It’s just after noon Eastern time and I’m eagerly awaiting today’s expected release of Apple’s new operating system for the iPhone and iPad, iOS 12. This free update is chock full of goodies that not only gives you cool new features on your iDevices, but also dramatically improves the performance of all the iPhone and iPad models it runs on (nearly all of them). Yes, this is an update you are going to want to download as soon as you can. There is also a significant update for the Apple Watch today, WatchOS 5, which provides Walkie Talkie capabilities between two Apple Watch users, among many other enhancements.
While I’m waiting for Apple to release iOS 12 and WatchOS 5, I thought I would get up to speed on the new features by reading the most comprehensive review of iOS 12 written by Federico Viticci, which he released just this morning. Federico lives in Rome, Italy and is considered by industry watchers as the leading authority in iOS. Back in 2015 he abandoned his Mac to go all-in on the iPad. He and his colleague, John Voorhees, who hails from my native state of Michigan, publish my go-to podcast for all things Apple.
The blog is called MacStories and it is phenomenal! Chock full of information that keeps a geek like myself in the know, these guys offer the most comprehensive reviews and variety of material on Apple products and 3rd party products designed for them. They have a charism for explaining technical products and making sense of the complex. Their reviews have led me to so many amazing products and services that they are my go-to source to keep up with the latest and greatest apps.
I’m going to be spending hours with the new Shortcuts app in iOS 12 and Federico’s review will be a huge help in understanding how to use it. I also recommend that if you are interested in learning more about diving into Shortcuts you check out David Sparks’ (MacSparky) Workflow Field Guide. Workflow is the predecessor to Shortcuts purchased by Apple and enhanced to become the new Shortcuts app for iOS 12.
So, without any further adieu, I’m going to continue reading Federico’s review while I impatiently wait for Apple to release iOS 12. Check it out…it’s nothing short of amazing!