The Latest: Siri updated in artificial-intelligence rivalry
Analysts are saying that Apple's upcoming updates to its Siri voice assistant should help the company address criticisms that it can't compete on artificial intelligence.
Apple is now opening Siri to apps made by other companies, and like Google and Microsoft, it's bringing the digital assistant to desktop and laptop computers.
Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy explains it as Apple using non-personal information in aggregate to teach Siri new tricks, then having all the personalization take place on the individual device.
Analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research says the changes announced in San Francisco on Monday should make Siri "substantially more useful and effective as an assistant and keep it competitive with alternatives from Google, Amazon and others."
A new messaging app and improvements to maps and the Siri voice assistant are among the new features coming to iPhones and iPads.
[...] Apple says its HomeKit smart-home system is getting a new look, as more consumer electronics companies and now home builders get on board.
Apple is trying to make its messaging app smarter, more versatile and more engaging as part of an upcoming update to its iPhone software.
Users will be able to change the size of the bubbles surrounding the text to help convey the feelings underlying the words.
Besides trying to compete against big rivals such as Google, Apple is also trying to keep its iPhone users engaged on its messaging app instead of spending more time on trendier alternatives such as Snapchat.
Apple has re-designed its in-house apps for maps, music and news in an attempt to make them more useful and less complicated.
Senior vice president Eddy Cue says that will enable you to find a restaurant, book a reservation, request a car from Uber or Lyft and pay for it using Apple Pay, all without leaving the Maps app.
For Apple Music, now with 15 million paying subscribers, the company is unveiling a redesign aimed at simplicity and making it easier to find music stored on the device as opposed to streamed from the Internet.
Apple is also adding a facial recognition tool to its mobile software so the people and objects captured in photos are automatically identified.
Apple says users can now use their phone's fingerprint sensor to pay and check out when they are shopping online using a web browser.
Apple is making it easier to use its Apple TV set-top box as the new hub of a digital home.
The new version of the tvOS system will enable you to sign in once to access multiple apps from various TV network providers.
The company also enabled Apple TV to interact with photos stored in Apple's online locker, iCloud, and interact with smart home devices such as thermostats that use the company's HomeKit platform.