How Apple's New Technologies Will Foster the Next Generation of Apps

Today, Apple leads the world in innovation. Apple's five software, including iOS, iPad OS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, are constantly providing seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empowering people globally. The last ten years can be seen as the Apple decade. In every event, Apple introduces some electrifying technologies that transform the mobile app industry greatly.

Similarly, recently, Apple's events, including WWDC20 and 'One more thing event' revealed a robust lineup of new technologies to help developers and iOS app development agency to design and build next-generation apps, bringing more powerful app experiences to the world.

This year, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Apple's event including Worldwide Developers Conference and one more thing event held online, the Cupertino-based company pulled it off flawlessly and gave a myriad of opportunities to apps companies to build next-level iOS apps.

Let's dive deeper and know about all the tech and tools Apple has in its bag for developers to foster the next-gen of apps.

App Clips and Widgets

Apple has introduced App Clips and Widgets, providing developers a couple of new ways to reach out to new users.

Apple says, "App Clips enables users to have a fast and easy way to discover apps via new visual indicators called App Clip codes, as well as through NFC, shared links, and more." App Clips can be launched within a few seconds, giving developers a fun and new way to reach customers exactly when their app is most useful.

Redesigned widgets give users more timely information at a glance. With the home screen widgets option, users can experience the developer's widget every time they look at their device. Moreover, with the new SwiftUI API, developers can use the same code to build widgets for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Apple Platforms Greater Access

Apple's events this year have provided developers more ways to incorporate their apps into core platform features to deliver robust functionality to protect user privacy and security. The new Find my network accessory program lets third-party makers leverage a network with millions of devices, continuing to provide end-to-end encryption.

HomePod also comes with a new program to integrate third-party music services. Apart from that, email and browser app developers can also offer their apps as default options, chosen by users. Moreover, Safari for Mac is also adding support for the popular WebExtensions API used by Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, making it easy for extension developers to work with Safari.

StoreKit: Managing and Growing Developer Businesses

New StoreKit lets developers simulate subscription setup, in-app purchases, and even refunds. The new StoreKit testing framework is making it easy for developers to automate testing of purchase workflows.

Developers can now better manage the customer experience in their apps with new App store server notifications for subscription renewal events and customer refunds. Additionally, the App Store now supports 'Family Sharing' for subscriptions and in-app purchases, making it great for developers who offer content for the whole family to enjoy.

Redesigned Xcode

One of the biggest new developer tool updates from Apple is the announcement of Xcode 12. Xcode is at the center of all development on Apple's platforms. With Xcode 12, Apple now has a fresh new look to match macOS Big Sur.

The new document tabs make opening multiple files fast and lightweight to support interface files. Navigator fonts now match the system size or set to small, medium, or even large. The Xcode 12 builds macOS Universal apps by default to support new Macs with Apple Silicon.

M1 Processor

This year, Apple's 'One More Thing' event started with the launch of the M1 processor. This processor is built using 5-nanometer process technology, the first Apple Silicon chip for the Mac lineup. For several years, Apple has been making its own chips for iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watches, and from this year, Apple has started doing it for Macs as well.

Apple says that the M1 chip is specifically designed and optimized for the Macs, with the world's fastest integrated graphics, 3.5x faster CPU, and 6x GPU performance that promises better performance with greater power efficiency. The M1 Apple Neural Engine comes with a 16-core architecture that improves video analysis, voice recognition, image processing, and other ML-related tasks.

New SwiftUI Capabilities

Apple uses SwiftUI to make modern and intuitive app UIs. This year, Apple introduced a new SwiftUI that lets developers write an entire app in SwiftUI and share that code across all Apple platforms. Developers who are already well-aware of SwiftUI can easily add new features to their existing code. A new Lazy API makes sure that enormous data sets will provide great performance.

Customized Apps with Mac Catalyst

Mac Catalyst has made it easy for developers to bring their iPad apps to the Mac. The year 2020 introduced macOS Big Sur, with which Mac Catalyst apps automatically acquire the new design while giving developers robust new APIs and maximum control over the apps' behavior. Developers can now choose to keep their Mac app scaled at a resolution to match their iPad app.

They can now take total control of their Mac interface to create a truly custom and immersive Mac experience. Also, Apple now allows developers to distribute their Mac Catalyst apps to customers in 175 countries on the Mac App Store and lets users easily enjoy apps and in-app purchases across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

New Levels of Privacy Transparency

The key to build and win the trust of/with potential customers is a transparent overview of an app's privacy practices. Apple said that "developers now have a better possibility to detail their app's privacy practices right in the App Store for users to review, including the data types the apps might collect, whether the data is shared with third parties, and the option for users to opt-out." This reflects Apple's diligence toward privacy transparency.

The Bottom Line

Apple seems to have opened lots of opportunities for developers now. Apart from the mentioned features, developers can also leverage ARKit 4, PencilKit, Swift Package Manager, and TestFlight features to design and develop powerful next-generation apps beautifully. All said and done; Apple will continue to stun with its thrilling technologies and tools and let developers make the most out of it.