Apple Says You Can Never Go Home Again
Do you happen to be an Apple aficionado? If so, then you may want to read on because your favorite operating system interface for your smartphone is coming with quite a few new twists. Specifically, Apple, recently announced that they are doing away with the standard home screen for iOS 9 that users have come to know with the next iPhone update. According to the company, home screens—which were once an integral component of the user experience—have diminished in importance. In previous operating systems for Apple’s mobile devices, there already existed multiple shortcuts in order to skip the home screen all together and access the specific feature that you wanted. For example, the recent iPhones allow you to swipe the camera at the lock screen in order to access it, as opposed to navigating to the home screen and clicking the camera icon.
The iOS 9 intends to replace the home screen with what they view as less obsolete methods to navigate the device—the home screen will still be present but it will not be the primary navigation tool. Some of the specific features that are driving this change include a more personalized approach to the user interface, so that it will become easier for the user to access what they want based on personal details like the time of day it is being used or what they look up.
Users will be provided with a list of shortcuts based in a variety of factors, including time of day and location with the “interactive hub.” The search panel will provide users a specific list of apps that are related to what the user may want to do or who you are talking to.
Another new feature is the Proactive Assistant. Its purpose is self-explanatory: instead of passively waiting for the user to select an item, it will provide a new list of suggestions based on what the system has learned from the user’s history. If you end your day with some music, then the Proactive Assistant will suggest musical selections at the time of day. It will also suggest music as soon as you plug in your headphones. Moreover, the new search bar will deliver what you want immediately, so if you wanted to look up the radius of Pluto, you would get it immediately rather than having to sift through various search results.
The home screen is still here to say, but get ready for it to be a secondary part of your iPhone experience.