At the ongoing worldwide developers conference being held at San Francisco, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has presented many exciting product developments. One of the key developments is the new version of the Apple Watch operating system. This operating system, currently referred as WatchOS 2, is considered developer-friendly and will be available this fall.
Apple Watch that was launched a month ago received criticism about its apps that seemed too slow and dependent on the Bluetooth connection with the iPhone. The company seems to have taken note of this but the solution it has offered might not trade well with battery.
The company has decided to allow third party apps to run on the new OS. These apps will run natively on the Apple Watch, meaning they will use the resources and sensors of the Watch. Thus these apps will no longer need iPhone in order to function. Apps will have access to microphone, speaker, heartbeat monitor and other tools in the Watch. Thus, developers will be able to develop apps that can play videos on the Watch face.
The company has limited the video playback duration, a spokesperson said. However, the details of this limit are not declared. The restriction on utilizing the resources on the Watch that were laid previously will be lifted with the launch of new OS. These new apps will reduce the battery life of the Apple Watch. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will provide developers with software developer kit, new tools and coding that will allow them use the features of the Apple Watch.
The new OS will add some basic but interesting features to the Apple Watch. For example, new exercise badges are added. The mapping function will now also include public transport routes. The new development of the OS will bring more apps for the Watch. This will in turn create a pool of good apps for the device. The challenge, however, is how the company ensures good battery backup for the device. That said the new OS is a welcome update.
