WWDC 2015: The 7 most important things Apple announced today

WWDC 2015 begins with a bang

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, was everything we hoped for and then some.

If you didn't sit through the massive 2.5 hour keynote, there's a lot to catch up on.

From iOS 9 to OS X El Capitan to streaming music, here are the most important announcements from WWDC 2015 so far.

Apple's 'one more thing' - Apple Music

iTunes helped revolutionize the sale of digital music. But in recent years, with millions of listeners already tuning in to streaming outlets like Pandora and Spotify, Apple announced today the launch its own streaming service, nudging longtime iTunes users into a new mode of listening. Enter Apple Music.

Launching June 30, Apple Music will let you stream music from your own iTunes library, as well as Apple's massive library of tens of millions of songs. The service includes Beats 1, a 24/7 global radio station, hosted by DJs from around the world. Artists can upload their work to Apple Music Connect to help increase their exposure, regardless of whether they're signed to a labor or not.

Playlists in Apple Music are also expected to offer more of the kind of music you like because Apple Music is curated by actual people, not algorithms like on Pandora and Spotify. But, Apple didn't go into much detail in describing whether you can mark those curated playlists for offline listening, like Spotify.

Apple Music costs $9.99 a month, though users will have a free 3-month trial. A family plan will also be available for $14.99 a month for up to six members. Android support is coming in the fall. And even if you're not a member, you can still use Apple Music to follow your favorite artists and listen to Beats 1 for free.

Climbing OS X 10 El Capitan

Like the rumors suggested, OS X 10.11, otherwise known as El Capitan, is more about tweaking the OS X experience and improving performance than redesigning the whole interface. The new version of OS X is focused on subtle improvements to the experience and performance optimization with advancements under the hood and smarter ways to do the things you do most.

Some of the tweaks to the new version of OS X include handy tricks, like new gestures that make it easy to do quick actions, such as deleting a message in Mail, and generating a cursor that will get really big when you first log-on so you can easily find it. Other new gestures include a shake to enlarge the mouse cursor and a new way to pin websites on Safari.

The OS X update also lets you mute audio in tabs without entering specific pages. Improvements to Spotlight search provide more extensive and integrated search capabilities: you can look up things like sporting event tickets and the weather, all while using natural-language phrases like, "photos from my trip to El Capitan."

Surprise! It's iOS 9

Apple's next-generation mobile operating system, iOS 9, will focus on enhanced system intelligence, numerous improvements to built-in apps and new iPad-specific capabilities. Much like El Capitan, iOS 9 is more about fine tuning and refining than radical change.

There are a number of apps and features of importance to, uh, note. The Notes app has always been great for jotting things down, but with iOS 9 it's been completely redesigned to do much more, gaining more functionality (like drawing).

A few transformations took place, too. Passbook has become Wallet, Newsstand downsized its name to News, though it gained a fresh new Flipboard-like look, videos and content from major publications.

Thanks to smarter Siri (more on that in a few) and greater contextual awareness, iOS 9 is poised to be welcome upgrade for all (and we do mean all since the new OS will work older as well as newer iDevices). It will take less space to install than iOS 8 and should give the iPhone 6 an hour more battery life with average use.

Most radically, Apple is offering iOS 9 as a public beta, the first time it's done so, beginning next month. The general release will happen later this fall.

A smarter Siri

The new and improved Siri arriving in iOS 9 will start living up to the personal assistant's potential. With the OS update, Siri will give users better ways to search for photos and videos. It will have more contextual awareness, knowing when you get into your car, for example, and it will actually understand what "it" means in the context you're using "it." Similar to Google Now, the iOS "proactive assistant" features will use the data on your phone to give advice, options and reminders like never before.

Yet even with its greater intelligence, Siri will still keep your data private, Apple promised.

Thanks to the Proactive feature, your device can now anticipate what you want to do next based on your location, the time, what app you have open, or what you're connected to, offering apps to open or people to contact based on your usage behavior. Like a great assistant, Siri offers important relevant information all based on what you've done in the past. It will do handy things like ping you about appointments and offering traffic conditions to your destination.

The new Siri can also learn your listening habits at certain times and places (like the gym) to deliver the right music when you're ready for it.

Apple Pay in the UK

This is a big deal.

Apple Pay launched last year, but it was missing out on a major region. Today, we learned the mobile payment service is finally headed to the UK in July. Eight of the biggest banks and major vendors like M&S, Boots, Costa, McDonalds, Subway and Waitrose will support the payment system. It will land in 250,000 locations in the UK, more than launched in the US.

Apple Pay in the UK will also with Transport for London services, meaning riders can pay for their trips on the Tube and elsewhere using the feature.

Users can add their credit and debit cards into Wallet (formerly known as 'Passbook') and transport for London on the Tube, buses and trains.

A few other Apple Pay bits include more partner support in the US from the likes of Trader Joe's and J.C. Penney and an Apple Pay-compatible reader from Square launching in the fall. Pinterest's new buy-it pins will also be compatible with Apple Pay on iOS.

Public transit info hitches a ride on Apple Maps

Little changes like adding public transit information to Apple Maps can make a big difference in the long run. In iOS 9, Maps will support bus, ferry, subway and train routes. Apple is actually trying to one-up other transit apps on the market by mapping subway stations to offer a more accurate estimate of travel times. Transit maps are being released in select cities to start, including London, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Beijing.

Mega changes on the way to Apple Watch

It may not be Apple Watch 2, but the second version of the software running Apple's first wearable is a big deal on its own.

Among the changes afoot with watchOS 2 is native app support, meaning devs can finally tap into the full potential of the Watch for their apps rather than simply mirroring them from iOS. Other features include the ability to respond to emails, watch videos and make FaceTime audio calls straight from the Watch. You can also tell Siri to start or stop the Workout app without ever touching the Watch face. Wallet, the updated Apple Pay and live transit data via Maps are headed to the wearable, too.

With the new version of the Watch OS, Apple Watch faces are going to get way more customizable. Developers will be able to create their own "complications," those little widgets that display information other than just the time. Users will be able to pick a pic from Photos as their Watch face, or they can choose a Time-Lapse face to see iconic places cycle on display. A new feature called Time Travel lets users see upcoming events and temperatures by turning the Digital Crown.

The new Watch OS will be available this fall.

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