Wireless Analytics Blog

Whenever an updated version of iOS is rolled out, there always comes a large amount of fanfare and scrutiny for every feature. Wireless Analytics is always looking closely at the future of mobility, so we we’ve broken down the most significant changes announced by Apple last week for iOS 11 and what it means for the industry:

Sending money to friends with Apple Pay

Apple has announced that the updated Apple Pay will allow you to directly pay your friends who have iOS. Apple likely noticed that Venmo is one of the hottest applications on the market currently, which allows users to send money to anyone with the application in a matter of seconds. Apple sees the value in a fast, easy payment process and will be encouraging anyone who hasn’t used Venmo to give it a try. However, users WILL be doing this with their corporate devices, so it’s one more security risk companies will need to monitor.

Siri …. Now with International Translation

Another key feature for those who travel often internationally is Siri’s new ability to take English words and phrases and translate them into Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Spanish. The concept of having a phone serve as a translator is still in its infancy, but the potential to have a phone play a key role in international communication is huge.

The iPad acts more like a Mac

iOS 11 allows users to customize their docks with the apps they like the most. In addition, three apps can run at once, side by side. A new files app will allow users to store data locally and access it right from the device, like a laptop. These features clearly push the iPad one step closer to becoming a device that can fully replace a computer. For those who use an iPad for their job, this is a welcome change. Companies need to fully realize that the laptop is becoming closer to being obsolete and the powerful tablet is the next step in the evolution.

As you can see, mobility continues to evolve – and tablets will play a huge role in how end users will get their work done. As work becomes tied to the mobile device, security will become a bigger topic of discussion! How do you handle mobile security in 2017? Let us know in the comments!