New versions of Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems are unveiled at WWDC 2014

Apple Unveils OS X Yosemite and IOS 8 at WWDC

Apple opened its June WWDC annual developer conference with a keynote speech in which it announced iOS 8 and OS X 10 Yosemite.

iOS 8

Apple’s biggest announcement was iOS 8: the latest operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod. Apple described iOS 8 as “the biggest release since the launch of the App Store”.

There are new features for users, and a whole new toolset to allow developers to create new apps. Apple said that iOS 8 delivers a “simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience”. This includes a new Health app, which combines with health monitoring tech and apps to give you a clear overview of your health and fitness. Family Sharing is another key new app. It lets you share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household.

Other features include iCloud Photo Library, which lets you enjoy- and share photos and videos across Apple devices. New Messages features allow you to share voice-, video- and photo messages with just a swipe. iOS 8 also includes predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard.

Finally, iCloud Drive lets you can store files and access them from anywhere. iOS 8 won’t launch until later this year. For now, it’s available only to registered Apple developers, who will be busy testing the new version of iOS on their devices. We’re expecting iOS 8 to be available as a free upgrade for existing owners in September, when the iPhone 6 becomes available. Whether the outgoing iPhone 4s will be compatible with iOS 8 is unknown. iPhone 5, 5c and 5s owners can be fairly certain to get it.

OS X 10 Yosemite

Apple also announced the next version of OS X, 10.10 Yosemite. Yosemite will bring new levels of interaction between Mac computers and other Apple devices when it is also made available for free early in the fourth quarter, according to Apple. Like iOS 8, OS X Yosemite is available now to developers, and will be free when it is released in the Autumn.

With Yosemite, users will be able to answer incoming calls to their iPhone from their Mac desktop or Macbook Pro, for instance. When a call comes in, the caller ID pops up on the Mac screen and the user can answer it there, using the Mac like a speaker phone.

Another change in is how an activity started on one device can be picked up easily on another. If you’re looking at a Safari web page in Yosemite on a Mac, for instance, and then pick up your iPad, swiping up on the screen of the iPad will load that same web page there.

The capabilities come from a feature in Yosemite that Apple calls Continuity. It allows the Macbook to detect other Apple devices in close proximity and share functionality and tasks in new ways. Apple is also expanding AirDrop, which until now has been used to share files among iOS devices. With Yosemite, AirDrop will enable file sharing among iPhones and iPads, as well as Macs and Macbook Pros.