Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
ANOTHER YEAR HAS passed and Apple’s plans for the next year have been revealed to everyone.
Not only was the launch of Apple Music confirmed, but updates to iOS, Mac OS X – called El Capitan – watchOS, Apple Pay, and its own news app were some of the things covered.
There were a number of things to take away from the two and a half hour keynote, but here are the main points.
Apple is pushing the privacy angle, but how much of it is true?
When Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out against services like Google and Facebook using your data to power their services last week, it was clear that this was something Apple would repeat again and again as a way of separating itself from its rivals, and that was the case last night.
Any service that required data came with the reassurance that all data is anonymised and is carried out through deep-linking apps.
That means any service that requires context or info will manage to tread the line by offering personalised information without compromising your data. Combine that with a number of extra security features for iOS 9 and on the surface at least, it looks like it’s sticking to its promise.
Whether its services offer similar functionality to rivals like Google Now is tough to say, and what data is being used and where it goes is anything but clear, but at the very least, Apple is hitting all the right notes taking this stance.
iOS 9 bucks the trend (somewhat)
In terms of updates, iOS 9 was more a case of refining what’s there instead of introducing new features, but that was necessary considering how much criticism it got for iOS 8.
You have Proactive, which acts like Google Now by serving reminders and contextual info based on your calendar, email, location and apps, and improvements to Spotlight will include results within apps.
Combine that with the smaller updates to Apple apps like Photos, Notes and Maps and low power mode to extend battery life, and it’s looks like a good update.
The most noticeable news isn’t a feature but the fact that iOS 9 will work on iPhone 4S and newer devices.
Considering previous updates to Apple’s OS gradually phases out previous iPhone and iPad versions, keeping it on the same devices that iOS 8 works on expands its reach and at least reduces criticism that it makes people update devices by making them redundant through software.
Also, the size of iOS 9 will be much smaller – 1.3GB compared to iOS 8′s 4.6GB – and the release of a public beta next month shows it wants to avoid the issues that plagued iOS 8.
Diversity in Apple takes some steps forward
For Apple keynotes, one of the main criticisms was the lack of diversity. While promo videos showing people from different creeds and demographics, its talks were fronted by the same few people.
This one shook up the formula a little by having two women speaking: Jennifer Bailey about Apple Pay and Susan Prescott about Apple News, for the first time in years (only three women have spoken at a WWDC event since 2007 and none of them worked for Apple).
Both were comfortable in their respective talks- Prescott even threw in a few good jokes to lighten the mood and keep things ticking along smoothly – and while it wasn’t a massive leap forward – Google’s own developer conference had people from a wide variety of backgrounds speaking at its event showing it still has a bit to go - Apple deserves praise for addressing it.
Does Apple Music even have a purpose?
As a whole, the section dedicated to Apple Music was a stark contrast to the rest of the keynote.
Sure there were a few less than interesting moments peppered throughout the event as a whole, but the momentum was there. That came to a halt when Apple Music was announced, a service that everyone knew was coming long before it was announced, and well, it was strange.
Both Jimmy Iovine and Drake’s segments weren’t exactly polished and nobody really explained why the service was revolutionary, despite saying the word a couple of times throughout the half-hour segment.
Instead, it feels like a mashup of features from different services rolled into one Apple-like UI.
At best, we got to listen to different music being played and a few promo videos involving Beats One, its 24-hour internet radio station which will be broadcast from three different cities.
That’s the one idea that could work out of all of this since a truly global radio station hasn’t been tried out yet, but that’s it.
There are some nice touches though. The service has a three-month free trial and integrates with Siri so you can search for context-related queries like ‘what song is in that movie’ but small, nice touches won’t be enough for people to leave Spotify or any other music service.
The stage is set for the iPad to become a business device
Despite the hype, tablets have yet to take off. Much had been made of their arrival, but smartphones and laptops have stopped them from making a significant dent in the market.
For iOS 9, the big change isn’t the features introduced but the fact that there were iPad and iPhone specific features, mainly multitasking for iPad.
Split-screen mode was the most noticeable addition to the range, allowing users to view apps either 50/50 or 70/30 as well as picture-in-picture mode, allowing users to view video while they work.
For regular users, these features are nice to have but really it helps position the iPad as a productivity device, similar to Microsoft’s Surface range.
When you consider its partnership with IBM and the rumours of an iPad Pro circulating, consider this the groundwork for the iPad being marketed as an enterprise device.
Microsoft may have something to say about a particular graph
When talking about iOS and Mac OSX adoption rates, Apple used the opportunity to take subtle digs at both Windows and Android by showing how slow the adoption rate was for both Windows 8.1 and Lollipop.
