Engadget
90
Engadget Review
iOS 9 review: Making the basics work even better
Summary
Apple's latest major software release isn't a revolution, but a thoughtful refinement that makes iOS faster and easier to use. Make no mistake, most of the big new features here work great, but it's the little design changes that help mold iOS' core elements into something smarter. iOS 9 isn'tperfect,but it's nonetheless a must-have download.
Pros
- Lots of small, thoughtful design changes
- Siri is more proactive;Spotlight search is deeper
- That Back button. Seriously.
- New multitasking features for theiPad
Cons
- Transit directions in Mapsdon't work everywhere
- Apple News feels like a work in progress
- No low-powermode for iPods,iPads
iOS 9 is deceptive. When Apple first publicly trotted out the update at WWDC a few months back, it seemed happy to hang its hat on just a few new features: Apple News, better Maps and an improved Notes app. After using the betas for months and putting in still more time with the final, ready-for-everyone build, though, it's clear that what Apple built is far more nuanced than it might have let on. (And there I was, thinking I'd have an easy review to write. Silly me.) Instead, what we've got here is in some ways a continuation of a philosophy that seemed to start in earnest in the Apple Watch. iOS 9 is less about new, whizbang features and more about getting the stuff we do everyday done just a little quicker, a little more efficiently. And you know what? That's more valuable than you might think.
