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Yosemite El Capitan WWDC

Quick takeaways from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference #WWDC: Apple Music, iOS 9 & El Capitan

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 8, 2015 | 3 min read

Apple has held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) showcasing what is in the pipeline for the tech giant.

WWDC, which saw attendees from 70 countries, 80 per cent of whom were first-time attendees, hosted the unveiling of iOS 9.

The operating system promised to feature a faster and more intelligent than Siri, programmed to be more active and presumptive. The example given was that it would automatically play music when earphones are plugged in at the gym.

Siri will also scan users' smartphone habits to suggest people to contact and apps to launch. Additionally, the firm claimed the assistant will be 40 per cent faster than it is currently.

A comparison of iOS uptake showed that 83 per cent of iOS users were running iOS 8, compared with rival Android 5 (Lollipop’s) 21 per cent.

Notes has also been bolstered with a raft of new features, while Passbook was rebranded as Wallet and a number of British brands have now signed up as Apple Pay partners – which will support a number of reward cards and schemes.

Additionally, Apple announced a new version of its Mac OS called El Capitan. It will be released for free this fall and is currently available to developers.

The system was compared to Windows 10 by the media who noted it took inspiration from the Microsoft OS’s ability to snap pages to split the screen.

And last but not least, Apple finally unveiled Apple Music.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said: "We’ve had a long relationship with music, and music has had a rich history of change, some of which we’ve played a part in."

The paid-for Spotify rival will feature downloads, radio and music streaming all in the one app. It will host a number of radio stations, including BeatsOne, which will be anchored by Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden and Julie Adenuga.

Beats founder Jimmy Iovine said: “I reached out to Tim Cook and Eddy Cue, and said can we build a complete ecosystem to do everything you want to do?"

Unmentioned however was Apple TV's offering, likely due to the fact Apple remains deep in negotiation talks with broadcasters.

Yosemite El Capitan WWDC

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