With the ringing of school bells and the last few bits of charcoal cooling off, you know that summer is slowly fading out. Another signal that fall is about to roll in is Apple‘s annual September event which usually involves a close up look at new hardware such as smartphones, Apple TV and all their other super cool goodies. This event also means that iOS 9, the next big update to your iPhone and/or iPad, is about to roll out too.

With this latest version of iOS, Apple does indeed step it’s game up but not in the sense that you’ll barely recognize your phone. iOS 9 adds more everyday convenience appeal to the iPhone and iPad. The Notes app has more functions including the ability to add pictures, websites, and to-do lists. Oh and for my budding artists on the move, you can even sketch with your finger (or if you have a little one that needs something to do for a few minutes).

For those who take the road less traveled, iOS 9 has something new for you too. It now has added Transit as a part of the built in Maps app.  So no more looking for the local mass transit app to get around when you’re out of town. You can now manage it all from start to finish with an app already on your phone. Much like other map or GPS apps you can also see what’s nearby your location to grab a bite to eat or shop.

Now the new iOS 9 doesn’t come with a new battery, but it does improve the battery on the device you currently have.  Little tweaks have made this iOS more intelligent so it can sense when it is face down. That means it now knows not to stay backlit, because who’s looking at the screen if it’s face down? The new low power mode is an absolute life saver! For all of us iPhone users who know the pain of being tethered to an outlet constantly or the never ending search for one, just switch the phone to low power mode and you can get up to an extra hour of battery life on your iPhone. It also disables settings you didn’t even know were wasting your battery life.

I must say this may be my favorite iOS update yet, not because it makes the phone prettier or anything but because it adds the functionality that people have been begging for.

How do I know this you ask? I signed up for the public beta that Apple offered this year. This was the first time they allowed a public beta for the next iOS as it is usually reserved only for developers.

Unfortunately, I did end up having to do a restore back to iOS 8.4 because my apps are not yet ready for iOS9. You can test it out if you would like, but Apple’s latest event is today and the new iOS is usually available within the following week.

Will you be updating to iOS 9? What are you most looking forward to? Let us know below

So Apple had their big event today and the definitely didn’t disappoint!  Here are the highlights (and low points for some of our wallets lol)

• As expected, there will be a new iPhone , iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.  It will be offered with a new color option of Rose Gold.  (I love that color by the way)
• HD Facetime capability with Retina Flash!  (meaning that camera on the front of your phone is finally going to look better!)
• 3D Touch capability, light touch for one function, harder touch for another
• 4K video
• Siri hasn’t gone anywhere but she’s gotten smarter, with improved functionality, you can be more general or specific with your statements so she can assist you!
• iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be available for pre-order starting September 12.
• iOS 9 will be available for download on September 16th, (Apple is promising that the upgrades moving forward won’t require as much free space on your device)