Apple Announces iOS 9, And It Looks Sweet
Did you have any doubts that it would be, though?
Apple has just announced the latest version of iOS, and it's named just as similarly as you would have expected: It's iOS 9, and it looks to bring a whole slew of new features with its debut.
For instance, Siri is said to be receiving a massive overhaul, includinga feature called Proactive that can offer app suggestions and others based on context. It's obviously a nod toward Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana, and seems to be a push to make Siri more useful in several different ways, including attempting to make suggestions based on what apps you already have installed and what you're trying to accomplish.
There's also an update coming for Spotlight searches that will let you access content that's already within an app rather than having to visit its main page. It's a part of what Apple calls intelligent processing, and it's Apple's hope it will revolutionize search organization and the way these things happen on the devices themselves.
The Notes app will be updated with the ability to include images, checklists, and sketches, as well as the Maps app will receive transit directions and more for over 20 different cities. Right now that list includes New York, San Francisco, Beijing, London, and Berlin, but the list will hopefully expand in the future.
One of the coolest new features is the News app, which will aggregate news from various sources like BuzzFeed, The Verge, CNN, and more. Facebook's Instant Articles will be integrated in this manner as well. News will be available first in the US, UK, and Australia, but it looks to be launching worldwide soon enough.
Possibly one of the most useful features to come out of iOS 9 is the addition of on-screen shortcuts for cut, copy, paste, and more, as well as the option to turn the on-screen keyboard into a track pad.
iOS 9 sounds like an enormous leap forward for the classic operating system, and one that both users of iPhones, iPads, and more should be able to celebrate, especially those with the busiest of schedules. Here's where I raise my hand.
