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Apple Announcements: New Operating Systems and Healthkit

June 4, 2014

Apple has been busy making all kinds of announcements and getting their loyal fans all cranked up for the next round of technical wizardry. There are really too many things to talk about with Apple’s recent releases so I’ll only hit a few of them here. I’m sure we’ll learn more as time goes on.

Apple announced a new version of its OS X operating system for Mac. The new OS is named OS X Yosemite. (it is pronounced OS 10 and never OS X). At first blush, the first thing to notice is the interface. Some describe it as flattening out and looking more like iOS. Speaking of iOS, Apple also announced the beta of iOS 8 for iPads and iPhones.

Some of the big changes for iOS include improved notifications so that you can respond to messages without leaving the app you are currently in. QuickType is a keyboard update that makes context-aware suggestions. The Continuity feature will allow sharing of calls, messages and documents between iOS and OS X devices. iCloud Drive will be integrated with iOS 8 to allow shared file access for applications. This will finally provide a sort of file folder structure that PC users are used to instead of applications managing their own data storage.

Apple is also getting into the fitness game. iOS 8 introduces a new API called Healthkit, that can aggregate information about your weight, exercise levels and medications. Healthkit can also collect data from third party apps from companies such as Nike. Just what I need – a technology device reminding me to get on the treadmill.

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