A new age for Apple? Our thoughts on WWDC 2020
For the first time ever, Apple’s WWDC 2020 (Worldwide Developers Conference) was streamed online instead of being hosted in a packed auditorium with dramatic lights, a massive screen and a buzz of the live audience. Even though it was a little different to what Apple got us used to, the global pandemic clearly did not stop them from innovating. We’ve seen a number of new software updates for all Apple products, a plethora of new features built and quite a few bigger changes introduced with the new iOS14. What are the most important updates and what they mean to developers, designers, product leaders, and brands?
We asked Somo experts to share their view of this year’s WWDC announcements and what stood out from the product, tech and design perspective. The WWDC is always the most exciting week for an Apple Looking a bit further, we’ve seen important improvements Tech Perspective developer. It’s also the beginning of many busy months on ARKit4. While these improvements might not get as exploring the new APIs, testing new concepts, and seeing much press as the additions mentioned before, they’re how they can be applied to existing apps. During this year’s an important step forward. ARKit4 now includes Location WWDC, we’ve seen some technologies that are oriented Anchors which allows you to place AR experiences at Pablo Sierra, Lead iOS Developer to help the Apple ecosystem to keep growing. The most specific locations, a new Depth API to take advantage relevant features for users in the short-term are App Clips of the LIDAR sensor of the iPad Pro for more accurate and Widgets as they will change their daily interactions. and faster measurements with better people occlusion, However, there are a few other technologies that are support for the front camera to track up to three faces setting the base for the future of Apple. simultaneously, and other improvements preparing the platform for future devices, like the rumoured From a technical perspective, there are a few aspects that Apple Glasses. make App Clips such an interesting update. Firstly, the initial card that is presented to the user is autogenerated In terms of technologies for the future, the migration by iOS, making use of the metadata from the App Store. to Apple Silicon and ARM on MacOS Big Sur are a huge The App Clip is then downloaded in the background step for Apple. While in recent years, we’ve seen great to be ready when the user taps ‘open’ – and deleted improvements in their Ax chips, this latest change automatically if, over the time, the user doesn’t interact goes beyond that as it further unifies their software with the clip. They’re native and therefore fast, and have development process. access to almost all of the iOS APIs, including payments through Apple Pay and registration with Sign with Apple, Last year, we saw how Apple was pushing to make it easier having only some limitations around exposing sensitive to build macOS apps with SwiftUI and Project Catalyst. But data, like health data. They’re part of the main app and so with the transition to Apple Silicon, they’re introducing they’re reviewed at the same time. The integration seems the ability to have iOS apps natively running on macOS. quite straightforward, as they work as an extra target of an Additionally, considering that macOS is already running app, allowing developers to share resources with the main on ARM with the latest iPad chip, there’s the possibility in app and handle the migration while making use of shared the future for the desktop OS to run on other ARM Apple data containers. With all of these advantages, App Clips devices, like the iPad or the iPhone. This could happen, look like the perfect way to show users the value of an app, for example, when connected to an external screen, as it allows them to try a relevant part of the app without which could lead to more complex iPhone apps and effort and exactly when they need it. further thinking about the user journey.
In terms of Widgets, these have been on iOS for a while (and even longer on macOS), but with iOS 14, they’re built using SwiftUI and the new Widgets API. Users can also put them on the home screen now. They follow a similar approach to what we’ve seen with Complications on watchOS, allowing us to have different sizes and styles to display information. In terms of interactions, they are limited and when tapping on them, they take us to the full app. Widgets offer different configurations to display information; they can be static (relying on a StaticConfiguration), or they can display dynamic information (relying on Siri intents through an IntentConfiguration, in a similar way to how Siri shortcuts work and Siri suggestions customise content). From a product perspective, App Clips stand out as the Most of Apple’s other announcements fall into the Product Perspective major new feature of iOS 14. The broadly similar Android categories of technical and design enhancements, Instant Apps have been available since ‘18, and now that the but there are a couple relating to driving that standout platforms both offer this capability, it’s likely to be much as having potentially interesting consequences: EV more attractive to businesses and get significant traction. routing and digital car keys. Tim Johnson, SVP Product App Clips are a fast, simple way to use a key feature of an Electric vehicles are an exceptionally hot topic right now, app without requiring full installation. This is about giving and it can only be positive that Apple has invested in a people a useful teaser exactly when they want it, without routing feature within Apple Maps. Our own white paper any friction and triggered at the point of need by a message exploring the topic of electric vehicles showed that demand or a QR code, for example. Whilst similar to launching a web is on the rise. We asked 2,000 car buyers how they felt page, an App Clip has native capabilities such as seamless about electric vehicles, the barriers to adoption and how payments, drawing people into the app experience and digital tools could help. Fifty per cent of people said