What’s in store for enterprise app dev with iPhone 6 and iOS 8?

As commentators and consumers digest the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch and iOS8 launch, this is a great time to assess what impact the most anticipated Apple release of the year will have on enterprise developers and the opportunities they could offer.

In line with standard Apple practice, the rumor mill ran into overdrive prior to the launch, with feature leaks and reviews of the functionality surfacing on a daily basis. Now that we have all official details on the latest and greatest Apple has to offer, here are my top highlights for how iOS8 can help enterprise developers get the most out of Apple devices:

App Extension Cord

App extensions will make it easier to add common tasks such as photo editing, storage choices and cloud storage access, custom keyboards and social sharing apps. This not only saves development time, but further standardizes the user experience, which instantly makes the app more appealing to users who expect the same experience from their consumer apps. Users will find the app easier to use when they take a picture with the same camera interface that they see in the camera app they use most of the time.

Kit’n’Kaboodle

Apple’s new API kits received the lion’s share of coverage across tech press prior to Apple’s flagship event, and for good reason. They’re a game changer for users and developers alike. Here’s why:

• PhotoKit will offer Manual Camera Controls, making it easier than ever for users to take professional-grade photos. A new API architecture for thumbnails and full-sized assets, along with the ability to edit content, makes it easier to integrate into enterprise apps and elevates the extension to another level. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus’ new camera will take the ability of phone camera’s to entirely new levels; they are already as good as some DSLRsEnterprise users can take advantage of this level of detail when using photos as a data type when capturing info from your users for practice items like documenting a product or process.

• HealthKit is slightly more complex. At its core, Apple now offers a place for users to store, track and share health and fitness information in a secure environment. It remains to be seen how user privacy will affect third-party integration, but the potential impact on healthcare is enormous. From the development side, we know there’s a lot of opportunity here and many teams are already focused on this space. For instance, VitalBox is using Corticon to build rules into its Personal Health Platform, which benefits both patients and caregivers by providing a health map that uses a patient’s medical history and lifestyle to calculate the chance of developing chronic conditions, and then proposes actions to reduce risks. Alerts are delivered to the patient if bodily measurements reach certain thresholds. Apple’s HealthKit will help give developers a framework to start with and will undoubtedly spawn a rash of new health apps. Now with the iWatch the health data market is ratcheted up a level. Expected to have more than 10 biosensors, it can send detailed data to the iPhone. Coupled with the health data gathered from the phone a powerful source of data is available for doctors to aid patients while they are going through treatment. The social implications are deeper enabling people to connect on deeper levels and in ways nobody ever has; analysts say that’s a crucial point as the tech giant enters a new market and seeks to appeal to a broad audience.

• HomeKit controls connected devices in a user’s home. Apps can discover devices and subsequently configure them. Users can also create actions and groups of actions to control devices or groups of devices, triggered using Siri, which is also much improved. This places Homekit in line with the Internet of Things (IoT) such as intelligent locks and automated lighting control, which will change how consumers manage their personal lives. From the enterprise perspective, the IoT holds a lot of potential beyond automatic door locks. At the foundation is Node.js – the first step in building a bridge to IoT – and from there, businesses can look to features such as HomeKit to transpose more consumer innovations into enterprise breakthroughs. Video and graphics get an overhaul. There’s something brewing in the gaming arena following Amazon’s acquisition of Twitch, a video platform and community for gamers. With the introduction of Metal, Apple improves graphics performance 80% bringing console-class 3D games to iOS. Developers will find ways to leverage these new capabilities and frameworks and adapt them to the increasingly visual enterprise. Massive amounts of data can be shown in a variety of ways to take advantage of these capabilities.

Apple Pay

It had been reported that Apple has lined up agreements with the major credit card companies MasterCard, Visa, and American Express, indicating that Apple has launched a mobile payment system, which was confirmed yesterday. Could this be the final piece of the puzzle for a real mobile wallet?

The service will be able to store Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit card information. “Apple said department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdales, drugstores including Walgreen's and Duane Reade, and other stores including McDonald's, Staples, Subway and Whole Foods are participating in Apple Pay” said Mae Anderson, AP Technology

All of these factors lead me to be excited about what the future holds for mobile enterprise development. We’ll be able to advance the abilities of all workers generating positive ROI for our organizations.