In the know: The latest on Apple and iOS 14

by Mayren Guico / September 25, 2020

Apple usually holds three to four events every year. Typically every March, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, a September event highlighting iPhone and Apple Watch, and sometimes an October event if there are iPads or Macs anticipated to be released. While the pandemic did hinder much of their plans and events, Apple showed no signs of stopping as they unveiled new releases during one of their most anticipated launches for 2020.

While Apple is set to launch a lot more products, one of the most intriguing is the so-called smallest iPhone. According to Macrumors, the upcoming entry-level 5.4-inch gadget will be called the ‘iPhone 12 mini’ and is set to be the smallest unit that Apple released since the 4.7-inch iPhone SE. Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup with a more affordable price tag is expected to arrive sometime this October.

Aside from that, Apple has been quite busy unveiling the new products last September 15 including Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, iPad Air, and eighth-generation iPad. Just a few days later, iOS 14 was made available publicly, following its announcement at WWDC20 last June. This update may feel brand new, but it will still feel like home. Anyone with iPhone 6s and succeeding iPhone models can now install the iOS 14 for free, and get access to all its latest features.

One of the most important upgrades of the new v.14 is its customizable home screen widgets, which is a first for Apple and will completely transform the way you interact with the OS. You can now personalize the icons on your home screen with the customisable widgets made available by Apple! For those who don’t know, widgets are the app icons we see that show information like the weather, upcoming calendar events, progress toward your activity goals, photos from your image library, and a whole lot more.

Since iOS 14 was made available, a lot of iPhone users got really creative with the images and themes of their choosing for their home screens. Other major additions include integrated Translate app compatible with Siri, improved Maps, pinned messages, Picture-in-Picture mode, and new privacy and accessibility features among others. Apple also came up with more than 250 new features for iOS 14 that users can surely play around with.

Apple may be late to the party but as always, the company again proved that they focus on doing better even in the face of adversity. What else do they have in store for all of us at their last upcoming event this year? Prepare to mark your calendars!

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