Three hidden clues from yesterday's "Hey Siri" event, about the future of Apple.
Yesterday’s Apple keynote set itself aside from previous events in ways that may not be immediately apparent to consumers. Apple has been going through profound changes as a company in the last five years, and these changes are visible in both products and services, on which some still believe Steve Jobs would have drawn the line.
Reading back on our account of yesterday’s “Hey Siri” event in San Francisco, we have come to the conclusion that were are at least three hidden clues, telling us that what we are seeing now may be just the beginning of a much more radical change in the years to come.
It might not be apparent to most, but Apple is one of the largest leading manufacturers of microprocessors in the world. The A-series chip has been powering a staggering number of devices worldwide, including the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod Touch and Apple TV.
With the introduction of the A9X chip in the iPad Pro, the term “desktop performance” has been introduced, and as easy it is to put it down as marketing hype, there is no question that the iPad Pro aims at delivering performance comparable to most thin-and-light laptops, especially netbook-class devices like the Chromebook, and of course, Microsoft Surface.
The iPad Pro features the highest number of pixels on any iOS device to date. As a matter of fact, the resolution of the iPad Pro’s display is even greater than the Retina display on the 15 inch MacBook Pro.
Clue number two: iOS 9
The amount of work put into iOS 9 brought the mobile operating system to an unexpected level of performance and sophistication, but there is more. iOS 9 is becoming, with every iteration and improvement, closer and closer to being a desktop-like operating system. As a matter of fact, there are more visual similarities between Microsoft Windows 10 and iOS, than there are between the former and Mac OS X.
Three elements in iOS are a glaring indication of what is about to happen:
1. Universal Apps
The term “Universal app” was introduced by Microsoft, early on in the development of Windows 10, and it’s a simple concept that entails enabling developers to build apps that run across all devices, seamlessly, in the same, identical way.
Introducing the concept of Universal apps in iOS means taking all that we know about iOS devices, and turning it on its head.
The concept becomes even more relevant in a device like the iPad Pro, where iOS apps are much more desktop-like, and where the introduction of a stylus finally makes sense.
2. Split-view
Split-view was the first big shocker at the previous iPad event, where we were shown for the first time how multiple apps could display and run simultaneously on an iOS device. Even more than that, how multiple apps could be scrolled through, simultaneously, using multi-touch technology, which is a full notch above what desktop operating systems currently offer.
3. Context menus
Context menus are traditionally a feature found in desktop operating systems, for one simple reason: they would cause way too much clutter on a small screen.
With the introduction of 3D Touch in iOS 9, context menus are now accessible on the iPhone 6S. Simply apply pressure on any home screen icon in iOS, and a drop down menu will display different options from within the selected app. For instance, a long press on Mail will display the options for creating a new email, reading incoming emails, and similar actions.
Clue number three: Apple Pencil
Apple’s timing in introducing its new stylus is impeccable. A stylus has been a long time coming to iOS, and not for the reason most might think.
To think that Apple hasn’t introduced a stylus due to the notion that it’s not what Steve Jobs would have done, entails a dangerously misguided mindset, and worst of all, it goes against every principle of innovation on which Apple was founded.
The most logical reason we can think of, for the introduction of both Apple Pencil and Apple iPad Pro, is simply iOS 9: an operating system that is several layers deeper than Apple wants to let out.
iOS 9 can be as basic as running Apple TV, or as complex and sophisticated as Mac OS X, and based on all of the above, there is every indication that in the years to come, iOS could become even more complex.
At this stage it’s hard to speculate on future “iOS Books”, although the name is rather catchy. Considering how much Apple is investing in further branching its product lines with mid-size and plus-size versions, such as the 12 inch MacBook Retina, or the iPhone 6 Plus, we can’t exclude the possibility that, future iterations of the iPad Pro, could somehow blur the lines between iOS and Mac OS X, to a point where future tablets could be truly comparable to all-in-one PCs, which is what Microsoft has been working on in the past couple of years with the Surface tablet.
One more thing: What about Microsoft?
Microsoft and Apple have been at odds, at least on the outside looking in, but are they really? There is unmistakably some role that Microsoft is playing in Apple’s future master plan, even if, at this stage is merely a position of software maker.
One thing we have noticed during the keynote, was a particular lack of “zingers” taking aim at PCs and Microsoft Windows 10, compared to previous keynotes. If anything, Apple’s stance on Microsoft appeared strangely positive, introducing the (former?) arch-enemy from Redmond as a company that “knows a lot about productivity”, prior to demonstrating the new Microsoft Office apps on the iPad Pro.
Tim Cook opened the keynote by putting the emphasis on the recent partnerships with IBM and Cisco Systems, however there has been no demonstration of any of the business apps developed by IBM, on the iPad Pro. Instead, Microsoft and Adobe were allowed center stage on this brand new device, setting both companies for unprecedented exposure to one of the biggest keynote audiences Apple has done in recent years.