Today at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the company announced a slew of new changes coming to iPad. With the launch of iPadOS 14, the company's tablet will be getting a number of new features that Apple says will make using the iPad more accessible and streamlined. Some of these changes build on previous features, while others are completely new.
Worldwide Developers Conference is an annual event Apple hosts in order to showcase its newest innovations. Typically, it is a high-dollar event that attracts only the biggest Apple fans and professionals from the tech industry. Last year’s event was held in the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California and tickets cost nearly $1,600. However, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Apple decided to stream this year's conference online, free to anyone with access to an internet connection.
Apple centered the conference around its latest mobile operating system, iOS 14, and the iPad version, iPadOS 14. Recently, Apple has been trying to use the iPad to blur the line between a tablet and laptop computer and the updates announced today continue to push that idea. During the live-streamed event and in the iPad-specific announcement, Apple emphasized features that make the iPad a more robust device for work, including an updated FaceTime notification that limits distractions. In addition, the company also announced other improvements, such as major updates to the Apple Pencil to help users more easily move work from one application to another.
iPadOS 14 Headline Features & Improvements
One of the most compelling updates to the iPad involves the Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil is often used with the iPad to more naturally take notes and make sketches. This new update adds the ability to copy handwritten notes and paste them into a document as digital text. It is unclear how universally useful this will be, due to the variance in handwriting from user to user, but it does look promising. Additionally, users will be able to use the Apple Pencil to write any text on the new iPad, and the system will automatically convert it to typed text. The company is also adding a more compact design to app notifications. For example, FaceTime calls are going to start appearing in a small box at the top of the screen, instead of taking up the entire screen. This also applies to Siri which will appear at the bottom of the screen, and a new search bar that will appear at the top of the screen. Furthermore, these features will remain accessible even while using another app.
Other features unveiled as part of iPadOS 14 included added customization to widgets, a video in picture screen, updates to augmented reality and enhanced privacy features. Users will be able to move widgets onto their home screen and be able to choose between three different size options. Videos can play in a small video in the corner of the screen, allowing users to watch a video in the background and while they are doing other work. Updates to augmented reality come in the form of ARKit 4, which Apple says provides the ability to capture the depth of real world objects with more precision.
In terms of privacy, Apple says it is going to require applications to ask users for permission before they can track user data and location, and that they are going to try to make these agreements easier to understand. To complete making the new iPad more like a PC, Apple will be adding new sidebars to apps such as Photos, Files, Notes, Calendar, and Apple Music. This will allow users to quickly browse folders within these apps.
Overall, Apple continues to impress with its ability to take old ideas and perfect them into something functional and appealing to the the modern-day user. Being able to write with a stylus in order to type text has existed for a long time, but it has never been done in a way that makes users actually want to give up their keyboard. The updates to the Apple Pencil and iPadOS look like they could just change that.
Source: Apple