MacOS-the next version…MacOS 27 is called Golden Gate

Adjust Liquid glass from clear to tinted with slider. Sidebars now expand to left edge of window. App Icons are sharper and better defined.

Under the hood, a lot of tweaks have speeded up loading of apps and pictures on Macs and iPhones.

For WiFi when you are moving around, you won’t have to manually switch to cellular and back to disconnect from like an airport or coffee shop WiFi or the pestering Xfinity general WiFi that always tries to auto-connect

Index has been improved…which it desperately needed….so search will work better. Email search is also improved. 

This is kinda cool…you can share photo albums with Android and Windows, and they can contribute to an album for say…a group or family trip. 

Trust and Safety features- Child safety features have been expanded. Apple says they have conferred with a number of groups who specialize in child development. 

Making the kid a Child Account blocks certain adult sites and enables parental controls. The kid can’t download an app without parental approval. Also, a new addition is ‘ask to browse,’ which works for kids under 13. 

You can limit a child’s screen time. Apple calls this Time Allowances. They are based on the child’s age. Social medial is not allowed by default, but the parents can override this (you know kids will figure a work around instantly for this.) 

Apple is launching a new website for parents to use the kid tools.

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AI and Apple

The real meat and potatoes of today’s keynote was all about the new, improved SiriAI. It was promised 2 years ago, but it is now here…at least for developers. The rest of us will have to wait until fall when the new operating systems are released. Apple’s Tim Cook says truly helpful AI must be centered around the user not just for its own sake. 

Apple Claims the new Siri AI will be much more responsive and deeply integrated. Apple is being clear they have partnered with Google and their Gemini. They are trying to do as much as possible on device for privacy. 

Higher accuracy dictation, and better language understanding are a welcome addition. I have gotten some pretty hilarious messages that Apple’s dictation mangled.

Personal context understanding…you can find items just by asking for them. Naturally, it can search the web, then boil down the info into an overview for you. 

Privacy first…Apple is emphasizing how AI privacy is on by default…data is either on device or on Apple private cloud, where even Apple can’t see it.

The improved Siri includes personal context understanding and understands what’s on your screen. There is a new dedicated Siri App. It appears in the little bubble Apple calls the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen… which expands to present the answer. 

You can have a picture on your screen, and ask Siri what and where it is and it will tell you. 

The Dedicated Siri App lets you sync chats with different Apple devices. You can start a conversation on iPhone and continue on iPad or your Mac. 

Camera gets a Siri mode…so you can aim cam at something and ask Siri what you are seeing…like foods, or use it on a restaurant ticket to split the bill. 

You can ask Siri to generate a document, then go into that document and type. It automatically proofreads and will do so systemwide in real time no matter what app you are using. 

A useful AI feature for Safari-it can organize your tabs into topics to make it easier to stay organized. Notify Me will monitor a site and bring that tab back when say, a product is back in stock. 

The clean up feature in photos can let you shift perspective and move people around…like if you didn’t get the person or people centered in a pic. The item remove feature has been improved, too.

Siri AI will be launched later this year in Beta. It won’t be available in the EU or China at first, until Apple works things out with those governments. 

I’m Clark Reid And you’re ‘Technified’ for now.