Apple has launched its newest operating system for iPhone, iOS 15, with a series of new features including better translation software, a fresh look for notifications, more privacy controls, tools to avoid distractions and major updates to maps for improved navigation.
The National looks at the top seven features of iOS 15 and explores what users can expect from the Cupertino-based company's latest update.
Staying focused
Based on a user's settings, the new operating system will filter notifications to help cut distractions. For instance, the “work” Focus can be set during office hours to only allow notifications from colleagues, clients and apps that are used for work.
Focus uses on-device intelligence - based on machine learning and artificial intelligence - to suggest which notifications from people and apps are allowed. A status will be displayed to contacts and supported third-party communication apps like Slack, so they know not to interrupt.
“Users will even receive suggestions to turn on a Focus based on factors like time of day or location … when Focus is set on one Apple device, it automatically applies to all of a user’s Apple devices,” the company said.
Text recognition in photos
The new OS introduces “Live Text”, which recognises text in photos and lets users respond appropriately. For example, a snapshot of a storefront may reveal a phone number, giving an option to call that business.
The “Camera” app can also recognise and copy text in the moment, such as the Wi-Fi password displayed at an airport lounge. With “Visual Look Up”, users can learn more about various things such as popular art, landmarks, books, plants and animal breeds.
New look for notifications
With iOS 15, Apple has redesigned notifications. Users can temporarily mute any app or messaging thread for an hour or for the day. It also lets users add contact photos for people and larger icons for apps that make them easier to identify.
Users can also access the notifications summary each day at a scheduled time. Using the on-device intelligence, the summary is arranged by priority, with the most relevant notifications rising to the top based on how a user interacts with apps.
However, time-sensitive notifications, messages and phone calls will be delivered immediately to ensure users will not miss timely alerts.
Adding more to navigation and weather alerts
The iOS 15 has added new features to “Apple Maps” that offer more details about neighbourhoods, buildings and landmarks and now features a new night-time mode with a moonlit glow. It offers a new three-dimensional driving view with road details that help users identify turn lanes, medians, crosswalks and sidewalks.
Initially, enhanced maps are available in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, with the company adding more cities in the coming months.
The “Weather” app now includes full-screen maps, graphical displays of weather data and layouts that change based on conditions.
More natural FaceTime calls
Voices in “FaceTime”, which lets Apple users make video calls to one another, will sound as if they are coming from where the person is positioned on the screen while the new voice isolation feature will use machine learning to eliminate background noise and prioritise the user’s voice.
To ensure more lifelike calls, the portrait mode will blur a user’s background and puts them at the focus.
New keys and state IDs coming to Apple Wallet
Apple introduced digital car keys to let users unlock and start their cars using their iPhones last year.
With iOS 15, users can access even more places with a tap of their screen, with new home, hotel and office keys in the “Wallet".
“Digital car keys get even better with support for ultra wideband technology … iPhone can also be used to unlock a user’s home, office or even a hotel room,” Apple said.
“Users will be able to add eligible state IDs and driver’s licences to Wallet on iPhone as this option becomes available in their state in the future,” it added.
To ensure user privacy and security, the keys in the Wallet are encrypted and stored in Secure Element, the same hardware technology used to protect Apple Pay.
Pricing and availability
iOS 15, which was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, was launched on Monday. It is a free software update that is available for iPhone 6 and later models.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Griselda
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Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The view from The National
Company%20profile
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
