Apple is upgrading its iOS and Mac OSX software (which power the iPhone/iPad and its computers respectively) to support a whole new range of apps including a number which offer health monitoring, called Healthkit. These, in turn, link with wearable devices.
Its new offerings, announced by CEO Tim Cook yesterday, also include a whole new programming language, Swift; the ability to write apps that tap into the iPhone’s keyboard, TouchID fingerprint sensor and other core elements of iOS; and CloudKit, a suite of web services in direct competition with those from Google, Amazon and Microsoft.
It also unveiled a new platform for controlling smart-home devices such as lightbulbs, doors and thermostats called HomeKit and new features in its iMessage app to challenge the likes of Snapchat and WhatsApp Messenger.
in other words, pretty much everything except a guarantee that it can help you live longer although that, surely, is just around the corner. But that’s the things about apps: your phone, gadget or computer just becomes a portal or platform for whatever the whizzbang developers come up with next.
We still await the all-singing-and-dancing iWatch, which with the new health-related apps will presumably allow you to check you’re still breathing instantly and a soften as you like, but that should be coming soon.
Looking at the broader picture, this all appears to a be a full-on attack against Google’s previously all-conquering Android system. In fighting a holy war against Google new boss Cook is certainly following in the paths set by Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs.
