iOS 9 announced with refinements and iPad features


Monday Apple showed off iOS 9 which has a number of new features, but also a lot of refinements.

It appears Apple is working to fine tune iOS 9 more than pushing harder on new features. Apple said the new iOS will support the same hardware supported by iOS 8, which is unusual for new iOS launches. Furthermore, iOS 9 promises to improve battery life by an hour or so iPhones.

iOS 9 will also remedy a major issue for iOS 8 adoption which was the large space requirements needed to upgrade.

Some new features include an low power mode to automatically shut down various device features to reserve battery life for core functions. Users could do much of this already, but this feature should make it an easier process that I'd guess is similar to Airplane Mode.

One of the bigger features is Siri get a little smarter with proactive assistance and contextual reminders.

Another big feature for the iPad allows basically two app windows to be displayed at the same time. Slide Over allows a second app to be accessible while working in another app. Also, a new picture in picture feature is available for FaceTime calls and video playback so that the video screen can be floating above another app window.

iOS 9 is expected to be available this fall. Odds are there will be some new features announced when the next iPhone and perhaps iPads are also announced. In the mean time, a public beta will be made available in July