Blog Feature

By: Jennifer Devitt on June 3rd, 2014

My favorite things about iOS8.

Well, as promised on Monday at the Apple Developer Conference (WWDC2014), Apple unveiled iOS8 and OS X Yosemite. Lucky Apple Developers are allowed to start using iOS 8 immediately. Whenever this happens we have lots of excitement around here. The developers in our office (and our junior developer in training son) love to be guinea pigs and download it as soon as it is available. Me on the other hand, I choose to wait for actual launch because I don't care to be a guinea pig and deal with the bugginess.

Now, even though I am resisting my opportunity to download iOS8 now, I do have some favorite features. I have to say though one of my favorite things has to be seeing our son further embrace technology. He loved being the first in his class or of his peers to have iOS8. He has been learning basic coding from Dave, as well as acting his tech class this trimester in 7th grade. He is becoming a pro at downloading these updates and even assisted his older sister when the update failed on her phone sending her into a panic (See pic). At our house, we push technology and learning to code, (even basic code). Two of our three kids go with it, the older one...not so much. But, it is fun for me to see the excitement in the junior developer in training eyes as well as laugh at the frustration he shows at the bugs just like the real developers in our office!

Ok, well so now I guess we should talk about actual key features I like versus just how the geeks in our office and house react to the sheer availability of new software, shall we? Below are some of the features that excite me the non-developer the most.

1. Bye bye "auto-correct". I can't stand it on texting. Yeah, I know I can turn it off, but I am always afraid I will miss a typo and look foolish, so I deal with it. I just love that in iOS8 it will learn your habits and make suggestions to finish your sentences, even based on whom you are talking too!

2. I can reply to a text without leaving an app. This is awesome! So, I am reading an article and the teenager texts me about the latest crisis or teen drama. No problem I can reply right there without having to exit my article and come back.

3. Ease of switching between devices. So, let's say I start an email on my Mac, then get up and move away from it with my iPad in hand, guess what? I can pick up right where I left off on my iPad!

4. Getting out of group messages. OK, this one I like more for the sake that I won't have to listen to the kids complain about it. See teenagers use group messages a ton! And many times they want out of one that gets out of control and complains they can't, that it drains their battery or disrupts something else. Well, now they can get out!! WooHoo!

5. Your Mac can be your phone! So, you say you have a client call your iPhone and you need to speaker him so another member of your team can be on the call. You can now do that via your Mac!

6. Siri can tell me what song is playing. So, Siri is now kinda like Shazam! You can ask her to help you identify a song you might like that is currently playing!

7. SDK. iOS8 has over 4000 new API's available. Apple has expanded the developer toolbox to give us, even more, tools to help you bring your app ideas to life. The new options available make now more than ever the time to talk to a developer today about how apps can grow your business or help you bring the next great app to the App Store.

So, these are some of my initial favorite key features. Now, mind you as I mentioned I have not yet used them, but have observed them on devices at the office. Who knows, if the reports of bugginess are minimal I may cave and allow Dave to switch me over sooner rather than later. If that happens, I will be sure to report. Now that you have had time to absorb Apple's announcement which features have you the most excited? What were you disappointed not to hear as a new feature or available software or hardware?

 

 

 
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