September 2015 has brought a wave of Apple releases and updates, from the new iPhone 6s and it’s larger relative the 6s Plus, to new operating systems across their mobile and computer devices.
A new iPhone always means new functionality and Apple’s latest release is quite an advancement for an ‘s’ model. Apple are known for focussing on the user experience and two of the major changes target our interaction and productivity with the device. The first is 3D touch, which describes the way the new touch screen can respond to the different ways you touch it. For example, a simple tap could launch the homepage of an app, like before, but a tap and hold will display a pop-up menu to quick access sub pages within the app. Apple have also illustrated this can be used for a quick preview of texts or emails and developers are sure to release more interesting uses of this feature in the near-future.
How else have Apple targeted productivity? Multitasking. Those of you on IOS will be very familiar with double-clicking the home button to access multitasking and switching between open apps. Apple have subtly changed some key features of the way this works. Firstly, instead of scrolling over small thumbnails, all your open apps are now almost full screen and rotate in a carousel like fashion. This allows you to see the content of the app quite clearly before selecting it for fullscreen view. When moving between apps, you will also notice a handy little link in the top left corner to take you back to the last app you were viewing. It’s quite surprising how useful this is and makes you realise how often you’re jumping around between applications.
What more, multitasking on iPad’s offers even more functionality. Split View and Picture-in-Picture lets you use multiple apps simultaneously by using various space across the screen of a layered effect. This could be particularly useful for accessing home control apps without significantly interrupting your workflow.
Another fairly significant change with the new iPhone 6s is a physical one, and has gone completely unadvertised. There is evidence to suggest Apple’s new devices are somewhat waterproof. Although it may be safer to call it water-resistant. The unofficial claims that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are waterproof are supported with various videos submerging them in water. Apple haven’t officially claimed that their latest model is waterproof however, so it is not recommended that you test it. What makes the iPhone seem waterproof? The new design features a rubber plastic type seal around the logic board. The logic board is the most vulnerable element to water as it holds a charge. By focussing on protecting just the weakest link in the defence, the phone doesn’t compromise with the design of the case or other functionality. This is a great advancement which adds a good layer of protection to accidentally exposing your device to water. Rumours suggest the waterproofing concept will be a major release for iPhone 7 in 2016.