Apple focuses on speed and parental controls in software updates.
Apple faced backlash late last year when it was discovered that the company had slowed down some older iPhones. The latest version of Apple's operating system for iPhone and iPad, iOS 12, will make older devices, such as the iPhone 6, perform better.
(Reuters)- Apple announced software updates on Monday that will make older iPhones faster, help parents limit their children's screen time, and make its voice assistant work more like its Amazon.com rival.
Taken together, the moves announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose focused on keeping its 1,3 billion user base satisfied with its devices and keeping pace with some competitors. Apple shares closed up 0,8 percent at $191,83 after the news, and rose to $192,40 after the market closed.
Apple faced backlash late last year when it was discovered that the company had slowed down some older iPhones. The latest version of Apple's operating system for iPhone and iPad, iOS 12, will make older devices, such as the iPhone 6, perform better.
Software chief Craig Federighi said that iOS 12 can perform simple tasks, such as opening apps, up to twice as fast as its predecessor, iOS 11. The new system will work on a range of products dating back to 2013.
The company will also allow wider use of voice controls in the app, which are currently limited to a handful of apps like PayPal and Uber.
Apple also launched the ability to make video calls with up to 32 users, putting it in direct competition with companies like Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Skype.
In response to criticism that Apple has contributed to excessive computer use by children, iPhone and iPad users will now be able to limit the amount of time children spend on apps, as well as which apps they can use.
"Some applications require more attention than we might imagine," said Federighi.
Parental control systems are part of a broader system that adults can also use to monitor and limit screen time.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies, said that the flexibility of Apple's system sets it apart from others designed solely for parental monitoring, offering teenagers and adults the possibility of setting their own limits.
“It’s a clear admission from Apple: ‘Our installed base is so large and no two users are alike, so we’re not going to tell you what works for you,’” she said.
New features help protect the anonymity of online users. The company reported that its Safari browser, for both Macs and iPhones, will prevent users from being tracked without permission by websites that use "like" or "share" buttons from social media companies.
Apple has revealed new steps to make it harder for advertisers to distinguish between users, expanding its effort, begun last year, to prevent such tracking.
Apple also launched new augmented reality tools, saying that users will be able to share worlds in games, for example. LEGO, the manufacturer of interlocking toy blocks, showed an application in which two players using iPads could extinguish a virtual fire in a physical house made of LEGOs.
Federighi said Apple is working on a multi-year effort to make it easier to transfer apps from iPhones and iPads to Mac computers, a significant change because Apple's iOS is often a top destination for developers, who frequently choose Android phones as a secondary platform.
Federighi said the tools will be released next year.
By Stephen Nellis