Software takes centre stage at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2016, as the company announces enhancements to to the operating systems its devices, namely the iPhone, Watch, Apple TV and, of course, the Mac.
Actually the humble Mac PC got some of the biggest news at WWDC-- mainly because the "OS X" monicker is no more. Replacing it is "macOS," a title more in line with current Apple OS nomenclature (tvOS, watchOS, iOS). The name change comes with the announcement Sierra, an OS update featuring a desktop version of Siri allowing users to use their voices to search for files, switch between apps, search the internet and even use the calculator.
Speaking of Siri, the second biggest piece of WWDC news involves the voice assistant-- Apple follows Amazon's example in providing developers with a Siri SDK, allowing them to freely incorporate it in apps. The conference had a few versions of Siri-enabled apps on show, including WeChat, Slack and WhatsApp, and more should be available once the next version of iOS rolls out.
That next version of iOS? iOS 10 another software update seen at the conference. As well as the aforementioned standalone Siri iOS 10 also features an updated iMessage (complete with inline rich links and 3rd party integrations), more responive notifications, a Home app for the control of all HomeKit-enabled smart home devices and some much required Apple Music fixes.
As for the final 2 Apple devices, the OS updates are incremental-- watchOS 3 gets faster app launching and live app previews, while the updated tvOS gets an improved voice assistant and a revamped Apple TV Remote iOS app complete with a keyboard for text input.
All the above mentioned OS updates should be live by July 2016.