Apple By Russell Holly Jun. 2, 2014 3:20 pm
If you were excited about the new versions of OS X and iOS already, just wait until developers are able to dig in to all of the new features they can take advantage of.
Apple has finally taken the lid off of some of the most important things in the iOS and OS X experience, making it possible for users to do some incredibly cool things in the not-so-distant future. There are tons of new APIs available for developers, and now there’s third part support for replacement keyboards, widgets in Notification Center, and TouchID password entry for all of your apps. It all still has to be implemented by developers, but the long term potential for this means some great new experiences for iOS.
One thing Apple has never been able to do quite as well as Android is keyboards. If you don’t like your keyboard on Android, you just install one that is less terrible and you are good to go. On iOS, you are completely stuck. In fact, when iOS 7 first launched you couldn’t even have a consistent keyboard experience because some of Apple’s apps were still using the iOS 6 keyboard. The new version of iOS makes it possible for you to install third party keyboards, which means the same great keyboards that are available on Android now will be coming to the App Store soon.
Widgets have been a big part of Android in mobile, but never really existed on iOS, which is ironic given how popular widgets have been in previous versions of Apple’s desktop OS. The problem has been placement, since until now the only things on the desktop in iOS were apps. Notification Center now has made a home for widgets on OS X and iOS in the Today view, and the implementation makes it so when you install an app that offers a widget you’ll be invited to add it to your Notification Center.
Perhaps most importantly, but not nearly as visual, is the implementation of TouchID support. Before long, using your long form password for all of your apps will be replaced by TouchID thumbprints. This is something most users have been clamoring for since TouchID doesn’t have a big footprint outside of the lockscreen right now. As this becomes implemented, it will become painfully obvious which apps stay updated and which do not, since not having access to it will be kind of a bummer.
All of these features are fantastic long term things for Apple users. These are the things that will make iOS 8 a big deal, and developers will be working hard over the next few months to make sure their apps support this new tech in time for the Fall release.
It’s an exciting time for iOS, which means it will be truly interesting to see how the competition responds.
More...
Apple has finally taken the lid off of some of the most important things in the iOS and OS X experience, making it possible for users to do some incredibly cool things in the not-so-distant future. There are tons of new APIs available for developers, and now there’s third part support for replacement keyboards, widgets in Notification Center, and TouchID password entry for all of your apps. It all still has to be implemented by developers, but the long term potential for this means some great new experiences for iOS.
One thing Apple has never been able to do quite as well as Android is keyboards. If you don’t like your keyboard on Android, you just install one that is less terrible and you are good to go. On iOS, you are completely stuck. In fact, when iOS 7 first launched you couldn’t even have a consistent keyboard experience because some of Apple’s apps were still using the iOS 6 keyboard. The new version of iOS makes it possible for you to install third party keyboards, which means the same great keyboards that are available on Android now will be coming to the App Store soon.
Widgets have been a big part of Android in mobile, but never really existed on iOS, which is ironic given how popular widgets have been in previous versions of Apple’s desktop OS. The problem has been placement, since until now the only things on the desktop in iOS were apps. Notification Center now has made a home for widgets on OS X and iOS in the Today view, and the implementation makes it so when you install an app that offers a widget you’ll be invited to add it to your Notification Center.
Perhaps most importantly, but not nearly as visual, is the implementation of TouchID support. Before long, using your long form password for all of your apps will be replaced by TouchID thumbprints. This is something most users have been clamoring for since TouchID doesn’t have a big footprint outside of the lockscreen right now. As this becomes implemented, it will become painfully obvious which apps stay updated and which do not, since not having access to it will be kind of a bummer.
All of these features are fantastic long term things for Apple users. These are the things that will make iOS 8 a big deal, and developers will be working hard over the next few months to make sure their apps support this new tech in time for the Fall release.
It’s an exciting time for iOS, which means it will be truly interesting to see how the competition responds.
More...
