HiTechEdge

Tag: Craig Federighi

  • WWDC: iPadOS Home Screen, Multitasking and Notes

    WWDC: iPadOS Home Screen, Multitasking and Notes

    Apple’s Craig Federighi highlighted the flexibility of iPadOS and the new features we can expect in iOS 15.

    Home Screen

    iPadOS Widgets

    The Home Screen is getting a big update, with the ability to include Widgets mixed in with app icons. To take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen, Widgets have been updated to allow for bigger sizes, perfect for TV widgets.

    Multitasking

    Multitasking gets its biggest update since the feature’s introduction, and adds a number of abilities people have been clamoring for.

    iPadOS now includes a new multitasking menu at the top of the screen. Tapping the new menu makes it much easier to open another app and add it to Split Screen or Slide Over.

    iPadOS Multitasking and Shelf

    The new multitasking features also include the ability to minimize apps or app windows into a new Shelf at the bottom of the screen. The Shelf stays visible, even when switching to new apps.

    Swiping down on an app in Split View makes it much easier to change the active app.

    Notes

    Notes have received a big update, adding Mentions. When tagging a person with a Mention, they’re automatically notified. A built-in tag browser provides a way to see all the different tags associated with a given note.

    iPadOS Quick Note

    iOS 15 also includes Quick Note, a way to create a note from any app. Simply swipe up from the bottom right corner to create a new app. The feature is also app-aware, adding specific functionality based on the app currently in the background.

  • WWDC: iOS 15 FaceTime and Notifications

    WWDC: iOS 15 FaceTime and Notifications

    Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage to introduce WWDC 2021, the second time the company has held the event virtually. As expected, iOS 15 quickly became the focus with Craig Federighi taking the stage.

    FaceTime

    While highlighting how important FaceTime has been as a way to help people stay in contact during the pandemic, Federighi acknowledged video conferencing can be more difficult than in-person socializing. As a result, the company is working on features to make FaceTime feel more natural.

    Spatial audio is making its way to FaceTime, improving the quality of the audio and making it sound as if you’re with the other person.

    Voice isolation is a new feature that uses machine learning to block out ambient noise and focus on your voice. Wide spectrum, is the exact opposite, letting in all the background sound.

    Grid view is a new way to handle multi-person FaceTime chats, bringing the familiar Zoom-style interface, in addition to FaceTime’s existing floating grid style.

    FaceTime Links

    FaceTime Links are a new, easy way to invite others to a FaceTime call. Simply start up FaceTime and click “Share” to send a link to those you want to invite.

    SharePlay

    SharePlay is designed to make it easy to watch TV with others via FaceTime. All articipants can pause and resume the program, as well as talk with each other and chat via Messages, all while the program is playing in the background. SharePlay supports Picture-in-Picture as well.

    Apple is also releasing SharePlay API, making it easy for developers to include their own apps. Already, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto, ESPN+ and others are on board.

    Notifications

    Notifications are getting a major upgrade, including Notification summaries. The feature allows you to schedule when you receive a summary of recent notifications. It’s also possible to select which people’s notifications are included in summaries, making it easy to keep important contacts separate so their notifications get the attention they need.

    iOS 15 will also include the ability to automatically notify others in Messages when Do Not Disturb is activated.

    iOS 15 expands on Notifications, adding the ability to have custom notifications depending on what you are currently doing. For example, users can have work notifications or personal notifications, which will only allow contacts and apps classified as such to pop up when that notification is active.

  • Mac Viruses and Malware Have Reached ‘Unacceptable’ Levels

    Mac Viruses and Malware Have Reached ‘Unacceptable’ Levels

    Mac viruses and malware have reached an ‘unacceptable’ level, according to testimony from Apple senior VP Craig Federighi.

    Many interesting details have emerged in the Epic vs Apple court case over the future of the latter’s App Store ecosystem. One of the most fascinating, however, is just how much the Mac is already being impacted by security threats.

    Not that long ago, the Mac had the reputation of not being affected by malware or viruses. This was due to two factors: the platform’s UNIX underpinnings and security through obscurity. Because the Mac held such a low percentage of the market, it simply wasn’t worth it for hackers to invest a lot of resources to make Mac-specific malware.

    According to Federighi, that appears to have changed in a big way. When Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked why the Mac could allow app installs from multiple sources, but not iOS, Federighi drew a stark contrast between the level of security and protections the two platforms offer.

    “It is regularly exploited on the Mac,” Federighi explained. “iOS has established a dramatically higher bar for customer protection. The Mac is not meeting that bar today.”

    Federighi emphasized the disparity between the number of Mac users and iOS users, and the value of their respective ecosystems, making the point that things would be far worse for iOS users if it took the same approach as the Mac.

    “And that’s despite the fact that Mac users inherently download less software and are subject to a way less economically motivated attacker base,” Federighi continued. “If you took Mac security techniques and applied them to the iOS ecosystem, with all those devices, all that value, it would get run over to a degree dramatically worse than is already happening on the Mac.”

    All of this led to the admission regarding Apple’s view of the current state of Mac malware.

    “And as I say, today, we have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find acceptable and is much worse than iOS,” Federighi said. “Put that same situation in place for iOS and it would be a very bad situation for our customers.”

    Federighi’s explanation is at the heart of the case Apple is making, that keeping apps operating within its ecosystem help it provide the security and protection that people are paying for when they buy an iPhone or iPad. In contrast, individuals who don’t want that protection can buy Android.