More details about Apple’s new software strategy for this year have emerged thanks to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The report also reveals some of the new feature that Apple is going to add in this year’s iOS 12 release, and mentions features that company has delayed for 2019.
With iOS 12, which is internally codenamed ‘Peace’ Apple is going to bring the ability for same versions of apps to run on both iOS and macOS platforms. This means you will be able to download iPhone and iPad versions of apps on your Mac. In addition to that iOS 12 will also bring new features like Digital Health Tool, which is going to help parents control the time their kids look at the screen. Animoji feature of iPhone X is also expected to get improvements. Animoji is also said to get better navigation menus and become available on next-gen iPads.
We will also see a redesigned Stock app and new Do Not Disturb mode features. Company is also said to be working on multiplayer Augmented Reality games, better import photos interface for iPad and deeper integration of Siri into iPhone’s search view.
Some of the iOS 12 feature that have been delayed until 2019 include a redesigned homescreen grid for iPhone, iPad and CarPlay and revamped Photos app that will be capable of suggesting user which images they should view based on AI algorithms.
iPad focused features are also expected to come in 2019 including a feature that will allow iPad users to run several windows or tabs in one app, a feature that is already available on the Mac. Users will also be able to run the same app side by side in split-screen mode. Apple Pencil features will also be part of 2019 iPad software updates.
Why the Change?
The reason behind why Apple has delayed these features is that the company has realized that its current strategy of pushing its software engineering team to deliver big features and follow an annual schedule where it announces the biggest iOS update at WWDC is causing problems. To meet annual release schedules the company ends up releasing underdeveloped features with bugs. The company has also faced last minute delays of features as it rushed to announce them and could not have them ready in time. For example, features like Messages in the Cloud and ability for users to send money via iMessage were both delayed last year. Last year several iOS bugs and security vulnerabilities in macOS were also discovered.
