Apple builds continuity between iPhone and Mac for documents, messages, and phone calls

Apple software executive Craig Federighi announced today that the newest version of Apple’s software will allow you to seamlessly maneuver between your Mac and iPhone.

You can, for instance, open up a document on your iPhone. If you are also connected to a Mac via Wi-Fi or another network, you can then open the same document on your Mac.

“This is about the right device for the moment, and the transitions between those moments,” Federighi said during the keynote talk at Apple’s Worldwide Device Conference (WWDC) event in San Francisco.

Federighi said that Apple’s Airdrop wireless tech, which links your iPhone to Apple TV, will now be the glue that links the Mac and the iPhone/iPad.

If you take any app that is open on your iPhone and then swipe up, it will appear on the screen of your Mac. If you compose an email on your iPhone, you can walk over to the Mac and complete it there. The same is true for your iMessages and your phone calls.

In fact, if you are receiving a call on your iPhone, you can look at the Mac and it will show you via CallerID who is calling you.

You can answer the call with your Mac and use it as a speaker phone.

“If phone is across the house in a charger, you never have to miss a call,” Federighi said.

He demoed the technology by calling Apple’s newest employee, Dr. Dre, who joined the company along with Apple’s recently confirmed $3 billion acquisition of Dre’s Beats Electronics.

Tim Bajarin, analyst at Creative Strategies, said he was impressed with the integration work that Apple did on the Mac OS computer software and iOS iPhone software.

“I think Apple did a lot to differentiate itself from Android and Windows today,” Bajarin said. “They can do it because they own hardware, software, and developer tools. They can deliver a richer, integrated experience. This is the first time where I thought they put the pieces together and made it a better user experience.”

Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at Insight 64, said, “You can do a lot of sharing now, if you know what you are doing, but this makes it a lot easier. If you are an iPhone user, you might want to get a Mac Book that will go with it now, instead of a PC.”