iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Shortcuts is the hot new feature of iOS 12. The Shortcuts app lets you automate some crazy stuff, for instance this shortcut that activates the iPhone’s camera and sends an SMS if the cops pull you over. Thanks to Apple’s terminology, Shortcuts is a little confusing. Is it an automation tool? Does it have something to do with Siri? Why would you use it?

On Monday, iOS 12 will arrive for iPhones and iPads.
Apple announced the upgrade to its mobile operating system back in June, at its annual developer conference, WWDC. iOS 12 includes some major new features, along with several changes designed to make using your iPhone or iPad a lot easier.

Among the notable additions: a standalone Measure app that's like a virtual tape measure, tools to combat smartphone addiction, grouped notifications, and customizable animated avatars called "Memoji."

"Apple is launching a new Measure app in iOS 12 in the next few months that will let you size anything with just your iPhone.

You no longer have to go searching for a tape measure while hanging pictures or when trying to determine if a couch will fit in your living room.

I recently tried the new Measure app in Apple's iOS 12 developer beta. It uses the advanced cameras on newer iPhones like the iPhone X, and will presumably work on Apple's new batch of devices coming soon.

Other augmented reality apps — the type that let you interact with the real world through your phone — have been available in the iTunes App Store and for Android phones. But this is the first time Apple has introduced its own version.

Here's a preview."

iOS 12 is a performance focused software update, aiming to boost the usability of older iPhone and iPad models. But that doesn’t mean iOS 12 is without new fancy features too, so while the iOS 12 update may not be as outwardly flashy as some other past releases, there are still some interesting new additions and changes to the mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad users.

In addition to the announcement of upcoming iPhones and Apple Watches, yesterday’s Apple Event gave us some insight into the new iOS 12 update — as well as potential new iOS 12 hacks — that will be available for download Sept. 17. Of course, anyone who has ever had to update their iPhone operating system knows that it can be a more daunting task than simply pressing a button and waiting a few minutes/half a day. If the official announcement of the latest iOS update has you in a mild panic, worrying about having to figure out a new system just as you’ve sorted out the old one, have no fear: there are a handful of new, helpful, and easy-to-use features to keep an eye out for.

"Apple has unveiled iOS 12, the upcoming system software version for iPhone and iPad. The future system software version aims to have a significant focus on performance and optimization of iOS, but also includes a variety of new features, and brings along several new apps too.

Improvements and new capabilities include a variety of additions to Augmented Reality capabilities, Siri, performance, a variety of new apps, and new features to existing apps. Let’s take a quick look at some of the changes coming to iOS 12."