Big upgrades for iOS 9 announced

Apple revealed iOS 9, the latest version of the company's mobile operating system which powers its iPhone and iPad devices, at its World Wide Developer Conference on 8 June.

iOS 9 is set to include a number of significant improvements - chief among which is a service similar to Google Now, which will try and predict what information you will need, then provide it to you.

QuickType

For iPad, Apple will introduce improvements to the iOS typing system – allowing you to use the keyboard area as a trackpad by putting two fingers on it.

This allows for easier text selection and manipulations, said Federighi.

Split-screen multitasking

Also for iPad, iOS 9 will introduce split-screen multitasking. Android devices and Windows 8-based tablet PCs have had a similar feature for some time.

iPads will now be able to run two applications side-by-side.

Multitasking for iOS 9 will also offer picture-in-picture mode for videos, overlaying a playing video over an open application.

Release date and device support

iOS 9 will support all the devices that iOS 8 did.

A developer beta of iOS 9 is available immediately, and for the first Apple will run a public beta of the new mobile OS from July 2015.

The full release of iOS 9 will be "this fall" (September - November 2015).