This fall Apple will be releasing a major enhancement to their operating system with the advent of iOS 9.
There is major SIRI improvements that will monitor your lifestyle, for example if you always listen to music when you get up in the morning, it will automatically bring up your favorite music app. It can also look up content on your device based on specific dates. “Show me photos from my trip to Aspen in January” and you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for.
For the e-reading fiend in all of us there is a new app called Apple News, which seeks to disrupt Flipboard as the dominant curated news experience. Additionally for those of you that have 16 GB devices the OS now takes up less room, giving you more freedom to download apps and content.
Apple is beginning to take the iPad line of tablets more seriously. There are a number of new features that will take advantage of the larger screen. For the first time, you will be able to run more than one app at a time on the iPad’s display, letting you keep an eye on Twitter while writing email or reading an article. Apps can be split across the screen equally or in a 70-30 split, depending on your preference. Both apps are fully interactive at the same time, and you can drag and drop images and other content from one side to the other. Apple says this feature will be supported on the iPad Air 2 and whatever new tablet upgrade is on the horizon.
What I really like about iOS 9 is picture in picture support. While using FaceTime or watching a video, press the Home button and your video screen scales down to a corner of your display. Tap to open a second app, and your video continues to play — even while you use the other app. So keep watching your favorite TV show while you reply to the email that just came in.
Additionally most users will really like the fact that battery life has been extended. Thanks to ambient light and proximity sensors, your iPhone knows if it’s facedown on the table and prevents the screen from turning on, even when you receive a notification. And the new Low Power mode lets you extend your battery life even further.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.