Thursday, May 19, 2022
  • Hype
  • Murai
  • Lipstiq
  • Diva
  • Varnam
  • Moviedash
  • Autofreaks
Lowyat.NET
  • News
    • Lifestyle
    • Computing
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • Rumours & Leaks
    • Software
  • Forums
    • Kopitiam
    • Tradezone
    • Property Talk
    • Finance & Business
    • Fast and Furious
  • Gaming
    • PC Gaming
    • Console
    • Esports
  • Mobile
    • Apps
    • OS
    • Tablets
    • Phones
    • Telco
      • Celcom
      • DiGi
      • Maxis
      • Tune Talk
      • U Mobile
      • Buzzme
  • Pricelists
    • Hardware
      • Compu-zone
      • Viewnet
      • Thundermatch
      • Sri Computers
    • Notebooks
      • Compu-zone
    • Smartphones
      • Thundermatch
  • More
    • Automotive Tech
    • Drone
    • Enterprise
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • E-Hailing
    • Wearables
No Result
View All Result
Lowyat.NET
  • News
    • Lifestyle
    • Computing
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • Rumours & Leaks
    • Software
  • Forums
    • Kopitiam
    • Tradezone
    • Property Talk
    • Finance & Business
    • Fast and Furious
  • Gaming
    • PC Gaming
    • Console
    • Esports
  • Mobile
    • Apps
    • OS
    • Tablets
    • Phones
    • Telco
      • Celcom
      • DiGi
      • Maxis
      • Tune Talk
      • U Mobile
      • Buzzme
  • Pricelists
    • Hardware
      • Compu-zone
      • Viewnet
      • Thundermatch
      • Sri Computers
    • Notebooks
      • Compu-zone
    • Smartphones
      • Thundermatch
  • More
    • Automotive Tech
    • Drone
    • Enterprise
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • E-Hailing
    • Wearables
No Result
View All Result
Lowyat.NET
No Result
View All Result
Home Events

WWDC 2014: Apple Unveils iOS 8

by Pang Tun Yau
June 3, 2014
WWDC 2014: Apple Unveils iOS 8
31
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

ios-8-wwdc-2014

Just moments ago, Apple has finally unveiled the hotly-rumoured update to its mobile platform. The new iOS 8 brings about several new features, building upon the radical redesign from iOS 7, making it more refined and perform better at the same time.

apple-ios-8-interactive-notifications

One of the first things Apple demonstrated on stage at the unveiling of iOS 8 was interactive notifications. Yup, this feature, which allows users to act on a notification (replying emails or WhatsApp messages directly from the notification itself, like Facebook updates) has been around for some time now on Android, but nevertheless it is a big feature many iOS users were asking for.

apple-ios-8-favourite-contacts

The multitasking menu has a new tweak as well: the top of the screen now shows you your favourite contacts together with recent apps. Tapping on these contacts allows you to call, FaceTime or send messages to that contact.

apple-ios-8-favourite-contacts-2

In the Mail app, there’s also a contextual drop-down menu that lets you flag or delete an email, or if the email contains a date and time, you can even add that information automatically to your calendar via the drop-down menu.

iOS 8 also introduces a new contextual search box, that not only allows you to search for apps, news, songs or even places of interest, you can even search iTunes right from this search box.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-quicktype

Moving on to a new iOS 8 feature: the keyboard. iOS 8’s virtual keyboard now sports QuickType, powered by a prediction engine that learns the way you type. Interestingly, the engine is also contextually aware, meaning that the word suggestions are based not only on what you have typed before, but also on what the conversation is about, if the keyboard is used in messaging. In addition, you can now also install third-party keyboards on iOS 8.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-swype

The Messages app has also several new features on iOS 8. Labelled as the most frequently-used app in iOS, the new Messages app now supports group messaging, allowing you to name the conversation, add and remove contacts in the group, add a Do Not Disturb on the thread and of course, leave the thread altogether. You can also share your location to the group, and it can also be a temporary message: location sharing messages can “self-destruct” in one hour or in one day (they can also be shared indefinitely).

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-messages

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-self-destruct-message

The new Tap to Talk feature on Messages is largely similar to the tap-to-talk function on popular messaging app WhatsApp, where you can send a voice message with a simple swipe gesture. You can also send video messages on the app, and like the location sharing, both voice and video messages can also be temporarily shared.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-healthkit

Next, Apple introduced HealthKit, a centralized platform to store and transmit data on third-party health-related apps and devices. So far, there’s nothing major on this front, but it’s apparent that Apple is focusing on a platform for an increasingly popular market in the health and fitness industry.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-family-sharing

Finally, there’s Family Sharing, a pretty useful management tool for families who own iDevices. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can be connected, and they can automatically share photos, calendars, reminders and Find My Friends locations. On top of that, apps purchased by one family member can also be used on other family members’ devices, which is pretty cool – though all connected devices require a shared credit card before it’ll work.

ADVERTISEMENT

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-family-sharing-app-permissions

Another good feature on Family Sharing is when a family member requests to buy an app from the App Store. The parent will immediately receive a pop-up on their iPhone to grant permission of the purchase, virtually eliminating accidental app and in-app purchases from your unknowing children.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-photos-icloud-drive-sync

On iOS 8, all photos will automatically be stored on iCloud in addition to local storage. Smart Search on the Photos app will also ensure you’ll be able to quickly find the picture you want. On top of that, there’s a powerful new Smart Editing suite built into the Photos app, letting you tweak an image extensively with tools to control brightness, exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows. And, with iCloud Drive, these edits also sync across devices in real-time.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-icloud-prices

For now though, the Photos only sync across iOS devices, but Apple is already working on a “new ground-up photo solution for the Mac”, and it’ll only be available early next year. 

