Apple released a beta version of iOS 9.3 to developers on Monday. They also published a preview page on their website detailing the update’s major new features.
iOS 9.3 will include Night Shift which can automatically adjust the display’s warmth to limit exposure to blue light at night. Apple is also adding the ability to password protect entries in the Notes app. And there’s also some enhancements to News, Health, and CarPlay. But perhaps the biggest features will be targeted toward the education market.
I sent my fiancée a link to the iOS 9.3 education preview page and she was thoroughly impressed by it. She’s been teaching for the past six years and has had iPads in the classroom for the past three. By far, the one feature she’s most excited about is Shared iPads.
Because of budgetary constraints, there’s never enough devices to go around. This means that students had to take turns on the classroom’s iPads and, without multiple users, it was difficult to save a students progress on the device. With Shared iPads, that looks to be a thing of the past.
There’s no word on when it’ll be available to the public, but my guess would be very soon. Most school districts determine their purchases for the following school year in the spring time and with 9.3’s heavy focus on education-related features for the iPad, Apple’s needs to release it as quickly as possible.