All the exciting – new – stuff from Apple

It has been a few weeks now and I am possibly the last person on earth to cover the World Wide Developers Conference 2021. Or WWDC21 to the cool kids.

Now before you click off this article thinking to yourself, “Renny, I am no developer, I don’t know about this coding malarkey …” fear not, you will find something here relevant. I promise.

After all, I couldn’t code my way out of a wet paper bag and I found it fascinating.

And it is not going to be one of those in-depth type of articles but rather a top list of some of the most interesting and relevant nuggets to be announced. No doubt there will be a lot I missed and a lot that Apple themselves left out so this is by no means all there is to look forward to.

FaceTime

FaceTime is getting an, err, face lift I guess. In a direct assault on Zoom, Apple is now making it possible for everyone (not just Apple users) to use FaceTime via a web browser. This means that should want to chat to one of your as yet unenlightened friends who still uses Windows or a haemorrhoid Android phone you can.

They have also improved the noise cancelling so rather than background noise interfering with your call, all the users hear is your voice.

Messages

Messages now lets you take elements from photos meaning that you could take a photo of, lets say, a poster that includes and email or telephone number. You can then simply click on said phone number and make that call. Mind boggling and a little sci fi if you ask me.

Maps and Apple Wallet

Maps has had a complete refresh and it looks gorgeous. Better navigation and detail means you know exactly what is ahead such as traffic lights and road works. Sadly though, the roll out of these things takes ages and is often done US first, China, Europe, Mars, Jupiter and then, when they are bored and looking for a summer project… Australia.

Similar issues with the improvements in Apple Wallet. In the US (in some cities) you can have your drivers licence in Apple Wallet as well as bus passes (MyWay ect). Honestly, what with the ACT still dragging its heels on digital drivers licences, I don’t think I will live long enough to see those features make it here.

IPadOS

The iPad got some love as well but honestly it is mainly everything iOS got last year so, you know, yawn. But its still nice to see the Oses getting closer and closer to parity. I am also very keen on the new Focus feature, meaning that depending on where and when you are, the Home Screen, available apps and notifications can change to reflect your current status. So during work hours you see business apps on the Home Screen and get all the notifications known to mankind. But at  home the main screen has Netflix, IMDB and your mother-in-law’s calls get screened automatically.

AppleID

It has long been a source of genuine anger and distress. I am, of course, referring to Apple’s stance on granting access to the Apple ID of a dead loved one.

I get the privacy thing, I really do, but to ask a grieving widow for a death certificate just so she can reset the password on her dead husband’s iPhone is a little cringe worthy.

Now, you can nominate to grant access to a family member and Apple will honour this request. Also, with a more day to day vibe, you can nominate non-family members to have the ability to (and I stand ready for the  over 1000 requests I might receive) unlock your Apple ID with their Apple ID should it be needed.

And finally…the MacOS

The new one is called Monterey.

A faster, less cluttered Safari is cool and I am super stoked to see that you can automate functions on your Mac (ala, open Pages, turn the printer on and send a text to my wife that reads “yes, I am working”) using the awesome Shortcuts app that we are currently using on the iPhone.

However, it is the small matter of erasing your Mac hard disk that has me all giddy.

You see, with an iPhone, when it has been time to say goodbye you simply go into Settings and choose; Erase Contents and Settings and you are left with a clean iPhone with all the standard apps and none of the compromising photos. 

But with a Mac it has always been erasing the hard disk and installing a fresh OS and this often is enough of a hassle for people not to bother, instead leaving it – with all its data –  to rot in the shed or take the risk and send it to the dump with the data there to be exploited. 

But from Monterey onwards you simply go into System Preferences and choose “Erase Mac” and after clicking on YES about 100 times (I’d imagine) your Mac will look like it did when it came out of the box, ready for the tip or eBay.

What with the new iMacs, the M1 chip and now all these software offerings and services just getting better and better… its a great time to be a Mac user – I think.