WWDC: Three awesome new Apple features that also protect your privacy

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Apple critics are already bummed that the company didn't release a new TV or shiny iDevice during its 2014 keynote at the World Wide Developers' Conference. But WWDC has always been mainly about the software, and for fans of iOS and Mac OS X, there's actually a lot to like.
Some of the biggest changes take place under the hood.

And this time, Apple has released a handful of software features that promise to improve security without sacrificing ease of use, which is often the tradeoff when it comes to protecting your data. Here's a sampling.

  • Mindblowingly huge e-mail attachments. The next version of Apple's operating system, Yosemite, will support attachments that are up to 5 GB in size.
  • A fingerprint sensor API. Apple introduced a hardware update to the iPhone that let users sign into their Apple accounts and unlock their devices just by pressing their thumb to the built-in sensor. Now, Apple's making that same hardware available to developers, meaning you'll soon be able to log in and make purchases with your fingerprint on third-party apps, too.
  • Support for third-party keyboards. After years of forcing people to use the keyboard that came with the iPhone, Apple is allowing other keyboards onto iOS.

WWDC: Three awesome new Apple features that also protect your privacy