Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi this week did a series of interviews with YouTubers, sharing iOS 15 highlights and tidbits with them. Each YouTuber was able to ask Federighi targeted questions about the new update using FaceTime.
Andru Edwards talked to Federighi about Apple's focus on togetherness with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey features like SharePlay in FaceTime and Shared with You in Messages. "We have so many ideas that come up over time, over years. And then there comes a moment when we can suddenly connect them all in a meaningful way and they're right for the moment, and we go for it. This year was one of those," said Federighi.
"With so many of us apart having to connect over distance, we were craving that connection and that ability to be together virtually but still share things with one another and to have all that context for connection." Federighi went on to say that Apple likes to work "thematically" without just "dribs and drabs" of unrelated features. "If we can pull something together to be bigger than the sum of its parts, then that's the moment to really go for it, connect all the threads."
TechMeOut asked Federighi which iOS 15 features he's most excited about. "I think if I had to pick right now, it's probably SharePlay," said Federighi. He went on to explain that he hasn't been able to use it with friends and family because Apple had to keep it secret, so he's eager to give it a go.
French YouTuber TheiCollection spoke with Federighi about macOS Monterey and the new Universal Control functionality that will let you use a single keyboard, mouse, or trackpad across multiple Macs and iPad devices. Federighi said Apple is thrilled for the "zero setup" feature that just works. "It was a fun one to put together," he said about Universal Control.
Other videos featuring Federighi in a series of short interviews are embedded below.
iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey are all available to developers at the current time, but Apple plans to release a beta for public beta testers in July, at which point anyone who wants to will be able to test out these new features.
Update: Several other Federighi interviews have now gone live covering VPNs, FaceTime on Android, and more.
