOS 2 Overview

watchOS 2

watchOS 2

At today’s WWDC 2015 keynote, Apple announced watchOS 2, the next revision of its Apple Watch operating system. Despite being announced only two months after the Apple Watch itself was released, watchOS 2 includes a multitude of powerful new features that have the potential to greatly improve the experience of the Apple Watch.

WatchKit for watchOS 2

WatchKit, the development framework for Apple Watch apps, is seeing a huge update with watchOS 2. WatchKit apps are now able to run natively on the Apple Watch, meaning they no longer need to communicate back to the iPhone to get all of their information. This should result in huge improvements in the speed and efficiency of Apple Watch apps on launch and during use.

Furthermore, in watchOS 2, WatchKit apps will have access to the hardware components and sensors on the Apple Watch. Developers will be able to incorporate the Digital Crown, Taptic Engine, heart rate sensor, accelerometer and microphone into their apps. This will open up a whole new world for third party apps, giving them just as many abilities as Apple’s built-in apps and letting them access the full set of features the Apple Watch has to offer.

New to all Watch apps, Apple’s included (with the exception of the phone app), WatchKit apps can now play audio and video directly on the Apple Watch, as well as run animations. Yes, this means using the built-in speaker for more than just taking phone calls.

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The 2015 Apple Design Award Winners

Every year at WWDC, Apple celebrates excellence in mobile and desktop software with the Apple Design Awards. Apple recognizes apps that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design to provide an immersive, fun, and compelling experience.

These apps raise the bar in design, technology and innovation with rich functionality and high performance, taking advantage of the latest features in iOS and OS X to provide unique experiences that enrich the App Store and customers’ lives. This year, Apple is recognizing “state of the art iOS, OS X, and Apple Watch apps that reflect excellence in design and innovation”.

After evaluating the broadest set of apps possible from the App Store and Mac App Store, Apple has picked this year’s winners with a dedicated event at Moscone West on WWDC 2015 opening day. We have compiled the full list of 2015 Apple Design Award Winners below.

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OS X El Capitan Overview

OS X El Capitan

OS X El Capitan

This morning at Apple’s WWDC 2015 keynote event, SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi took the stage to announce OS X El Capitan. The next major version of Apple’s Mac operating system, El Capitan has two major areas of focus: Experience and Performance.

Experience

The improved experience in OS X El Capitan revolves around three main categories: Spotlight search, built-in apps, and window management.

Improved Spotlight search

Improved Spotlight search

Spotlight search has greatly improved search functionality, making the feature smarter and more powerful by building in natural language processing and integrating it with more services. Now you can perform searches with phrases such as “big sur sunset,” and Spotlight will surface videos from the web that show the sunset in Big Sur. Spotlight has also gained some other nice touches such as the ability to resize or move the spotlight window around on your screen and integration with weather, stocks, sports, transit, and the aforementioned web video.

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Apple Posts WWDC 2015 Keynote Video

For those who didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded on Twitter and blogs, Apple has now posted the video of its WWDC 2015 keynote held earlier today at Moscone West in San Francisco.

The video can be streamed here, and a higher quality version should be made available in a few hours through iTunes (on the Apple Keynotes podcast). To avoid streaming errors, Safari is recommended for the best viewing experience.

Apple has also posted a film and a TV ad for its new music service, called Apple Music. Both are available on the Apple Music website.

For more coverage, check out our WWDC 2015 news hub and follow @MacStoriesNet on Twitter for updates.