As expected, Apple at its WWDC 2017 conference in San Jose announced the next iteration of iOS, the iOS 11. The new OS brings brings several new features, especially targeted towards the iPad like powerful multi-tasking feature, new Files app and more ways to use Apple Pencil. 

The latest OS will also delivers the biggest AR platform as well. iOS 11 also brings redesigned App Store and features like ability to pay friends using Apple Pay, Do Not Disturb while driving, more intelligence and a new voice for Siri, and new professional capabilities to Photos and Camera. 

ARKit
ARKit is a new platform for developer to let them bring high-quality AR experiences to iPhone and iPad. It will allow developers to use computer vision technologies to build apps that let users place virtual content on top of real-world scenes  for interactive gaming, immersive shopping experiences, industrial design and more. 



Improvement to Siri
Thanks to advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, Siri's voice is more natural and expressive, adjusting intonation, pitch, emphasis and tempo while speaking, and can translate English words and phrases into Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish. Moreover, using on-device learning, Siri is now capable to deliver smarter suggestions on based on personal usage of Safari, News, Mail, Message and more.

Professional camera and photo features

• With iOS 11, Potrait Mode images can be taken with optical image stabilization, True Tone flash and HDR, so every shots lokks more professional.
• Live Photos get a new Loop and Bounce effects that create continuous video loops, while Long Exposure can capture time and movement.
• In Photos, Memory movies are optimized to play in both potrait and landscape orientation.
• High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF): Reduces the file size of photos taken with iPhone and iPhone 7 Plus. 

Pay friends with Apple Pay
Apple Pay is now integrated into iMessage app allowing Apple Pay users to make and receive payments with friends and family right in Messages. You can also tell Siri to pay someone using credit and debit cards they already have in wallet. When users get paid, they receive the money in their new Apple Pay Cash account. They can use the money instantly to send to someone, make purchases using Apple Pay in stores, apps and on the web, or transfer it from Apple Pay Cash to their bank account. 


Do Not Disturb mode while driving
This mode will help drives stay more focused on the road while driving. iPhone can detect when you may be driving and automatically silence notifications to keep the screen dark. Users have the option of sending an auto reply to contacts listed in Favorites to let them know they are driving and cannot respond until they arrive at their destination. 


Redesigned App Store
The all-new App Store has been designed from the ground up to make discovering apps and games easier than before. It original stories and editorial, updated daily in a new Today tab, as well as new Games and Apps tabs. Other new additions inlucdes Compelling stories, in-depth interviews, helpful tips and collections of must-have apps and games.

• Today Tab is all about games, apps and cuture.  Through in-depth features and interviews filled with beautiful artwork and videos, the App Store’s global team of editors will share the stories of iOS developers and their apps and games.
• Game gets its own dedicated Home. It features recommendations of new releases and updates, compelling videos, top charts just for games and hand-picked collections.
• Apps will have its own tab, bringing customers everything they need, from photography to money management, shopping to social networking and more. Just like the Games tab, the Apps tab will have great recommendations, videos and hand-picked collections across 24 categories, as well as its own app charts.
• Search has been enhanced to include the editorial content found in Today, Games and Apps.
• App product page has been redesigned to spotlight more engaging content, and put the most important information front and center.
• In-app purchases will show up on an app product page and in search results, and editors can feature them in Today, Games and Apps

Additional iOS 11 Features:

• App Store for iMessage has a redesigned app drawer for more convenient access to apps and stickers
• Control Center offers more customization, enabling quick access to frequently used controls all on one page, and a new Lock Screen delivers a more convenient way to see Notifications all in one place.
• Apple Maps adds indoor maps for major airports and shopping centers around the world and lane guidance to avoid missing a turn or exit.
• Home supports more categories of accessories including AirPlay 2 speakers and more ways to automate your home with new triggers.
• AirPlay 2 offers multi-room audio enabling users to easily control speakers using Control Center, the Home app or Siri.
• Apple Music offers more ways to discover music with friends. Subscribers can create a profile so their friends can follow them, listen to playlists they’ve shared and see the music they listen to most.
• Apple News is even better at keeping readers informed and entertained with personalized top stories and suggestions from Siri, great stories curated daily by Apple News editors in the new Spotlight tab and the best videos of the day in Today View.
• One-handed keyboard mode on iPhone makes typing on the go even easier and a new QuickType keyboard on iPad delivers quick access to numbers, symbols and punctuation

As mentioned earlier, iOS 11 brings a additional new features for iPad, and Apple says it is the biggest software release ever for iPad. These include:

• A new customizable Dock that provides quick access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen;
• Improved multitasking, including a redesigned app switcher that brings Spaces to iOS, making it easier to move between apps or pairs of active apps, used in Split View and now Slide Over;
• New Files app that keeps everything in one place, whether files are stored locally, in iCloud Drive or across other providers like Box, Dropbox and more;
• Multi-Touch Drag and Drop, which is available across the system to move text, photos and files from one app to another, anywhere on the screen;
• A new document scanner in Notes, which lets users easily scan single or multi-page documents, removes shadows and uses powerful image filters to enhance readability; and
• Deeper integration with Apple Pencil, with support for inline drawing to write along text in Notes and Mail, Instant Markup to easily sign documents, annotate PDFs or draw on screenshots, and a new Instant Notes feature, which opens Notes from the Lock Screen by simply tapping Apple Pencil on the display. New searchable handwriting makes it easy to search for handwritten text or characters
• QuickType keyboard on iPad offers quick access to numbers, symbols and punctuation — no more switching back and forth. Just flick down on a key to quickly select what you need.

The developer preview of iOS 11 is now available to iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com, and a public beta program will be available to iOS users later this month at beta.apple.com. iOS 11 will be available this fall, which is sometime in September. 

Here's the full list of Apple devices that will get iOS 11: iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, iPhone 6s & 6s Plus, iPhone 6 & 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st & 2nd generation, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad fifth generation, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2 and iPod touch 6th generation. 

Source: Apple