“Apple today has released the third watchOS 2.2 beta for Apple Watch developers,” Zac Hall reports for 9to5Mac. “In terms of new features, the watchOS 2.2 so far has added a totally revamps Apple Maps app and glance and is required to use iOS 9.3 beta’s new multi-watch feature.”
“Pairing multiple Apple Watches to a single iPhone works by activating the most recently unlocked, raised Apple Watch,” Hall reports. “Switching between hardware works automatically and quickly.”
“watchOS 2.2 also enhances the Maps application with a new screen of actions and Nearby search powered by Yelp,” Hall reports. “Previously, Maps launched to a current location view. Starting with watchOS 2.2, Apple Watch can instantly navigate to work and home addresses and find local business organized by type.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Maps on Apple Watch are now even more useful!
Apple is very focused on services. That’s good in many ways because it increases profitability and reduces reliance on hardware sales growth.
But it’s not all good. In the process of driving services revenues Apple has made its key apps less functional. iTunes, for instance is much less functional for managing large libraries of “owned” music, and if you are not a consumer of popular music, the new focus on Apple Music is more of a nuisance than a boon.
Apple TV is the same. Outside the US where free to air remains King, Apple TV offers ONLY paid material. Apart from Airplay my Apple TV is never used – I am just not a consumer of video material.
In a way, Apple is becoming like Google – only they are selling content rather than advertising. Like Google’s products, Apple software is becoming less useful because it is designed to sell you stuff.
lame
That sums it up. Cook has been driving Apple to copy a lot of stuff from Google, Android, Microsoft, even Amazon. Services and rental computing. Hardware and user control suffers, all because the MBA marketing twits know that subscriptions rather than quality will make more money in the short term. Right up until the point when people start questioning the value of a subscription and start abandoning ship. “Cable cutters” whine constantly about Comcast’s walled garden and high prices. As Apple grows bigger, slower, less agile, and less user focused, it too will feel the backlash. Already pro users have seen the stagnation and decline in Mac user configuration and software. Cook only wants to sell always-connected subscription computing, which is where all of Apple’s new product development focus is. What a shame, Apple could have been both great at PCs and phones, but Tim just couldn’t see past the dollar signs from the iOS store. So much money for practically no effort.