OPINION : Apple has just introduced a load of new versions of its flagship package , the underlie operating system that power just about all of its most democratic Cartesian product .
WWDC 23saw updates uncover for iPhones , iPads , the Apple TV box , Apple Watch and the Mac . All of those , includingwatchOS 10andmacOS Sonoma , are available for show developers to try out now , with a wider public beta in July and a full release likely in September – just before theiPhone 15hits shelf .
As would be expected , the major computer software focus during the multi - hour tonic case emanating from Apple Park wasiOS 17 . hit the iPhone XR and newer , iOS 17 is packed with new features like a redesign , very WhatsApp - similar Messages app , interactive widgets , Stickers and a brand - newJournalingapp .
Perhaps the most eye - catching increase though , at least for me , is something Apple is callingStandBy . This is “ a new , full - blind experience ” ( Apple call it as such ) that ’s initiated when an iPhone is charging and placed horizontally . With StandBy , the typical Io UI changes into something more akin to a saucy domicile showing . A declamatory format clock , for instance , could take up the whole screen get to glancing at the sentence easier .
Other instance showed a enceinte calendar that could be turn over through , scrolling photos , a fullscreen music player , Siri result and Live Activities . It ’s a neat feature of speech that progress to sense , especially as phone screens are huge and often lodge every night on a bedside table . An iPhone with StandBy enabled posture on a charge stand ( Apple used this a TwelveSouth Forte during its demo sessions ) makes for a smart alarm clock replacement .
Homescreen thingumajig that could be put anywhere , for example , arrived first on the iPhone and then a year later on the iPad . The heavily customisable lock filmdom hit the iPhone with iOS 16 and is coming to the iPad a yr later with iPadOS 17 . It ’s the same story for Live activity , too .
The thing is , I would have thought StandBy is a lineament more suited to the iPad than the iPhoneanyway , making its absence a little unmatched . The large screen of the iPad – whether it ’s the dinky iPad Mini or the huge 12.9 Pro – would make for a glorious overbold dwelling house hub or smart photo frame in a way that iPhone does n’t .
My first thought when I run across StandBy demoed on level was thePixel Tablet . Google ’s upcoming pad is built around this idea of a gadget doubling up as a smart show used for control light , interact with the Google Assistant and viewing picture . hearsay have whirlpool for a few years now that Apple would offer a HomePodwith a projection screen , and this StandBy feature for sure hints at that future .
The deficiency of StandBy on the iPad with iPadOS 17 could point to it being a big feature next yr when multiple newfangled iPads are rumoured to arrive .
A long - running hearsay has been that theiPad Pro would find fault up MagSafe charging , allowing it easy attach to magnetic stands similar to the ones uncommitted for the iPhone . Paired with StandBy , this would make a peck of sense . Still , it ’s a disgrace one of iOS ’s best feature film has again been withheld from the iPad at launch .
