The WWDC tonic has get and gone , and along with it the inevitable adrenaline rush of new products , followed by the let - down as we come to grips with all the products that Appledidn’tshow off .
Of course , it ’s inconceivable for the folks at Cupertino to announceeverythingthat ’s been bruit — there plainly is n’t enough prison term in the day , for one affair . But as the dust settles , I chance myself thinking about a few things that either did n’t make the cut , or perhaps still are n’t even on Apple ’s docket .
Siri on the Mac
A lecturer email to take whyOS X El Capitanstill did n’t have any support for Siri , and I have to allow I ’ve been wonder that myself . Aftermy experiences with the Amazon Echo , I ’ve been hoping for a Siri that is always - on , able to take my voice requests no matter where I am in the house . The Mac seemed like a perfect fit .
But as Apple said , El Capitan has been focused around two areas : experience and performance . My speculation is that not only does Siri not set in those categories , but that Apple has n’t quite figured out how it want Siri on the Mac to work . For representative , though it would n’t take much to have a Mac always listening for a “ Hey Siri ” prompt , Macs lack the seven - mike array that makes Echo ’s voice recognition so impressive .
However , I cerebrate that we ’re see the first hints of Siri on the Mac , thanks to the inclusion of born - voice communication search via Spotlight in OS X. Over on iOS 9 , Siri has become more than just a pretty voice ; Apple says the technology “ powers ” the sound search options that it showed off during the keynote , as well as the proactive capableness that let iOS figure out what information youmightwant . Some of those characteristic have made their way to El Capitan as well , though not under the statute title of “ Siri . ” But that could have in mind we ’re one step nearer to getting a voice - based help on our Macs as well .
A new Apple TV
By late last week , we were already being recount not to look either anew Apple subscription TV serviceorarevamped Apple TV set - top boxat WWDC . While the lack of the former did n’t surprise me — those cognitive content deals take a long time to press out — I was disappointed that the latter did n’t come to pass away .
My second - gen Apple TV is actually going backwards feature - wise . Luckily Amazon lets me stand next to their Fire .
In picky , there was no mention of a long - await Apple boob tube SDK that would allow for third - party developers to build apps for the box . This is increasingly strange , peculiarly for a company as app - felicitous as Apple . The 2nd - generation Apple TV debuted in 2010 , and its third - party “ apps ” are still limited to the blessed few epithelial duct that mysteriously come out from time to sentence . The Apple Watch , by comparability , launched with strong support for apps run on the iPhone and now , just six weeks after its release , is alreadypreparing for aboriginal apps .
There are already some breadcrumb that suggest that anApple television set SDK is n’t too far off , and it ca n’t come soon enough , but a new band - top boxwood is at the top of my tilt . In recent monthsI’ve switch much of my video consumption to the Fire TV , thanks to its support for services like Plex , its snappy carrying into action , and features like voice hunting . In the interim , my second - generation Apple TV has not only become stagnant — it did n’t characterize for the latest significant software package update — but in some case has actually gottenlesscapable , as when Google killed YouTube ’s honest-to-goodness API .
Nice as the Fire goggle box is , I ’m thirstily anticipating a new Apple TV that will push Amazon ’s offering offits current living - room throne .
iPhone lock screen complications
Perhapsthe good feature of the Apple Watch is its complications , which present utile information at a glance , all with no interaction from the user whatsoever . In watchOS 2 , Apple ’s making those even more powerful by grant third - party developer to have their own apps supply those complication on the watchface . But I ’d been hop for a sidelong move where Apple might also permit a similar feature on the iOS whorl screen door .
While the curl screen on iOS has improved in recent eld , it still accrue far short of its potentiality . Right now it act mainly as a clearing planetary house for notifications , when it could be providing much more contextual selective information . I ’d make love , for instance , to be able-bodied to perpetrate out my phone and see the current weather conditions without doing anything more than convey up the screen .
watchOS 2 ’s third - party complications dead belong on my iPhone , along with a feature like Time Travel that preview future condition , like forthcoming appointments , how the weather could change in the meantime , and even how much assault and battery life I ’ll have left when it ’s time to leave .
But I recollect an improved lock silver screen might still be on its way , based on two things . First , the aforesaid introduction of third - party ramification in watchOS 2 , which provide a case law for this variety of glanceable data , and second , those same proactive features that Apple showed off for iOS 9 . get the capableness to anticipate the selective information you need would seem to hand - in - manus with having that information easily accessible on your headphone or pad , without have to contribute up a specific screen .
Much of that can , of grade , be done with notifications on iOS , butthe current telling outline has plenty of limitation . It can be annoying to ready up and assert for developers , they only exhibit in very limited way , and they can very rapidly turn into a outpouring for the exploiter who doesn’tcarefully manage them . Complications , by compare , tender a very constrained format that present a truehearted butpassiveway of getting pertinent information .
The future is yet to come
Let it not be said that I ’m thankless for all the expectant raw features and products that Appledidannounce during this year ’s tonic . I ’m happy to see the companyaddress the iPad ’s imaginativeness job , concerned in whetherApple Musicwill finally convince me to bear for a streaming service , and connive to tryiOS 9 ’s many new features . But Apple ’s playing chess , not checkers , and it ’s always fun to try and decipher where the party ’s current moves position it for the time to come . Even if we have to hold back until WWDC 2016 for the payoff .
