2015 is a big year in the tech world and those with an ear to the ground in the world of mobile device operating systems insist we are going to witness the release of brand new versions of all the three major portable device OS’s within a short period of each other.
With no clear-cut release dates as yet for either of Apple iOS 9, Android 6.0 or Windows Phone 10 we can only use probable dates and also try to place a finger on the features of each operating system. The following is a running summary of what you can expect for each mobile operating system version if and when they are finally released.
Apple iOS 9
It is only a couple of months since the release of the Apple iOS 8 but the release of iOS 9 is one of the most eagerly awaited tech events of the year. You may be tempted to think this is because iOS 8 was underwhelming but that is not the case at all. It only comes from the certainty that Apple releases a new version of the operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch once a year. It is highly expected that iOS 9 will be codenamed Monarch after the iconic American resort.
Apple iOS 9 Release Date and Features
According to many with an ear on the ground in tech circles, the new iOS will be unveiled in June during the 2015 Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) but the full release will be sometime in September. This is when Apple is widely expected to release the even more eagerly awaited iPhone 6c/ iPhone 6s/ iPhone 7. There is plenty of speculation about features of the new operating system but the only definite we can report now is that the new version will include several speed tweaks and a number of bug fixes, bugs which have somewhat blighted the brilliance of iOS 8.
Android 6.0
Even before the dust has settled down after the excitement which followed the release of Android 5.0 (Lollipop) speculation is rife that Google is at an advanced stage with an even better version of their smartphone operating system. Those in technological circles cannot seem to stop speculating about the new Android offering, not least about the name of the version and whether the new upgrade will be a whole jump to a version 6 or a point upgrade to Android Lollipop.
Since the release of Android Alpha and Android Beta, Google has taken the practice of naming their new OS versions on sweet treats. Thus we have witnessed releases of such delectable versions as Cupcake, Donut, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Kit Kat and of course Lollipop. There are many who believe the new version will be named Android M in a clear break with this indulgence craving trend of the past.
Android 6.0 Release Date and Features
Though at this point there is nothing definite about the release date of the new Android version, there are some considerable indicators as to how it will appear when it finally makes an appearance. For starters the interface is said to have a real 3D feel about it, an effect much akin to the one on Amazon’s forked Fire Phone.
Windows Phone 10
As we speak, the first version of the eagerly awaited Windows Phone 10 is already available to a select few users who participate in the Windows Insider program. It is worth noting that the version released is only an unfinished build, technically a sneak preview of the new Windows OS version for phones and portable devices. At the moment only users with Lumia 630, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 638 Lumia 730 or Lumia 830 can install the version.
Windows Phone 10 Release Date and Features
According to those who have sampled the new Windows for smartphones and portable devices, the operating system gives the same experience you get on PC on a smartphone this time. It is therefore not much of a surprise that the expected release date for Windows Phone 10 will coincide with the release of Windows 10 for PCs. This is expected to be sometime later in the second half of 2015.
Seeing that Apple, Google and (to some extent) Microsoft have managed to keep a tight lid on both the release dates and features of their respective mobile device operating systems in 2015, it is not easy to compare which one is a head and shoulders above the rest. But in terms of the one most eagerly awaited, perhaps Windows 10 will have to take the prize here. Not only will the release coincide with the release of a tranche of Windows smartphones, Microsoft is also expected to release Surface Pro 4, its groundbreaking tablet/ laptop hybrid and (of course) Windows 10 for PC at the same time.
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