While Android’s problem is massive fragmentation, Microsoft is preparing Windows 10 to be a major release globally late next month and bring most users, if not all, up to speed. If it gets close to addressing this issue by the time the next WWDC is held, Apple may have to ditch the comparison chart.
Does Apple really expect artists to use another social network?
Back in 2010, Apple launched Ping, a service which was on iTunes and was described by Steve Jobs as a mixture of Facebook, Twitter and music. “We think this will be really popular very fast because 160 million people can switch on it today,” he said at the time but such hopes never materialised.
Now it’s back again with Connect except there are more than 800 million iTunes users and smartphones are more prevalent.
Yet the issue isn’t just getting people to use it, but artists as well. Since they already use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat to name just a few, what reason do they have to add another social network to the list?
Will it just be a place where posts from other social networks will be cross-posted or is there anything that will convince them to post original things that can’t be found elsewhere? The answer isn’t clear, and if there isn’t a fresh angle to separate it from other sites, it could be dead in the water.
Apple has (indirectly) given Android a big compliment
While Apple has poked fun at its rival OS, there was one noticeable addition that wasn’t mentioned at the keynote. Apple Music is available on Android and Windows. If anything, Apple knows for its service to succeed, it needs to reach as many people as it can.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Wooohooooo. I’m trying to get the cash together to service my 03 car so it can pass the NCT.
Put it in without going to a mechanic, it could pass. Even if it fails, you’ll have a sheet of issues to resolve. Much more cost effective this way.
Thanks for the tip :-)
I never understand why you would buy a new car
Luxury? Knowing you’re the only person who has ever owned it and that nothing will be wrong?
So buy it once and then you’ll understand.
Thanks for clearing that up
I wonder how many people drove to anti water charges demos in a new car, with 95,000 being sold it must be a few hundred, or even a few thousand. A mid sized family car starts at €30,000, and a lot more if you go for a decent specification, that would buy a lifetime of water for a family.
Can we have a free cars demo next?
Donaill, “……and that nothing will be wrong…….”. What a lovely idea. That and the Tooth Fairy. Presumably you are a car dealer. Better wait a year and have the initial warranty stuff sorted, as well as benefitting from the depreciation.
However, someone had better keep on buying new or the nearly-new market will dry up.
Go to England and get a higher spec for cheaper.
Great news. I’ll be looking to buy one of these cars for a fraction of the current price in about three years time!
More proof for the naysayers that FG are turning this country around. What will the shinnerbots say now?
Sure It’s all the Fg cronies packed on the boards of quangos that’s buying them
Surely Ed, you can come up with a better one than that.
Well said James. Its easy to be against everything. Its a typical SF/IRA response to jump on the populist bandwagon. People like ed have no concept of the real world. Next they will be blaming FG for the bad weather.
In fairness things are improving around the country.
If they were bad we would blame the government.
So in turn if it gets better they should get some credit.
And NO I’m not a FG or FF voter!
Nope fraid not. no joking on this site yesterday then
cant understand why everybody doesnt buy a new car sure you could get a car worth 10,000 for only 20,000 when you add on the vat, excise duty and vrt.
This sounds like a feel good loaded article! Maybe there isn’t enough €500 cars to go around now!
Commercial vehicles sales, up good to hear.
Irish water fleet
Recession my arse…
We should Put up road tax instead of water charges
Yea cause it worked really well the last time…..not!
people can afford 30-40K new audi… they can afford to pay bit more road tax
Tax goes on engine size and emissions.
So your argument is a little on the stupid side
Thomas, are you taking the piss? 5% of your already overpriced motor tax currently goes to cover water charges.
There really is no point working in this country anymore.
bring in the luxury car tax instead of water charges
Modern expensive cars so technically advanced and have such low emissions now that the emissions based tax system doesn’t work not fair. So it should be based more on co2 emission based on manufacture. Larger more elaborate car’s are more polluting to manufacture so luxury car tax system is only fair
There’s already very heavy taxes on new cars Thomas.
The most polluting car to manufacture is a Nissan Leaf electric car because mining the hundreds of tons of material from which the hundreds of kilos of toxic heavy metals contained in the batteries is a very dirty polluting process. And then the poisonous batteries have to be disposed of when the electric car is scrapped.
in fairness motor tax is just another unfair tax on the poor. if you cant afford a new car then you have to pay exorbitant tax based on the size of your engine
Give the poor free cars I say Gerry! Anything else?
no f.g reg just have the same emmissions based tax on all cars regardless of age. its just about fairness, wouldn’t expect a f.g apologist to understand that though.
will never buy a new car, hope all those idiots enjoyed paying VRT on their new motors
have your say