iOS 16: The Missing Guide?

[Since Fall in St. Louis is ever fickle, we are returning to the Schlafly Bottleworks patio this month, but may move indoors if it gets too chilly. Just keep an eye out for our sign (aka iPad) once we get started.]

While the local weather this time of year may be uncertain, one thing we can better rely upon is the iPhone / iOS release calendar. To kick off, we will briefly recap the recent iPhone launch event (in short: iPhones, Watch Ultra, AirPods Pro 3), but our focus is on the mostly-available features of iOS 16. As is increasingly their wont, and of the software market more broadly, Apple's 'release' version of iOS 16 is functionally incomplete, with marquee additions like Live Activities held back for 16.1 or even later delivery, as with Universal Control from last year. We will survey what's currently new, what's still to come, and what didn't get much attention in either the keynote or Apple's marketing (a la the Digital Island exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models). What will enhance device use in business, in development, or will impact how your clients interact with their iPhones?

We will also review the latest suggested lifecycle for iOS rollouts: how to test, when to adopt, what launch issues have been discovered (like a shaking camera) and addressed in .0.x patches, and what might justify holding off (e.g. if you're doing a coordinated iPhone/iPad update). Plus, as our Pogue-ian title suggests, how exactly does one suss out all the changes scattered around the system and stock apps, since even highlighted additions like Home widgets and Focus modes require a bit of discovery to put into action.

All that along with our usual Apple news rundown, aided by crisp brews and probably something fried. Come join us and share your latest iOS impressions!