iOS 12 : The new revolution in mobile OS

Apple kicked off it’s much awaited annual Worldwide Developers Conference 2018 on 4th June. The WWDC was loaded with big announcements about new versions of tvOS, watchOS, macOS and the most awaited iOS 12.

Compatibility

iOS 12 will be compatible on all the devices which support iOS 11. Apple said that older devices which will get the iOS 12 update will see huge performance benefits, with key functions getting speed boosts of up to 70%. It shows that Apple has learnt it’s lesssons from the backlash it received last year on the topic of slowing down old iPhones.

Augmented Reality

Apple(along with Pixer) engineered the new USDZ file format making it much simpler to share 3D objects with the world. ARKit2 was also introduced which has awesome tools for developers to create awesome AR applications. It even includes the ability to have multiple devices see the same 3D virtual objects in AR from different perspectives.

Screen Time

Apple has moved hard to cut down digital addiction. The Screen Time will give you weekly updates about how you used your iPhone or iPad and how much time you spent on each application. You can now also set timer for a particular app and the device will remind you when the timer is over. It also has a parental control option which will help parents regulate their child’s exposure to screen.

Animoji & Memoji

Apple’s animated emoji feature can also detect tongue movements now so as to create a more realistic animoji. Now you can also create your own animoji using memoji.

FaceTime

FaceTime has also got a major update i.e. group FaceTime with support of upto 32 members. You can also create a Group FaceTime right from a group chat in Messages and add all the chat participants to a group video call. And the most exciting one …. now it also supports live animoji and memoji.

Takeaways from #WWDC2018 keynote

1. Apple AI is still in competition and is not going to die soon. With release of ‘shortcuts’ in Siri using which the users can create their own voice commands, Apple has made it clear that it can still win the AI race even when Google and Amazon are miles ahead.
2. The new USDZ file format for storing 3D objects can make Augmented Reality a new hot topic in the market and can be a big boost for AR sector.
3. iOS apps on macOS : No Apple is still not planning to merge macOs and iOs but with macOS Mojave you can now run some of your iOS apps on macOS.
4. macOS is not going anywhere : The last few macOS updates have been lackluster in terms of new features, but macOS Mojave changes that. macOS Mojave looks better and brings a ton of simple but useful features you’ll love, like the dark mode and Dynamic Desktops.
5. This year Apple has not announced any significant hardware improvements and focused itself solely on software. It cannot be stated whether it was a wise move or not as Apple may get left behind in the hardware race as it was in AI race.

Are developers and customers happy??

The ARKit is a great update and is going to be a big boost for AR industry. But AI and hardware segments were disappointing. In the time when big companies like Google are announcing ambitious projects like Google Duplex, Apple has not made any path-breaking announcement nor has shown exemplary vision for the future of Siri. Apple fans were expecting a new and better MacBook Pro but Apple has failed them, MacBook has now become obselete and is priced much higher than its counterparts(which have much better hardware). But Apple is fast in learning lessons and will surely catch up with it’s customers’ expectations.