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iPhone 6 & iOS 8: New Concept Shows Off 5 Potential Features

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A new iOS 8 concept shows a new version of software that could be tailored for the iPhone 6, showing a collection of five potential iOS 8 features that Apple could introduce on stage in June at WWDC 2014.

The next major version of Apple’s iPhone and iPad software is called iOS 8, and Apple is hosting a summer event in San Francisco where the company will likely announce iOS 8 and show off many of the new features that will come to the iPhone 6 and to older iPhones and iPads later this year.

Apple uses this summer event to give developers access to an iOS 8 beta so that they can adapt any apps to work on the new software ahead of a public release. Since anyone can be an iOS developer for $99 a year it is impossible to keep an iOS 8 beta a secret. This means that Apple normally uses the developer conference, called WWDC, to show off many new iOS features. Apple announced iOS 5, iOS 6 and iOS 7 at WWDC events and all signs point to an iOS 8 announcement at WWDC 2014 on June 2nd.

A new iOS 8 concept shows 5 potential features and asks if this update is tailored for the iPhone 6.

A new iOS 8 concept shows 5 potential features and asks if this update is tailored for the iPhone 6.

There are already some services that are taking registrations for the iOS 8 beta, even though it is not announced. Apple recently started a Mac OS X beta program for the public, but it is unlikely that Apple plans to offer a public iOS 8 beta.

Even though Apple will announce iOS 8 in June, there are months of beta testing before Apple shows off the final product, and all of the iOS 8 features. The company will likely save the best iOS 8 features for the rumored iPhone 6, and will announce them on stage in the fall ahead of an iPhone 6 release date.

An iOS 8 release will very likely arrive just days before an iPhone 6. The iOS 7 release arrived a few days before the iPhone 5s and just like releases before it included a number of features that are only available on the new iPhone.

In a new iOS 8 concept video, Tech Radar shows off five potential iOS 8 features. Some of these features are from iOS 8 rumors while others are small changes that show how iOS 8 might look on an iPhone 6 with a bigger display. The video opens with a question, “is Apple about to reveal an operating system perfectly tailored for the iPhone 6?”

iOS 8 Concept Video

While this two-minute iOS 8 concept doesn’t completely answer this question it does show off several possible iOS 8 features and design changes.

https://youtu.be/ZlCuUucFpw8

New Notification Center

The first new iOS 8 design decision that this concept shows is a new look for the Notification Center. According to Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac Apple may be planning a small change for the iOS 8 Notification Center that includes cutting the Missed tab from the screen.

In this iOS 8 concept we see a streamlined Notification Center that puts the date, weather, reminders and important notifications front and center. A Swipe lets users see their calendar quickly and a tap on one of the notifications areas sends the user to the app. It is less cluttered than the iOS 7 Notification Center.

HealthBook

HealthBook is another major part iOS 8 rumor. This app will reportedly allow the iPhone to track user health data like heart rate, blood pressure and possibly glucose levels.

Once again 9to5Mac is the source of the HealthBook rumors which include the PassBook like user interface that shows different health data on cards that the user can track.

It looks like Apple plans to use health to sell the iPhone 6 and an iWatch, and health tracking will be a major part of the sales pitch to buyers.

iWatch Syncing

In this short iOS 8 concept we see a message indicating iWatch syncing to the iPhone 6 in order to share data to the iOS 8 Healthbook App.

The Gear Fit from Samsung currently syncs data back to the Galaxy S5 and many other fitness bands can sync data to the iPhone. An iWatch may be the key to tracking a lot of information in iOS 8, but a motion coprocessor like the M7 found in the iPhone 5s could also track a lot of movement from the phone itself.

Siri Enhancements

Siri will deliver new features and better performance in iOS 8 according to the latest rumors. This iOS 8 concept shows a user asking Siri what music is currently playing. A recent rumor suggests Apple is using Shazam to do this lookup with a voice command.

Other Siri rumors for iOS 8 include better recognition of what users are saying thanks to the purchase of a small voice recognition company in 2013. This company’s technology and key leaders could deliver more accurate voice top text dictation and Siri commands.

DriveMode

Apple is pushing forward with CarPlay as manufacturers deliver CarPlay ready vehicles to users, but with iOS 8 we could see a new enhancement called DriveMode.

This is not a rumored feature just yet, but a recent Apple patent points to technology to lock down a iPhone while the owner is driving. The patent even illustrates technology to determine who passengers are and allow them to use an iPhone while locking down the driver’s device.

Read: iOS 8 Rumor Roundup 

The iOS 8 rumors so far point to an update that adds features but does not dramatically change the looks of the iPhone operating system like iOS 7 did in the past. iOS 8 will reportedly combine with a iWatch to track health and fitness in one app and leaks suggest Apple is planning to bring some apps that OS X users are used to using to the iPhone.

New iPhone 6 rumors suggest Apple is planning two iPhone 6 models with larger displays. We could see an iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch display arrive in September near iOS 8 and a larger iPhone 6 with a 5.5-inch display come to stores later in the year. This comparison shows what potential shoppers can expect from the two iPhone 6 models.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Taylor Smith

    04/28/2014 at 8:06 pm

    How about killing Apple Maps completely and adding features to Google maps instead?

    • rfichoke

      04/28/2014 at 9:48 pm

      I think their relationship with Google is strained to the point that nothing like that will happen anytime soon.

      I want them to fix the godawful UI. But with Brony Ive in charge, I don’t see that happening anytime soon either.

  2. chette1

    04/29/2014 at 7:47 am

    I like the change to the notification center. I hope Siri is updated more than just adding Shazam to it and better recognition. I don’t really have issues with the recognition but it would be nice if it could do/access more. I’ve started to like Apple Maps but would like to see more improvements on it as Google Maps is still my main GPS.

  3. sam_adams

    04/29/2014 at 12:39 pm

    Windows Phone 8.1, here I come!

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