With the official announcement of the dates for this yr’s Worldwide Builders Convention, all eyes have turned to June for the subsequent barrage of Apple updates. Chief amongst these, after all, is the much-rumored Apple headset—regardless of current reviews that it might have been delayed.
However even when the headset sucks up many of the oxygen within the Steve Jobs Theater (or wherever Apple is displaying this yr’s keynote), WWDC is historically a time for the corporate to indicate off the newest variations of all of its platforms, and it’s not as if it could let iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS merely lie fallow for a yr.
Whereas earlier reviews steered that this yr’s updates could be extra like “bug repair” releases, extra lately it’s been steered that we’ll see some “good to have” options, if not the sort of large marquee enhancements that we’ve come to anticipate yr over yr.
And that’s not a foul factor. There are many tough edges in Apple’s working techniques, and locations that would use some minor tweaks and enhancements. So let’s look forward at what the corporate would possibly do to enhance its platforms in small methods.
iOS 17
iOS has grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade, with yearly bringing some large characteristic or one other. However too typically, Apple appears to ship stated enchancment, then mud off its arms and stroll away, patting itself on the again for a job nicely finished. These options then languish, yr over yr, till folks get pissed off and cease utilizing them as a result of it looks like they’ll by no means be up to date.
For instance, one addition I’d actually wish to see is enhancements to iOS’s autocorrect system. Possibly I’m simply getting previous, however I’ve discovered it tougher and tougher to sort even brief messages on my iPhone, and a minimum of some of that’s all the way down to autocorrect, which appears to typically change a very legitimate phrase I’ve entered with another phrase–generally even a phrase that appears to be utter gibberish. Tweaking this technique to truly make it simpler to sort as an alternative of a extra irritating expertise is only one approach Apple may enhance the prevailing expertise on iOS with out delving into large new options.
Foundry
Different small enhancements that will be good to have may embrace breaking the Passwords part of Settings out into its personal app, tweaking the way in which a number of calendars seem within the Calendar app, and permitting extra widgets on the lock display, simply to call a couple of.
iPadOS 17
Sure, the iPad’s software program would appear to be one place Apple nonetheless must do a number of main work, however there are nonetheless locations it might profit from some smaller enhancements to enhance the standard of life.
The iPad Professional is usually a nice platform for podcast manufacturing, with apps equivalent to Ferrite (pictured), besides it has microphone limits.
Wooji Juice
One place particularly that would use enchancment is healthier audio help, together with the power to let two apps use the microphone without delay, lastly enabling actual podcast creation help on the iPad. Does this transcend a “good to have” characteristic to a extra main endeavor? Maybe. However Apple’s lengthy had strong audio help on the Mac, and because the iPad and the Mac get nearer collectively, it turns into more and more ridiculous that the iPad can’t do issues that the Mac has been in a position to do for years.
As well as, it might be good to see some additional tweaks to Stage Supervisor, indicating that Apple is aware of it hasn’t but nailed that exact characteristic; the addition of iOS’s lock display options on the iPad; and a re-think of the floating keyboard palette that at all times appears to be in precisely the mistaken place.
macOS 14
With a product as mature because the Mac, it may appear that there aren’t a number of enhancements left to make, however the reality is, the older the platform, the extra issues fall by the cracks.
One large nice-to-have characteristic I’d wish to see in macOS 14 is letting widgets reside outdoors of their little column in Notification Middle. Frankly, because the disappearance of Dashboard, widgets have gotten the brief finish of the stick in macOS, and given their recognition on iOS and iPadOS, it’d be nice to get related capabilities on the Mac. Why can’t I’ve my climate widget on my desktop or an inventory of my upcoming calendar occasions? To be sincere, proper now, I solely ever verify my Mac widgets by chance.
We don’t want a revival of Dashboard in macOS, however we do want a greater approach to make use of widgets.
Foundry
Another issues that would use some work: a revamp to final yr’s controversial System Settings app redesign, the power to hyperlink between notes in Notes, and tags for occasions in Calendar.
watchOS 10
Ten years of the Apple Watch! Superb how time flies (when you’ll pardon the expression). The Apple Watch has come a great distance since its debut, evolving from a do-everything-computer-on-your-wrist to a health-and-fitness-focused wearable. However whereas it might generally really feel like the quantity of new compelling performance has dwindled, there are locations that would use some tweaks.
One which involves my thoughts? Refining health monitoring and streaks. We’ve all had days the place we simply can’t get off the bed—whether or not as a result of we’re sick or injured or just because it’s simply a kind of days. However the Apple Watch’s Exercise app simply can’t appear to learn the room, as an alternative nudging you that you possibly can nonetheless shut your rings if solely you possibly can handle a two-hour stroll across the block. Apple badly wants so as to add a “relaxation day” idea right here; in spite of everything, the one folks we’re actually dishonest are ourselves. Take a web page from the wonderful recreation Knotwords, which lets you get better a streak damaged by missed days by hitting your targets for seven days in a row.
Different good enhancements would come with the power to obtain FaceTime video calls, a built-in Notes app, and an enormous one: tweaks to older watch faces that convey the latest complication kinds and extra.
tvOS 17
Will tvOS get any important updates this yr? It’s maybe Apple’s least-updated platform, however there are definitely enhancements that could possibly be made to boost its expertise.
Initially, some tweaking of the house display design: I don’t anticipate the mass of app icons to go away, however it might be good to have an choice to routinely prepare them in, say, order of frequent use. What I don’t need to must do is rearrange the icons myself consistently. Alternatively, a approach to divide the house display into a number of classes may also go a great distance towards bettering how customers entry apps.
Different issues that could possibly be good are the addition of lossless audio passthrough, improved iCloud Keychain implementation to keep away from cumbersome re-logging in, and sure, determining methods to negotiate with Netflix to get it built-in into the Apple TV app. However I received’t be holding my breath for that final one.
