Apple just announced new features coming this fall to its four main operating system platforms — watchOS for Apple Watch, tvOS for Apple TV, iOS for iPhone and iPads, and the newly renamed macOS for Macs (previously OS X). Each software update brings more interoperability between devices, improved performance, convenience and fun.
iOS 10 (see preview) is being hailed as the biggest release ever of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, featuring a huge update to Messages that delivers more expressive and animated ways to message friends and family, like stickers and full-screen effects. iOS 10 introduces the ability for Siri to do more by working with apps, beautifully redesigned Maps, Photos, Apple Music and News apps, and the Home app, delivering a simple and secure way to manage home automation products in one place.
macOS Sierra (see preview) is a major update for Macs, Macbooks, and iMacs that succeeds OS X El Capitan and breaks away from the OS X naming convention. Siri will arrive on the Mac with brand-new capabilities to help with the things users do every day on their desktop. With Siri, users can look up information, find documents, pin or drag and drop search results, and even adjust system preferences. Seamless integration with iCloud makes everything from your Desktop and Documents folder available on your iPhone and iPad so you always have access to the files you need. Universal Clipboard allows you to copy content, including text, images, photos and video from one Apple device and paste it in another. Apple Pay comes to the Mac in Sierra so it is even easier to shop securely and privately online. And Photos now helps you rediscover your meaningful memories and organize your library, along with the capability to automatically generate “movie trailer like” videos from your own pictures and videos about a given event.
watchOS 3 (see preview) features significantly improved performance for Apple Watch with the ability to launch favorite apps instantly, enhanced navigation like the new Dock and all-new fitness and health capabilities. This software update introduces the breakthrough Breathe app, designed to encourage users to take a moment in their day to do deep breathing exercises for relaxation and stress reduction. The Activity app now includes the ability to share, compare and compete as well as enabling wheelchair users to close their Activity rings.
tvOS (see preview) updates will make watching and finding TV shows and movies on Apple TV better. Voice search with Siri will work across even more apps including YouTube, plus it can even tune right into live channels thanks in part to a new integration with Sling TV live streaming service. A single sign-on procedure will authenticate all the video channels from a user’s pay-TV providers so extra logins will no longer be needed. Universal apps will automatically get synced to Apple TV, even if first downloaded on iPad or iPhone. Finally, if a keyboard appears on Apple TV you’ll be able to use a nearby iOS device to enter the text.
