CUPERTINO, California―September 9, 2014―Apple® today announced iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store℠, will be available starting Wednesday, September 17 to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users as a free software update. iOS 8 delivers a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType™ keyboard and Family Sharing. iOS 8 also includes the new Health app, giving you a clear overview of your health and fitness data and iCloud Drive℠, so you can store files and access them from anywhere. With more than 4,000 new APIs, iOS 8 allows developers to further customize the user experience with major extensibility features and robust frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit.

Additional iOS 8 features include:

• expanded security and management improvements for Enterprise, with new productivity features, including an extended level of data protection for key built-in apps and support for configurable Thread Notifications in Mail. Improvements in the way users are informed of how their devices are configured and managed further support the new mobilized workforce IT model;
• design enhancements that build off the stunning interface of iOS 7, bringing interactive notifications, quick access to key contacts, intelligent suggestions and the ability to quickly switch back and forth between the Inbox and Drafts in Mail; and
• Spotlight® suggestions beyond what’s on your device, including Wikipedia entries, places nearby and news articles.

The iOS 8 SDK, with over 4,000 new APIs, gives developers the ability to create amazing new apps like never before. The SDK delivers major iOS extensions, including new sharing options, widgets, custom actions and document APIs. Touch ID™ APIs enable developers to securely authenticate users within apps. Gaming on iOS 8 gets even better with Metal™, a new graphics technology for game providers to bring console-class 3D games to mobile devices. iOS 8 includes CloudKit, offering developers a complete and scalable back-end solution, eliminating the need for writing server code and maintaining servers. Swift™ provides developers with a powerful, next-generation programming language for iOS and OS X that’s fast, modern, interactive and helps them write safer and more reliable code.

Pricing & Availability
iOS 8 will be available as a free software update starting Wednesday, September 17 for iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina® display, iPad Air™, iPad mini™ and iPad mini with Retina display. New iCloud pricing includes 5GB free, 20GB $0.99/month, 200GB $3.99/month, 500GB $9.99/month and 1TB $19.99/month. Continuity features and iCloud Drive will be available on Macs running OS X Yosemite. In October, SMS Continuity will be available as a free update to iOS 8 and iCloud Photo Library will be available as a beta. Starting in October, with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay™ will be available in the US as a free update to iOS 8. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.