New iPhone, Mac features unveiled

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple’s Mac operating system is getting a new design and better ways to exchange files, while the software for iPhones and iPads is getting new features for multitasking.

The new mobile software, iOS 8, will sport interactive notifications, so you can respond to a message without having to leave another app. There will be new gestures, such as double tapping to get a list of people you communicate most often.

Although the Mac and iOS systems are separate, Apple CEO Time Cook says the two have been engineered to work seamlessly together.

The company is previewing the new features at its 25th annual conference for software developers in San Francisco.

There’s speculation that Apple could use today’s keynote to showcase its plans to help manage people’s health, finances and homes. There’s also a Ferrari spotted in the building, an indication that Apple will update people on CarPlay, its project for embedding automobiles with some of the iPhone’s main applications.

Here are the highlights on what’s been announced so far and what’s coming:

CHANGES TO MAC COMPUTERS:

— The next Mac system will be named Yosemite, after the national park, now that Apple is naming it after California locales rather than cats.

— Yosemite will have a translucent design. The notification center will use that design, for instance, to give you an advance look at your calendar, weather and other information.

— You’ll be able to search for content on the computer and on the Internet at once, similar to a feature that came with Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 system.

— Apple is expanding its iCloud storage service so that you can store and sync files of any type, not just the ones designed specifically for iCloud. It’s similar to how services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft’s OneDrive let you work with the same files on multiple devices more easily.

— A Mail Drop feature will make it easier to send large files. Instead of pushing the entire file by email and overloading mail servers, the Mac will create a link that the recipient can click for the full file.

— The Mac’s Safari Web browser will have more privacy controls and ways to share links more easily.

— The free Mac update will be out this fall. A version is available for developers today. This summer, Apple will also make a test version available to selected customers who aren’t developers.

CHANGES TO IPHONES AND IPADS:

— Like the new Mac OS, the iOS 8 system will have a universal search tool, to cover both files on your device and content on the Internet. It will also get the iCloud Drive service.

— A “quick type” feature promises predictive typing suggestions. For example, if you start typing, “Do you want to go to,” the phone will suggest “dinner” or “movie” as the next word. Currently, the suggestions are limited to spelling corrections.

— A “do not disturb” feature will make it easier to stop notifications on a conversation with just a swipe, while a “tap to talk” feature records and sends audio messages to a recipient so you don’t have to type.

— IOS 8 is widely expected to include a built-in health-management tool to help people track their vital signs, diet and sleeping habits. This tool could be similar to Passbook, a feature that Apple built into iOS two years ago to store tickets for flights and events, as well as digital gift certificates. Apple’s chief rival, Samsung Electronics Co., incorporated fitness-related features in its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S5.

— The new iOS may also include a long-awaited digital wallet that enables Apple to process payments on iPhones and iPads. Google Inc. has already tried something similar on its Android software for smartphones, but it hasn’t gained much traction in digital payments.

— There’s been speculation that Apple will unveil a home automation system that will enable iPhones and iPad to become a remote control for managing lighting, security and other household appliances with wireless connections.