WWDC 2015: Apple Watch SDK, ‘refreshed’ iOS on tap

by Joe White

June 5, 2015

Apple’s WWDC keynote is scheduled for this coming Monday, and during the event Cupertino is expected to outline improvements to its Apple Watch platform, iOS, and Mac. In a new report from 9to5mac, details concerning the upcoming presentation, based on inside information, claim to provide an outline for the keynote ahead of schedule.

The biggest news in 9to5mac’s report is information we’ve heard before. First, that an Apple Watch software development kit (SDK) is incoming for developers. In the article, 9to5mac explains that the first beta of this SDK is in the pipeline, and adds that, once available, it’ll allow developers to install apps directly onto the Apple Watch (while also providing access to the smartwatch’s sensors, Digital Crown, and full processing power).

Of course, Watch apps at the minute aren’t apps at all, but rather “extensions” which are fired off from the iPhone. The real deal, however, is expected to launch this fall.

The article adds that iOS 9 will focus on small refinements and a couple of additional features. A new user interface (UI) and font (the Apple Watch’s San Francisco) are both incoming, as well as an updated Siri which also takes influence from Cupertino’s wearable. That being said, iOS 9 will also reportedly look “very, very similar to iOS 8,” and instead a “huge focus” for the software is on improved stability.

There’ll be a new Transit mode for the Maps app, offering information on bus routes, subways, trains, and more right from within the application itself. Plus, the Google Now-inspired Proactive mode is also set to make an appearance in iOS 9, 9to5mac adds.

Significantly, the publication maintains that split-screen iPad apps are incoming in the software. This will be available in 50:50, 33:66, and 25:75 screen divides, according to 9to5mac, and should see the iPad become even more of a work tool for power users.

Concerning Apple Music, 9to5mac notes that the service will launch on both iOS and OS X in late June (through an iOS 8.4 update). It’ll offer streaming, alongside a revamped iTunes Radio experience for users, and the service itself is expected to retail for a $10 per month subscription. There’ll also be a free trial, 9to5mac adds, and this could be as long as three months.

Finally, a HomeKit app, Apple Pay for Canada, and a number of further iOS enhancements will be announced, 9to5mac explains. On the Mac side, an updated OS X (OS X 10.11) will bring the San Francisco font to desktop computers, it’ll add Control Center for Mac, and security improvements for the operating system are also inbound.

Of course, for the original article featuring even more predictions from 9to5mac, head over to the publication’s original article.

AppAdvice will be covering WWDC this Monday, so be sure to check back with us.

In the meantime, see: PC classic Terminal Velocity flies onto the App Store, Slack adds offline mode, performance boosts and more, and Apple and record labels still in talks just before WWDC.