APPLE READY TO RELEASE IOS 11.3 VERY SOON.

Apple on Wednesday unveiled new features that will become available when iOS 11.3 is released this spring.

The company has released the developer preview of iOS 11.3 to members of the iOS Developer Program. A public beta of the update is expected shortly.

The update will provide new ways to experience augmented reality on the iPhone and iPad, offer new Animoji on the iPhone X, and give users a consolidated view of their health records in the Health app.

A beta version of ARKit -- Apple's AR dev platform for iOS mobile devices -- also has been released to devs.

ARKit 1.5 can turn posters, signs and artwork into interactive AR experiences. It can recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces such as walls and doors.

"There has been lots of buzz around ARKit," said Ramon Llamas, research manager at IDC.

"Apple's helping democratize AR and that's a very smart way to do it with a significant installed base of users, particularly on the iPhone X."

Apple has been scrabbling to remain competitive in AR, suggested Michael Jude, research manager at Stratecast Frost & Sullivan.

"The Android family of phones is already well on its way to AR, Apple has had the hardware platform, but has been slow on the software side. They're looking at being left in the dust if they don't deliver some real application capabilities."

Talking Business A new Business Chat

Business Chat is a new way for users to communicate directly with businesses right within Messages. This feature will launch in Beta with the public availability of iOS 11.3 this spring, with the support of select businesses including Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo. With Business Chat, it's easy to have a conversation with a service representative, schedule an appointment or make purchases using Apple Pay in the Messages app. Business Chat doesn’t share the user’s contact information with businesses and gives users the ability to stop chatting at any time.

Health Records in Health App

The new Health Records feature brings together hospitals, clinics and the existing Health app to make it easy for consumers to see their available medical data from multiple providers, whenever they choose. Patients from participating medical institutions will have information from various institutions organized into one view and receive regular notifications for their lab results, medications, conditions and more. Health Records data is encrypted and protected with a passcode.

Additional iOS 11.3 Features:

• Apple Music will soon be the home for music videos. Users can stream all the music videos they want without being interrupted by ads. They can also watch the hottest new videos, the classics or ones from their favorite artists back-to-back in new music video playlists.

• Apple News now makes it easier to stay up-to-date on the most important videos of the day with a new Video group in For You, and improved Top Stories.

• HomeKit software authentication provides a great new way for developers to add HomeKit support to existing accessories while protecting privacy and security.

• Support for Advanced Mobile Location (AML) to automatically send a user’s current location when making a call to emergency services in countries where AML is supporte

Availability

The developer preview of iOS 11.3 is available to iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, followed by a public beta preview available at beta.apple.com. iOS 11.3 will be available this spring as a free software update for iPhone 5s and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation, iPad mini 2 and later and iPod touch 6th generation. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available on all devices or in all regions or all languages. Not all features will be in the beta releases.