Today's iPhone and iPad update brings small, worthwhile changes
OUR VERDICT
iOS 9 is much better than its predecessor, with fewer bugs now than last year's iOS 8 launch. It's smarter and leaner, except for Apple Maps, which keeps it from being the perfect update.
FOR
- iPad multitasking
- Small download size
- Siri is more helpful
- Improved keyboard
AGAINST
- Split View limited to iPad Air 2
- Apple Maps is still flawed
- Siri only opens default apps
- Can't delete certain apps
iOS 9 launched this week and it's already a lot better than iOS 8, thanks to new features that make the iPhone and iPad software easier to use
Siri is smarter, Apple Maps has been improved and the notifications drop-down menu is now sorted logically. Best of all, every device that works with iOS 8 works with iOS 9
iPads get benefit big from this year's operating system update. New iPad multitasking functionality, especially for the iPad Air 2, finally fulfills the tablet's promise of productivity on the go
While iOS 9 lacks some key Android features, there's a lot to like about iOS 9 ahead of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus launch next week, and iPad Prorelease date in November
iOS 9 compatibility and download size
iOS 9 isn't about a fresh coat of paint like iOS 7 was, it's about rust-proofing glitchy software that launched alongside iOS 8 last year. Everything is designed to run smoother, and it does
There are fewer app crashes and hard restarts required compared to when iOS 8 first came out. I've experienced no white screen of death problems so far, just occasional design flaws
Even better, iOS 9 works with devices as old as iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Apple didn't axe any old phones or tablets from its compatibility list in the transition to the new operating system
It was also a relief to see that this free update is a 1.4GB file and doesn't require the 4.7GB free of space to install on your tiny, 16GB devices
Siri and search
The most obvious iOS 9 change involves Siri and spotlight search. Sliding to the left-most menu reveals a robust list of "Siri Suggestions," filled with your most recent contacts and apps
It provides quick access to your four most recent contacts and four most recent apps. There's a "show more" and "show less" toggle to increase that to the eight most recent. Sadly, you can't unpin and disallow certain apps from showing up before your parents see you're on Tinder
Apple Maps gets some attention here, too. "Nearby" shortcuts are a fast way of finding Parking, Restaurants, Gas Stations and even Desserts, which all link to a Yelp review-filled Maps menu. In true Apple fashion, there's no customization or option to re-sort which shortcuts come first
iOS 9 concludes this Siri-run search menu with news snippets from sources like the New York Times and CNN. Strangely, there are four headlines, but if you hit the rather stingy "Show More" text, it reveals a total of five. A glitch to be solved in the future, perhaps?
The news presentation here isn't as flashy as Samsung's Flipboard-based menu, which is also the leftmost Android menu on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Apple saves the magazine-style stories for its new iOS 9 News app
0 comments: