After the initial release of iOS 13 proved to be a little buggy (but beautiful), today Apple released iOS 13.1 with updates and features along with added safety. Some features added since last weeks initial update include a “share ETA” feature in Apple Maps, as well as improved AirDrop performance.
iPad OS 13.1 is also going live in front of tomorrows release of the new seventh-generation iPad entry level. Orders start tomorrow with deliveries and in-store availability “later this week” according to Apple.
This is going to be an extremely eventful September and October for those who own a Mac, iPhone and iPad. With mac OS Catalina due out sometime in October (exact date not specified by apple yet) it will be weeks before all the new features are “digested” by our brains. Added to the fun is the fact that many features, such as Side-Car for Catalina, which allows the iPad to be used as not only an extended second screen but also as a sort of satellite stand alone control device for the Mac you choose as the source. We are working on live experiments with this feature and it is amazing, especially in conjunction with iPad OS 13.1. Stay tuned.
Although there are many, many new features, and this is the first year that there are three new major OS releases (4 if you have an Apple Watch) and the learning curve deserves a much more in depth look than just a hurried list of features and specs and comparisons to the same hurried lists from last year. These new updates will virtually define the word “synergy” and it will take months for the upgrades to be fully immersed into our digital worlds.
After last year’s Mojave update marked the first real emergence of iCloud and shared features across all devices as a ninja-superpower force, the triumvirate of iOS 13, iPad OS 13 and Catalina looks to be an even more incredible coming of age for the eco-system writ large.
This is really great news of those who use the devices on a daily basis professionally, just as the new omnipresent “pro” tag has taken hold, and, although it is understood that bugs will come and eventually get squashed, this really is the new platform we have waited for.