Siri has been upgraded in iOS 8 too. Now, with a simple “Hey, Siri” command you can interact with Siri without even touching your iPhone. Siri now also features Shazam integration, while also letting you purchase items from iTunes. It can now also understand 22 new languages.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-widgets

And yes, widgets is now on iOS. Using a new Extensibility API, apps can now “talk” to each other (in secure sandboxed environments). As a result, apps can now do things they can never do before on iOS: Pinterest can offer sharing, or an app like VSCO Cam residing within the Photos app. But more importantly, widget support is now on iOS. Widgets can go into the Notification Centre and on Safari, for example. Apparently, Apple had been working on widgets since iOS version 2, and now it’s ready for the prime time.

Touch ID is now also open for developers, letting them integrate the fingerprint sensor to protect access to certain apps.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-homekit

In addition to HealthKit, there’s also HomeKit, which is a home automation certification and collection of APIs from Apple, lending a common network protocol for all connected devices such as locks, lights, doors, cameras, and switches. With HomeKit, you can control individual devices, and even use Siri to control these devices: say “get ready for bed”, for example, and the system will automatically lock all doors and dim the lights.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-app-store-bundles

There’s some new tweaks on the App Store on iOS 8, too. Besides some small new features on the storefront to make apps more visible, the App Store now also features app bundles, letting users purchase multiple apps at a reduced price.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-swift

For developers, there’s a lot more waiting for them too. Central to all of this is a new programming language. Yup, Apple has just ditched Objective-C in favour of Swift, which Apple claims to be fast, modern, safe and interactive. It also shares the same runtime as C and Objective-C, so all three languages can be used in the same app.

In addition to that, there’s Metal, which “dramatically reduces” OpenGL overhead, resulting in efficient multithreading and is designed for the A7 chipset. As a result, there’s a stunning amount of raw processing power available to developers. So much so, EA has taken its Frostbite engine for consoles and into iOS.

wwdc-2014-apple-ios-8-availability

iOS 8 will be available as a beta for developers starting today, and will be available to the public in Fall of this year.

(Source: The Verge)

Tags: iOS 8ios 8 featureswhat's new in ios 8
Updated 4:10 am, Tue, 3 June 14
Back to top
Share1Tweet1SendShare

ADVERTISEMENT

RELATED ARTICLES

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super Vs GeForce GTX 1060: Worth The Jump?
Rumours & Leaks

NVIDIA Reportedly Preparing To Launch A GeForce GTX 1630

by John Law
May 18, 2022

Rumour has it that NVIDIA is allegedly preparing a new card aimed at the lower-end GPU market. The card in...

Read more
Elon musk tesla spacex billionaire
Social Media

Elon Musk Responds To Twitter CEO Thread On Spam With Poop Emoji

by John Law
May 18, 2022

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal went on Twitter to post a lengthy thread on bots and spam accounts on the platform,...

Read more
mastercard biometric checkout
Fintech

Mastercard Biometric Checkout Will Let You Pay By Smiling

by Ikmal Rozlan
May 18, 2022

To make retail purchases more seamless, Mastercard is turning to biometric payments to make the checkout queue move faster. The...

Read more
whatsapp exit group
Apps

WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Leave Groups Quietly

by Ikmal Rozlan
May 18, 2022

WhatsApp is apparently working on a new feature that will delight users who feel that they have been added into...

Read more
Load More
No Result
View All Result

TRENDING TODAY

  1. 1
    Data Breaches

    Another JPN Database Appears Online With An Asking Price Of Almost RM44,000

  2. 2
    Random

    IT Admin Imprisoned Seven Years For Wiping Out Company Servers

  3. 3
    Fintech

    You Can Now Terminate Touch n Go RFID Tag Online

  4. 4
    Audio

    Japanese Audio Maker Onkyo Files For Bankruptcy

  5. 5
    Mobile Phones

    OPPO Find X5 Pro Goes Official In Malaysia For RM4,999

Lowyat.NET

Consumer Tech News & Reviews Malaysia

NETWORK

  • Hype
  • Murai
  • Lipstiq
  • Diva
  • Varnam
  • Moviedash
  • Autofreaks

ABOUT

  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Privacy Statement
  • Contact Us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

©2022 LOWYAT MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Lifestyle
    • Computing
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • Rumours & Leaks
    • Software
  • Forums
    • Kopitiam
    • Tradezone
    • Property Talk
    • Finance & Business
    • Fast and Furious
  • Gaming
    • PC Gaming
    • Console
    • Esports
  • Mobile
    • Apps
    • OS
    • Tablets
    • Phones
    • Telco
      • Celcom
      • DiGi
      • Maxis
      • Tune Talk
      • U Mobile
      • Buzzme
  • Pricelists
    • Hardware
      • Compu-zone
      • Viewnet
      • Thundermatch
      • Sri Computers
    • Notebooks
      • Compu-zone
    • Smartphones
      • Thundermatch
  • More
    • Automotive Tech
    • Drone
    • Enterprise
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • E-Hailing
    • Wearables

©2022 LOWYAT MEDIA, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

We use cookies to improve your experience. Learn More.