Apple Music unveiled at World Wide Developers Conference

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple CEO Tim Cook announced several new products including Apple Music, an app that combines a 24-hour, seven-day live radio station called "Beats 1" with an on-demand music streaming service, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, happening now in San Francisco.

The event, being held that the Moscone Center, is a highlight of Apple's yearly calendar and usually where the company unveils a range of new products.

A longer battery life for the iPhone, improvements to the Apple watch and improved Siri services were also announced in the keynote speech by Cook, who addressed the crowd Monday morning.

Attendees have come from all over of the world. Some began lining up on Sunday. Over 6,000 people are expected to attend from over 70 countries.

The Latest from Apple show:

Apple Music to cost $10 a month

12:30 p.m. PDT (3:30 EDT)

Apple says its new Apple Music app will cost $10 a month for one person or $15 a month for a family of up to six people.

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, adds that the first three months will be free.

Cue says Apple Music will launch in more than 100 countries at the end of the month with a software update. He says it is also coming to Android devices in the fall.

He showed off some features, including the app's integration with Siri, Apple's voice activated assistant at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco Monday.

Siri took requests like "Play the song from 'Selma,'" "Play the top song from May 1982," and "Play the Top 10 songs in alternative."

On-demand music-streaming app

12:05 p.m. PDT (3:05 PDT)

Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Beats Electronics, is introducing Apple Music, an app that combines a 24-hour, seven-day live radio station called "Beats 1" with an on-demand music streaming service.

"Beats 1," led by former BBC host Zane Lowe, will be broadcast live out of Los Angeles, New York and London.

The app will also give artists a forum called "Connect" to allow them to interact with fans by releasing demos, playlists, soundbites, videos and songs.

Iovine says the app brings together elements of the music world that are confusing and currently spread across many apps. He introduced it Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

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11:55 a.m. PDT (2:55 p.m. EDT)

Apple says app developers will be able to make apps specifically for the watch and interact directly with the watch's sensors and controls, such as the dial.

Third-party apps for the Apple Watch have been limited to being extensions of apps that run on the iPhone. With native app support, third-party fitness apps will be able to work without a phone nearby.

Currently, only Apple's own Activity and Workout apps do that.

Apps will also be able to play audio using the watch's speaker and tap its microphone.

The next version of Watch OS will also have new watch faces, including those featuring your personal photos and albums. Raise your wrist, and a different photo from the album shows up.

App developers will also be able to design information modules known as "complications" to appear on the watch faces. An airline, for instance, might design one with upcoming flight times.

A new feature called Time Travel will let users scroll the dial to go back and forward in time, whether that's for upcoming meetings or weather forecasts. Sadly, Apple says Apple Watch can't offer future stock prices yet.

The new features were unveiled Monday at Apple's conference for developers in San Francisco.

Better battery life with iOS

11:45 a.m. EDT (2:45 p.m. EDT)

The iOS 9 update coming this fall will also have battery improvements and improved security.

Health-related improvements include tracking for hydration and ultraviolet exposure, while smart-home features include supporting sensors for carbon monoxide. App developers would take advantage of these tools in building new apps and devices.

In future cars that support Apple's CarPlay, you'll be able to do more on the car's dashboard without taking the phone out of your bag or pocket.

To get iOS 9, you'll need less free space than before to upgrade wirelessly. That was a complaint with iOS upgrades in previous years.

The new software will work with all phones and tablets that currently support iOS 8, though not all features will work with older devices.

Apple also announced at its conference for developers in San Francisco on Monday several new features, including transit directions in Maps, a new app for news and specifically for the iPad, the ability to run multiple apps side by side.

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11:35 a.m. EDT (2:35 p.m. PDT)

The iPad tablet will look and act more like a Mac personal computer starting this fall.

A key feature is the ability to run multiple apps side by side. It's already possible to run multiple apps, but you see one at a time and have to keep switching. Now you can be browsing in Safari and slide in a second app such as Mail or Calendar from the right side. There's also a split-screen view similar to what's coming to the new Mac operating system this fall.

You'll also be able to watch video in a small window while doing other things on the iPad.

Other features include the ability to turn the on-screen keyboard into a trackpad, similar to a Mac. There are also shortcuts for switching between apps.

Some of the new features won't work with iPads that are more than a few years old.

Windows tablets and many Samsung Android tablets already support side-by-side apps.

The features were announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

Apple to offer new app for news

11:15 a.m. PDT (2:15 p.m. EDT)

Apple will offer a new app for news, with a personalized feed based on your interests and choices.

The app pulls text, photos and video from a variety of sources.

Stories that use Apple's new News format will look best on the app.

Features include the ability to save articles to read later and to get suggestions on new publishers and topics by selecting "explore."

It's not immediately clear how Apple will handle news sources that require subscriptions. Apple says it has worked with leading organizations such as The New York Times and ESPN to bring stories to the app.

The app will initially be offered in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. It was unveiled Monday at the technology giant's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

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11:10 a.m. PDT (2:10 p.m. EDT)

Apple is finally bringing public transit support to Apple Maps.

It was one of the biggest gaps when Apple replaced Google Maps as the default mapping app on iPhones and iPads in 2012.

Tapping on a station will show you all the lines that run through it, along with upcoming departure times. You can also get step-by-step directions that include the walk to the station.

The transit feature will be available in select cities around the world initially.

It's part of iOS 9 expected in September.

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11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT)

Apple says it's expanding its Apple Pay mobile-payment service next month to the United Kingdom, the service's second market after the U.S.

