This is a very strange September for the very strange year of 2020. The reason? Well, we’ve reached the second half of the month and there’s no signal of a new Apple iPhone in the corner. Well, this is not a surprise since a number of reports already confirmed that this year Apple will be opting for a Q4 release for the new iPhone 12 models. There are a number of reasons to justify the delay, but the COVID-19 consequences certainly played a big role in this decision. To not leave its fans without a good event in September, the company decided to unveil today a new set of smartwatches – the Apple Watch 6 and the 6 SE along with a new iPad and our first glimpse in the upcoming iPhone chipset the A14 Bionic.
The company also brought big news for all enthusiasts of Apple devices. The company will roll out the full-fledged version of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 14, and tvOS 14, tomorrow, September 16th.
iOS 14 improvements
iOS 14 has a redesigned start screen, and for the first time, it offers support for widgets. They have different sizes and show the weather forecast. Widgets can also show latest podcasts, upcoming appointments and more. A new feature called the Apps Library lists all applications installed on a single screen and automatically organized into categories.
The new update also brings Picture in Picture feature to display FaceTime videos and calls in the corner of the screen. The new OS also improves how Siri interacts with the system. The personal assistant will only display an icon at the bottom. The icon will show that Siri is listening to you and will answer with a notification at the top.
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iPadOS 14 improvements
IPadOS 14 brings many of the new features of iOS 14 but comes with features optimized for iPads. One of them is Scribble. It allows users write by hand with Apple Pencil and the content will be automatically converted into typed text. This works in any application and offers support for multiple languages.
Photos got a sidebar to allow users to easily access albums, favorite photos, places, and hidden options. The Archives was redesigned as well, resembling the macOS Finder. Moreover, Music, Shortcuts, Recorder and other popular apps have gained a new sidebar to offer a more unified experience.
watchOS 7 e tvOS 14
The tvOS 14 does not bring a wide set of new features. However, we have PiP mode, support for more than one user and integration of surveillance cameras with Homekit. Moreover, the system finally is able to play 4K videos in the YouTube app on a compatible Apple TV.
watchOS 7, is a major step for the company’s smartwatches. It brings sleep monitoring and handwashing detection feature. The latter starts a 20-second counter as soon as you start cleaning and warns you if you interrupt the process before the recommended time. The new wearables will also recognize more categories of exercises, such as dance and functional training.
Now the company only needs to roll out the macOS Big Sur which is also an important milestone since it adds support for the upcoming ARM-based MacBooks and iMacs. More details should be disclosed tomorrow.