they’d leading, for a happy user, to awareness and installation of like a tool showing driving distance for a fully charged the full app. vehicle and a map journey showcasing charging points, which Apple has provided in the new Apple Maps update. Ideal use cases will be tasks that are (a) simple, (b) need fast action, and (c) won’t necessarily be enough to inspire By showing compatible charging stations and working them full installation the first time. For example, you arrive at into route plans – and tracking the user’s charge a new coffee shop and want to take up an offer, but don’t level – concerns around driving range should be alleviated. yet feel committed to installing their app. Or you’re visiting It will be very interesting to see how good Apple’s data is car dealers at the weekend and want to see some extra and how effective the feature is in practice. information, but definitely don’t want to install their app just yet. In each case, you may well go on to install the app, With iOS 14, it will be possible to pair an iPhone or Apple but not yet. Watch with a car, and then use it to open the doors and start the car via NFC. The virtual car key can be stored in Widgets are somewhat similar in that they are quick links Wallet, will be sharable with trusted contacts via iMessage, to key app features, but differ in being shortcuts set up at and if the phone goes missing, the key can be disabled the user’s convenience after full installation, not before. using iCloud. Clearly, this requires collaboration with Widgets are not new, but iOS 14 significantly expands manufacturers, and BMW has announced that it will be the their possibilities, allowing different sizes and layouts and, first to support Apple’s digital keys, starting with the new crucially, placement on any screen rather than just the 5-series. Apple also announced its intention to go beyond leftmost. We should certainly see an increase in uptake. standard NFC to what it calls ultra-wideband (UWB), which also relies on bluetooth but works at larger distances so To me, they are interesting in combination with App Clips that, for example, the car will know you are approaching as they invite product managers to think about the more from some metres away. It will be interesting to see how general question: for any app, does it have use cases that comfortable owners are with the security aspects of all suit (and need) App Clips or Widget treatment? Is there a this; my expectation is that the great majority of Apple core feature that can be isolated and packaged in these users have sufficient trust and will love it. ways to enhance utility and engagement? For example, a transport app could offer an App Clip for ticket purchase the first time someone arrives at a particular transport hub – when they don’t know if they will need it again – but could also offer a Widget showing live disruption info, suited to a regular customer.
I’d love to write an in-depth piece about WWDC this people the flexibility and control they want over their Design Perspective year, and more broadly about the gradual journey device. They are making a careful judgement about how Apple is taking from siloed operating systems toward much they’ll let people change the immaculate, if overly a connected and integrated ecosystem, but as always, simple, UI that has been synonymous with iOS since there is too much to do and never enough time. So the first iPhone. Whether it has the desired effect or Graham Wood, Creative Director instead, I’ll comment on a few things that struck me leads to a more cluttered and complicated experience as noteworthy. remains to be seen.
It was an interesting presentation this year, And lastly (there are so many other things we could acknowledging but not allowing itself to be defined talk about), Apple sought to cement themselves ever by current events. The Black Lives Matter movement more as the champions of personal privacy. The new and the pandemic sweeping the globe were both ‘nutrition labels’ for what data and information you allow addressed upfront, but were confined to the preamble apps to have access to, will make it harder than ever (although there was a new ‘it looks like you’re washing for bad actors to exploit the platform or use data in bad your hands’ feature for watchOS), and whilst there was faith - and make it even more important for brands to nothing earth-shattering in terms of announcements, be transparent and upfront about how and why they there were definitely some things that represent process and store information about you. developments in some long-standing themes. So just three brief things, but I think that represents First of all, it was interesting to see how Apple is trying strands that are making Apple’s device more personal to embed itself ever deeper in our lives with features and present in all aspects of life, and Tim Cook would designed to be with us every waking (or sleeping) certainly like you to think, ever more trustworthy. moment. The enhanced sleep tracking features for Apple Health are probably well overdue, but more interesting for me was their play to own another little bit of your wellbeing through the watch, helping to support the ‘mental transition’ to bedtime. As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about where brands have a right to be a part of our lives and how they can credibly go about it, it’s always interesting to see how Apple tries to make good on their promise of products that are genuinely good for people.
Secondly, it was interesting to see how they’re balancing automated AI-driven personalisation with explicit customisation with the introduction of Widgets on the home screen. It seems to me that they’ve concluded that either through the customer demand, or the shortcomings of what they have had up to now, a purely automated personalisation approach through features like ‘siri suggestions’ isn’t enough to give Somo is one of the fastest-growing digital product and experience agencies, helping the world’s biggest brands and coolest start-ups become leaders in digital change.
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