In the U.S., Apple says 1 million retail locations will accept contactless-payment services such as Apple Pay by next month. The locations will include chains such as Trader Joe's and JC Penney.

It's still just a fraction of all retail outlets, but it's up from 700,000 in March and 200,000 when the service launched in October. Apple is working with payment service Square to get even more merchants to accept such payments starting this fall.

In the U.K., Apple says there will be 250,000 merchant locations.

With this fall's upgrade to the iOS mobile operating system, Apple Pay will let people add store credit cards, such as loyalty and gift cards from Dunkin' Donuts.

Apple Pay injected new life into mobile payments. Although it was long possible to make payments at retail stores with the tap of an Android phone, it wasn't easy to use. Apple changed that by bringing several banks and retailers on board from the start.

Google also has new hopes for mobile payment with last month's announcement of Android Pay, while Samsung plans a mobile-payment offering this year, staring in the U.S. and Korea.

Siri to be a better assistant

10:45 a.m. PDT (1:45 p.m. EDT)

Apple promises that Siri will be an even better virtual assistant. Siri will try to be more proactive - akin to what Google already does with Google Now and has plans to do with the upcoming Now on Tap feature.

For instance, when a call from an unfamiliar number comes in, Siri will look through your email and give you an indication of who that might be. Siri will also give you reminders to leave for meetings, factoring in current traffic.

Siri can also handle more complex requests, such as ones to show you all photos from a particular place and time.

The responses are context and device sensitive - so what Siri gives you to listen when you're out for a run might be different from when you enter a car.

It's all part of the iOS 9 upcoming expected to come in September.

Apple says it will protect users' privacy.

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10:40 a.m. PDT (1:25 p.m. EDT)

New updates to Apple's Mac operating system include the ability to run multiple apps in split-screen mode. It allows people to take advantage of the computer's full screen. You could have done that before by resizing windows, but that takes more time. The feature has similarities to what Microsoft offers in Windows 8.

Other updates include:

- the ability to pin frequently visited sites on a bar at the top of the Safari browser

- the ability to compose multiple emails in the Mail app through the use of tabs, similar to what Web browsers now have

- improved searching across the entire computer

- tools for faster graphical performance

The new system is called El Capitan, a landmark within Yosemite National Park. Last year's update was called Yosemite, so the use of El Capitan is an indication that the upcoming version is largely a refinement of Yosemite.

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10:25 a.m. PDT (1:25 p.m. EDT)

Apple says this fall's update to its Mac operating system will be called El Capitan - the name of a landmark in Yosemite National Park.

It follows a recent practice of Apple naming the Mac operating system after geographical locations in California. The 2013 update was called Mavericks, the name of a surfing area in the San Francisco Bay area. Last year's version was called Yosemite.

Before, Apple named its Mac systems after big cats, including Lion and Tiger, but the company was running out of animals. Apple now makes Mac updates available for free.

Apple says 55 percent of Mac users have upgraded to Yosemite, much better than the adoption for Microsoft's Windows 8.1

The new Mac system will be more formally known as OS X 10.11, as it's the 11th update to a system adapted from the NeXT operating system that co-founder Steve Jobs brought to Apple when he returned in 1997 after an exile.

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10:10 a.m. PDT (1:10 p.m. EDT)

Apple's conference for software developers is kicking off with CEO Tim Cook declaring the event "the epicenter of change" for both Apple and the industry.

The crowd is cheering as Cook unveils new tools for Apple Watch apps.

The Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco is Apple's chance to preview software updates for Macs, iPhones, iPads and the Apple Watch. The company is also expected to use the show to unveil a new music-subscription service based on the Beats service it purchased last year.

The show began with a comedic video skit purportedly of the event's director planning the special effects and other elements. The director was played by actor Bill Hader.

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9:40 a.m. PDT (12:40 p.m. EDT)

Apple's penchant for secrecy extends to the agenda for its annual gathering of app developers this week.

The Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco begins with a keynote. Apple isn't saying anything ahead of time, though it's widely expected the company will unveil updates to its mobile and Mac operating systems, along with a new music service.

For now, sessions for the rest of the week have mysterious titles such as "Pins and needles," ''Patience is a virtue" and "You'll be talking about this one." Another goes by "Hmmmm." and yet another is "Surprise!" Apple says details will be posted after the keynote.

The conference runs through Friday at the Moscone convention center in San Francisco.

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9:25 a.m. PDT (12:25 p.m. EDT)

Apple isn't the only company to be previewing its plans for this fall.

Nearly two weeks ago, Google held its annual I/O conference for app developers. It's similar to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in that it gives Google the stage for showcasing upcoming features and products.

Google unveiled a mobile payment system called Android Pay to rival Apple Pay and an upcoming service from Samsung. Google also says its Google Now virtual assistant will get better in bringing information users might want based on context, such as the song they are listening to or the article they are reading.

The next version of the Android operating system doesn't have a name yet. It's known for now as M, as Google names systems after desserts in alphabetical order.

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9 a.m. PDT (noon EDT)

Crowds are starting to form outside San Francisco's Moscone convention center ahead of Apple's annual gathering for app developers. Apple uses the Worldwide Developers Conference to preview new features for Macs, iPhones and other devices.

Apple is expected to announce a new music-subscription service incorporating a similar service from Beats, which Apple bought last year for $3 billion.

Apple also might announce new tools for Apple Watch. Apple has said software developers will be able to design apps specifically for the watch this year. For now, all third-party watch apps are dependent on a companion iPhone.

The two-hour keynote begins at 10 a.m. PT.

ABC7 News reporters Amy Hollyfield and Jonathan Bloom contributed to this story.