On Monday, Apple trumpeted lots of new features in iOS 8: Smarter notifications. Smarter email. Smarter autocorrect.
But Apple didn't say much about one new iPhone and iPad feature that will bring a sigh of relief to anyone unhappy with the battery life of their phones and tablets (a.k.a. basically everyone).
iOS 8 will have a new window that shows you which apps are sucking the most battery life out of your iPhone or iPad -- both when the apps are running and when they are on standby. Then, if you're inclined, you'll be able to quit out of those programs that are killing your battery.
Here's a photo of what it will look like from Evan Coleman. As an iOS developer for the app Timehop, he got an early version of the operating system from Apple.
At least one eagle-eyed tweeter spotted a very brief mention of the energy-saving feature during Apple's keynote presentation.
Poor battery life is very high on the list of complaints about not just the iPhone, but all smartphones. A 2013 survey from J.D. Power & Associates found that battery life is the least satisfying of 19 smartphone characteristics.
As you've probably noticed, battery life has not been improving at the same rate as other smartphone aspects, like speed and memory, mainly since smartphone makers are pushing up against the limits of how much power the current generation of lithium-ion batteries can hold. Apple, for example, is now even experimenting with solar-powered batteries, according to The New York Times.
iOS 8 will be available on newer versions of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch starting this fall. Until then, it's just for developers.
Now we just need, you know, a better battery.