Apart from introducing two new iPhone models (the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus), two new iPads (the iPad Pro and the iPad Mini 4) plus other new features and updates, Apple also took the opportunity to announce during its September 9 event in San Francisco that it will be releasing the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system (iOS 9) on September 16th of this year. Apple fans may notice that the September 16 release date for iOS 9 is a full nine days before the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus officially hit store shelves across all major smartphone markets in the world.
Apple first unveiled iOS 9 during its Worldwide Developers Conference back in June earlier this year. A couple of months later, the tech giant proceeded to release the iOS 9 Public Beta 3, essentially marking the first time that it has allowed the general mobile user populace to participate in the beta testing of the upcoming newest version of its operating system. When iOS 9 becomes widely available in less than a week, it will be made compatible with all iPhone models back to the iPhone 4s, all iPod Touch editions back to the fifth generation version, and all iPad tablets back to the iPad 2, the iPad Air, and the original iPad Mini.
As expected of any new version of the iOS mobile operating system, iOS 9 will no doubt come with a few new features. Chief among them is a unique functionality that allows the OS to study the tablet usage habits of people in their daily routines or when they are in a certain place or time. For instance, when it is time for a user to take the daily train to work, iOS 9 can automatically play songs that the user usually listens to when commuting. The OS can also launch mobile apps or display contacts depending on how often users access them.
Of course, there are also a number of minor improvements, especially in terms of battery life and power efficiency, the overall performance and capabilities of the Siri personal digital assistant, a brand new user interface for switching mobile apps, directions when utilizing public transportation, a more seamless integration of Notes across Apple mobile devices, and a new News mobile app. Also, users of Apple’s iPad tablets might be delighted to know that the new iOS 9 also delivers some fun and cool features, such as a split screen view functionality (basically allowing people to view two mobile apps on the tablet’s display screen simultaneously) and a picture-inside-picture video capability.
Previous iOS versions were typically made available for download either over the air or via iTunes. Barring any change in its standard practice, Apple should release iOS 9 similarly around 10 AM Pacific Time this coming September 16th.
