Image: © hanohiki/Stock.adobe.com
The tech giant has released a series of new OS betas that feature a long-awaited Face ID upgrade and Universal Control.
Apple announced record-breaking revenue for its first quarter of 2022, as it dropped new betas for its next OS updates.
The tech giant reached an all-time quarterly revenue record of $123.9bn for the quarter ending 25 December 2021. This marked an 11pc increase on the previous year’s quarter, with a quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.10 and $34.6bn in profit.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said this result was due to the company’s “most innovative line-up of products and services ever”.
Looking to continue the momentum of its device sales, Apple has released a bunch of OS betas with some new features.
The iOS 15.4 beta includes the ability for users unlock their iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask – a feature that has been requested since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It recognises unique features around the eye to detect the phone owner, without the need for Apple Watch verification. It will reportedly be available on iPhone 12 and newer models.
Universal Control
Apple also released betas of iPadOS 15.4 and MacOS 12.3 to developers. The biggest feature included is Universal Control, which would let users control multiple iPad and Mac devices using only one keyboard and trackpad or mouse.
If a Mac and iPad are near each other, the feature lets you drag files between these devices and supports iPadOS gestures.
MacRumors reports that Apple first announced Universal Control last June and initially said it would be introduced in the following months, but the company was not able to meet that deadline and ultimately delayed the launch. In December, Apple updated its MacOS Monterey page with a ‘spring 2022’ release date for Universal Control.
Holy wow Universal Control is incredible.
This is me moving between a MacBook Pro, an iPad mini, and an iPad Pro using just the MacBook trackpad and keyboard. It's aware of position, lets you drag files, and supports iPadOS gestures.
The hype was real and it all just works 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PWUTLYZtkW
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) January 27, 2022
New OS updates are expected to be launched at Apple’s spring event in March or April this year. There are also rumours that this is when the tech giant will launch a new iPhone SE, a refreshed iPad Air with an A15 chip and a potential Mac launch.
Alongside a new flagship iPhone, reports have suggested that 2022 will see the widest array of Apple products launched in its history.
The new iOS beta also includes a range of new emojis such as a melting face and a mirror disco ball. Last September, the Unicode Consortium approved the character set of Unicode 14.0 with 37 new emojis.
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