Apple put the following versions of iOS, macOS and watchOS in the eyes of developers during Monday's main event at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California.

In this round of operating system updates, Apple seems to focus on improvements.

"They are polishing a number of aspects of operating systems," said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology consulting firm in New York City.


"They are dividing the iPadOS into its own base code," he told TechNewsWorld, "and continuing a path towards autonomy for watchOS."

More than anything, Apple has taken care of the user experience, said Tuong Nguyen, senior principal analyst at Gartner, a research and advisory company based in Stamford, Connecticut.

"An important part of that was technological innovation," he told TechNewsWorld. "This year it was about improvements and features adopted, features like Swipe, Dark Mode and Desktop Browsing that exist on other platforms for quite some time."

"A lot of iOS 13 is just catching up with Android, which was way ahead of Apple in certain areas," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research, a technology consulting and market research firm. Foster City, California. .

"It was great to see the improvements on the maps, but that was really an update," he told TechNewsWorld.

IOS 13 settings
Among the changes that come to the next version of Apple's iOS mobile operating system is an improved Maps application. It has a wider road coverage, better pedestrian data, more precise directions and a more detailed coverage of the terrain, as well as a new "Look around" feature that allows you to experience a street level location.

"For years, Apple Maps has lagged significantly behind Google Maps in terms of features, functions and local details," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, a technology consulting firm in Hayward, California.

"The new improvements discussed at WWDC should be a welcome relief for both developers and Apple customers," he told TechNewsWorld.

Apple has also added a new "Dark Mode" in iOS 13. It is especially useful in low light conditions. In addition, Apple has opened it to developers so they can use it in their applications.

Apple iOS 13, iPhone XS

 Embracing Dark Mode on their platforms could be an indicator of where Apple is going with its display technology, said Wayne Lam, principal analyst for mobile devices and networks at IHS Markit, a London-based research, analysis and consulting firm. .

"If you are going to use dark mode, the best type of screen will be an OLED screen," he told TechNewsWorld, "so he suggests that his 2019 product line will be all OLED displays."

Apple also reinforced photo applications in the new operating system. Photo software uses on-board automatic learning to cure a collection of photos, making it easy to relive moments by day, month or year.

Photo editing tools are more accessible and incorporate sliders for the effects application. In addition, users can apply editing effects to video.

Portrait mode is directly accessible in the camera application. New functions allow you to move your light source in and out of a subject to change the mood of a shot. There is also a "High-Key Mono" effect to create distinctive monochrome portraits.

New type of login
iOS 13 will come with a new way to sign in to applications and websites. Instead of using a social ID from Facebook or Google, you can use your Apple credentials to log in.

The new offer, called "Log in with Apple," allows you to use a biometric copy (face or fingerprint) to log in to an application or site. The feature has built-in two-factor authentication for an additional layer of security.

Apple also announced a new operating system based on iOS for the iPad.

"The new iPadOS and related features will be a big help for iPad users, especially those who depend on the device for productivity applications," said King of Pund-IT.

"The new features and functions will also allow the iPad to compete more effectively against commercial laptops, a market that Apple desperately needs to break," he added.

For years, the iPad has been emulating user interaction with the iPhone, explained IHS Markit's Lam, but with features such as multiple windows and the use of keyboards and mice, the platform is becoming more sophisticated.

"Most surprising of all was a hidden feature in the Accessibility settings: support for wired or Bluetooth mouse devices," King said.

"That was not mentioned on the stage and since the feature was reported, Apple and its supporters have tried to minimize its importance," he continued, "but in concert with these other new iPadOS features, it seems obvious that Apple will finally come to face the biggest shortcomings of the iPad, all related to their lack of common and valuable functions that PC owners enjoy every day. "

macOS catalina
Apple deviated from the conventions of earlier names with the next version of macOS. Called "Catalina", you can run iOS applications thanks to Project Catalyst, formerly known as "Mazapan".

macOS catalina
"The tool with the code name 'Marzipan' makes it easier to port iOS to Mac applications, allowing developers to sell in iOS and Mac application stores without reconfiguring their applications," observed Gene Munster, analyst at Loup. Ventures.

"The catalyst is pretty good," said Jack E. Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, an IT consulting firm in Northborough, Massachusetts.

"It's going to be very interesting because there are a lot of iOS apps that people want to run on other devices," he told TechNewsWorld.

With Catalina, Apple is removing iTunes and replacing it with three new applications: one for music, one for podcasts and another for television programs and movies.

Apple has also added a feature called "Sidecar" that allows you to use an iPad as a second screen or a drawing tablet.

Apple also showed WWDC a new voice control application for Catalina that allows users who can not operate a computer with traditional devices to control it with their voice. Through a system of labels and grids, users can interact with virtually any application using comprehensive navigation tools.

watchOS moves

 Apple watchOS 6, iPhone Watch Trends
With the next version of watchOS, Apple Watch will have its own App Store and users can download applications without the help of the iPhone.

"The ability to get applications separately is a big problem," said O'Donnell of Technalysis. "For me, it's the first sign that the watch is completely independent and potentially works with other platforms."

A separate watchOS could also be good for the watch's ecosystem.

"Watch's use cases have been debated for a long time, partly because consumers do not know about the available watchOS applications," Munster wrote. "We believe that an App Store on the watch will increase consumer awareness."

"Greater awareness will lead developers to create more and better applications based on Watch and Watch should be more useful over time," he continued. "This should have the small effect of the growing demand for Apple Watch, which now accounts for about 5 percent of Apple's revenue."

Apple also announced some new applications for watchOS, such as Cycle Tracking, which allows women to record important information about their menstrual cycles, and Noise, an application that tracks sound levels that could damage a user's hearing.