Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is underway. And we’re collectively still sifting through so many software enhancements across multiple platforms. But down here in the weeds, my wishlist has remained consistent … although, perhaps misguided, as some believe I’m holding it wrong. Maybe I am.
On the iPad front, the newly branded mobile OS features a number of multitasking enhancements. More perttent to my desires, assuming it works as advertised, the “desktop-class” browser brings me significantly closer to laptop replacement. Heck, my blogging platform WordPress even got a shout-out. Rethinking the browser, along with previously introduced memory management improvements (and actual memory) for more persistent tabs, will go a long way towards my productivity. While not on my original wishlist, newly announced file management and external drive access will be a boon as well. Mouse support does makes an appearance, although it’s buried within Accessibility features and appears pretty rudimentary. Thus far. Sadly, user accounts haven’t broken out of the educational markets yet and I won’t be able to safely share an iPad with the family. Maybe next year.
My desires for Apple Watch have been fairly modest. But maybe simplistic. As all I really want is a simple step counting complication for a clear, discrete metric. Whereas Apple (to their credit), is trying to give me a more complete picture of activity. Yes, I’m aware many third parties attempt this. However, data is not real-time and largely based on iPhone vs Apple Watch counts. Sleep Tracking remains a conspicuous absence, perhaps delayed by Apple’s power management compared to much of the competition. However, it’s gotta appear at some point. Let’s pencil it in to coincide with the Apple Watch 5 release.