When Apple's iOS 9 inevitably lands on our iPhones and iPads, its biggest new feature might not be a new app or service, but rather how well it performs under the hood. According to a new report, Apple's engineers are hard at work making sure that iOS 9 is the fastest and most stable version yet of the company's mobile operating system.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple's software team is putting a major focus on squashing iOS bugs and boosting performance instead of just adding new features and applications. Apple will also reportedly keep iOS 9 and its subsequent updates at a manageable download size, so that those with minimal storage on their iPhone or iPad won't be locked out of receiving the latest software.
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This performance-first approach could be in response to iOS 8's notably rocky launch last fall. When the software first arrived alongside the iPhone 6, users reported camera inaccuracies, software glitches and app crashes, particularly on older iOS devices. The iOS 8.0.1 update meant to fix these issues actually caused even more problems, and was pulled about an hour after release.
There's no word on what device generations iOS 9 will support, but 9to5Mac suggested that limiting the software to any device with an A7 processor or newer could help limit performance issues.
While we don't know if iOS 9 will herald any major new features, recent Apple patents point to future improvements such as public transit directions and a Google Maps-esque street view function for Maps. As with every year, we'll likely get a clearer look at what iOS 9 has in store when Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off over the summer.
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