WWDC 2015: The Epicentre of Change

El Capitan:

The latest version of OSX is all set to be released this fall. Managing pinned sites and handling multiple opened windows on your desktop has never been easier with new and improved functions. Two windows can now automatically snap into a split screen view; ready for you to drag and further configure. What I liked most was that they made Spotlight friendlier. You can search something like "Photos I took in Paris" and see those exact shots. Interestingly enough, OSX can recognize the Eiffel Tower without being geo tagged from one of the shots and put all the photos captured within the next hour in the same category. Pretty cool, eh?

Lastly, the Metal API from the mobile platform has now been ported to El Capitan. This means games and applications can use the hardware more efficiently making them faster than ever.

iOS 9:

WWDC surely would have been incomplete without a new iOS release. Built on the foundation of iOS 8, Apple introduced a few back end performance enhancements and multiple interesting features. Is there a change in the outlook? No. But the iOS experience certainly got a boost.

There's an all new battery saving mode for the uncertainty avoiders. Siri got an intelligence boost in user personality assessment; it can learn more about you through your daily activities and serve accordingly. Say, a meeting interrupts you while you're reading an online article. Invitations and appointments are automatically added to your Calendar. The new iOS will also automatically open a Now Playing tab whenever you plug in your earphones.

Apple Music:

It was no secret that Apple had been working on a new music streaming platform. Let's break it down to questions.

Is it an iTunes replacement?

-No. Good ol' iTunes will still be up and running for purchasing music and everything else.

What can you do with it?

-You can stream music. But that's a very simplified description of its capabilities. The main attraction will be the personalized music experience it offers. You'll get recommendations based on the genres you like to listen to most. Multiple tabs of different categories will help you find the songs you'll love.

And there's a nifty little thing called Connect. Which lets artists post personal content to engage more with their fans. Behind the scenes photos, videos etc.

And of course, Beats One. A 24/7 global radio station. Speaks for itself.

All these are integrated into Apple Music

Is it free?

-Yes and No. It's free for the first three months but after that you'll have to play $10 a month. Up to six members can sign up together for a special rate of $15/month.

watchOS 2:

The next version of watchOS is out to the much relief of existing users as the likely bugs that presided in the first gen have been removed. But several new things have been added. Coolest one from the whole lot is "Time Travel" which lets you rotate the crown to display your upcoming meetings, reminders, appointments, notifications etc. Even the charge bar reduces as you virtually "advance in time".

Everything else:

* Apple Maps can now show transit routes. Nice new addition considering it can locate you properly first.

* HomeKit devices can now be connected together and controlled via iCloud. Yay. 

* A new app for transferring all your personal contents from Android to iOS for those who plan on switching. This indicates that Apple isn't entirely blind of the fact that there are other platforms too and not everyone out there uses an Apple device. So, we're happy.

These are more or less all the highlights of WWDC 2015. We look forward to their next event this fall. Yes, you can read a full coverage of that in BYTES when that happens.