Apple announced the new Watch Series 4, new iPhone XR. Xs, and the Xs Max at its Special Event earlier today. However, alongside all the hardware announcements, the company also unveiled the new watchOS 5 and reaffirmed the launch dates of the iOS 12, new tvOS and the new macOS Mojave. All the devices that run on any one of the operating systems mentioned above will soon receive the updates, bringing new features and optimisations for their device.
The latest Apple OS for its mobile devices will also be rolled out on September 17. It enables upgraded augmented reality usage with the ARKit 2, along with more advanced search functionalities, grouped notifications and an updated Photos app. The company’s smart voice assistant Siri can be used with shortcuts or customised voice commands for accomplishing multiple tasks at once. iOS 12 will be rolled out for iPhone 5s and above, the original iPad Air and later devices, the iPad mini 2 and above devices, and the 6th-generation iPod Touch. The new 2018 iPhones will be shipped with the new OS.
macOS Mojave will finally come out of beta on September 24. The new operating system for Apple desktops and notebooks features a new true dark mode, dynamic wallpapers that cycle throughout the day, a gallery view for the finder window and more. New changes have been introduced to the MacOS App Store as well. It now comes with some iOS apps and offers more fluid navigation.
Apple announced the new watchOS 5 alongside the new Watch Series 4. It brings some new features for the device like a new walkie-talkie feature that connects over FaceTime Audio, the ability to raise the wrist to wake Siri and the new WebKit support so that one can view certain webpages from their watch. Except for the first generation Apple Watch, the update will be made available for all Apple smartwatches on September 17.
The tvOS 12 for Apple TV will be released on September 17 and it will bring Dolby Atmos support. It also enables “zero sign-on” to the Apple TV, making the process of signing into third-party apps faster. There will also be the Password Autofill feature for easily signing into Apple TV apps with saved passwords. It will work with the QuickType keyboard on an iPad or iPhone. The HomePod will be updated to support AirPlay 2 to enable better multi-room audio experience.
Read our spec comparison of the three new iPhones here and the roundup of what Apple announced at its event here.