Details of Apple's iOS 8 were finally confirmed at Monday's WWDC event, and reactions from tech enthusiasts, Apple devotees and developers alike have been flooding in ever since. Does this new update contain everything we expected it to, and what would we have included in addition to the various new features on their way later in the year?
iPhone and iPad users have always been pretty vocal about what they like, don't like and what they ideally want Apple to improve on, so it's no surprise that the announcements made at the conference have elicited impassioned responses across Twitter.
The general mood seems to be positive so far, with users complimenting the new integrated features, enhanced photo editing capabilities and tweaked design. As with any update, however, the iOS 8 already has its detractors, with many pointing out the similarities of some new apps and features to those already introduced by Android and other platforms.
@cammywrites: "They've made some super smart choices this time, with chances all geared around increased utility. I think Steve Jobs would have been proud. #iOS8
@ATG_JP: "I still can't believe how Apple copy something from everybody for ios 8 and call it an innovation #WWDC14 #iOS8
@justineferrer: "You can lock messages and you can have a group facetime!!! I can't wait for #iOS8
As for reactions from around the web, Wired also teased Apple for their apparent lack of awareness about apps and features that have been available elsewhere for a while, saying: "Apple proceeded to brag about a whole set of features that have long been mainstays of Google, Facebook and Whatsapp."
TechCrunch, meanwhile, were a little more complimentary about new inclusions like QuickType, which offers keyword auto-suggestions based on who you're talking to, and photos, on which they said: "Not only do these devices sync edits, photos, and devices, but they have new Smart Editing features that let you do some pretty amazing edits to both Photos and Videos."
There is also scepticism about Apple's focus on third-party app integration, with HealthKit under particular scrutiny. In a blog post written after the event, Joe Nedumgottil said:
"My Fitness Pal is one of the leading food trackers. Right now, they require other companies to sign an agreement with them to access their API... If My Fitness Pal feeds this data into the Health app, any other app can grab the data from there without needing to sign anything with My Fitness Pal. They would be giving up a lot of control to Apple by allowing Health access to their data."
But the announcements made on Monday have been met with the usual excitement from devout fans of the company's products, while also being pegged as the starting point of Apple taking on Android, Windows and a host of other companies with more targeted force than ever before.
Deeper integration and continuity between devices appear to be the key to iOS 8, and both have so far proven popular with users and analysts despite accusations that Apple have dropped the ball when it comes to innovation this time around.
