What’s Coming Next From Apple?

Apple just previewed the next operating systems for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Watch. We all know change is bad . . .  but I was surprised to find I liked a lot of what I saw.

Check out the Previews on Apple’s website using the links below.

Expected arrival – September 2020.

macOS 11 Big Sur

Big Sur brings a completely new look to the Mac, yet it remains familiar, even easier to use, and comes with a host of very cool new features. 

Here are the highlights:

• Clean new look with translucent design, larger menu bar, and free-floating Dock.
• Sleek new icons that only appear when needed and can expand to provide more information.
• Control Center built into the menu bar for quick access to common utilities.
• Safari completely rebuilt. Customizable start page that can show your reading list, favorites, tabs, and more. Hover over tabs to get a mini-page preview. Expected new third-party extensions. Privacy reports that reveal what’s happening on a web page. Active password monitoring to prevent hacking. Auto-translation of web pages in up to seven foreign languages.
• Messages App improved with the ability to pin important conversations. Answer inline conversations. New group icon feature. Easier to add images. Create and edit new Memojis inside a message. Message effects. Powerful new search feature.
• Completely rebuilt Maps. Several 3D cities remapped including Los Angeles and San Francisco. Curated Guides of local areas of interest. Create your own Map guide points. Plan road trips with charging stations marked for electric cars. Look Around provides users with a street view. Indoor Maps of airports and malls.
• Updated Notification Center with re-sizable widgets.
• Expanded editing and retouching capabilities in Photos.

Apple’s website preview – macOS 11 Big Sur

Apple’s pulled out all the stops to make iOS 14 a true feature-rich update.

Here’s what’s coming:

• Clean minimalist look.
• Widgets on the home screen that are resizable and can be placed wherever you like.
• Smart Stacks – Home Screen widgets that learn your habits and appear with just the right information at just the right time of day.
• App Library – No need to sort your Apps over multiple pages. Apps are sorted for you by category with the most used upfront and only one tap away.
• Compact Calls – Call screen minimized to take up less space. One tap brings you back to full screen.
• Picture In Picture – PIP lets you continue to watch video in a small floating window as you do other things on your iPhone.
• Safari – Fastest mobile browser. Active password monitoring. Privacy reports. Website foreign language translation.
• Messages – Pin important conversations. Group symbols. Answer inline conversations. More comprehensive mention features. New Memojis and Stickers.
• Maps – For the first time, Cycling directions provide custom routes, elevation charts, and even a warning for stairs. Electric vehicle routes with charging stations clearly marked. Curated Guides of local areas of interest.
• App Clips – Information pops onscreen about services as you approach them; scooter rental, restaurant information, parking, and more.
• Translate – Ability to translate across 11 different languages. Auto-recognition of languages. Landscape conversation mode shows native language and translation next to one another. Attention mode enlarges text to get the reader’s attention. Save Favorite phrases. Download languages for faster on-device response.
• Siri – New compact design. 20 times more facts than three years ago. Broader web search. Use Siri to send audio messages. 

Apple’s website preview – iOS 14

iPad gets the bump to iOS 14, but it’s got its own thing going with iPadOS. The extra features are very impressive making the iPad less eye candy and more a tool for professionals.

Here we go:

• New Home Screen – Widgets come in three sizes and can be pinned on your home screen.
• Dark Mode – Opposite of Light Mode 🙂
• Trackpad Support – Cursor adapts to content. All gestures available.
• Multiple Spaces – Slideover creates a pop-up screen that lets you flip through multiple Apps. Work with the same App in multiple spaces. With a single tap, App Expose lets you quickly see all the spaces open within a single App.
• Safari – Full desktop version of web pages available allowing the native use of Google Docs and WordPress. Download Manager.
• Photos – All new look. Better photo editing. More powerful video editing.
• Apple Pencil – New Tool Pallete can be shrunk or moved anywhere on the screen. Full page Markup. Ability to use Sidecar in Catalina.
• Text Editing – Simplified editing gestures with smart cursor navigation and intelligent text selection.
• Keyboard – Floating keyboard. Quickpath typing. All-new keyboard shortcuts.
• Files – App is redesigned to be easier to use. File collaboration. Connect to servers. Connect to external hard drives, SD cards, and USB drives.
• Fonts – Install and manage custom fonts.

The new OS makes the iPad faster than ever.

Personally, I think the ability to add custom fonts alone is a huge deal.

Apple’s website preview – iPadOS

WatchOS 7 brings some features that should have been there since day one.

The highlights:

• New watch faces from Apple.
• New Faces in the App Store.
• Find new faces online.
• Share faces.
• Wider ability to embed complications.
• Completly new complications.
• New Sleep app with tracking and charts. More Alerts for bedtime reminders. ‘Wind Down’ and ‘Wind Up’ modes.
• New workouts Dance, Functional Strength Training, Core Training, and even a post-workout Cooldown.
• Cycling now an option in Maps on the Apple Watch.
• Handwashing reminder.
• Siri on the Watch can translate 10 languages.
• Faster on device dictation.

Apple’s website preview – watchOS 7

Apple announced they’re moving from Intel chips to Apple Silicon processors in all future Macs. Apple has only made a change of this magnitude twice in the last 20 years.

I’ll take a look at this next week. All you need to know for now is that there is nothing to worry about.

If you want a full look of what’s to come, watch the WWDC Keynote on any of your devices or on your Apple TV.

That’s it. Have a great week.

John