From software to music, Apple fans' Spring Festival guide for the Year of the Ox is revealed

      Starting from the core part of Apple's software services, from February 5th to 19th, the App Store prepared different Today stories and Spring Festival greetings for users every day, and they will be updated every day.

　　The App Store opens with "This year has passed!" I believe this is the simplest sigh for many people about the past year surrounded by the epidemic. As the domestic epidemic is gradually brought under control, domestic users will feel it more deeply.

　　On this summary page, the editors of the App Store have recommended many apps that are suitable for the occasion, from ancient-style simulation business games such as Jiangnan Hundred Scenes, educational software such as Hongen Literacy that allows children to learn while having fun during the winter vacation, as well as games such as "Genshin Impact" and knowledge-based content such as "Get" and "Zhihu".

　　Siri has learned auspicious words for the Year of the Ox and interesting encyclopedia questions

　　Before the Spring Festival every year, Apple's smart assistant Siri will add some new skills based on Spring Festival habits. This year, in addition to auspicious words adapted for the Year of the Ox, there are also two new gameplays: Spring Festival stories and knowledge quizzes.

　　Auspicious words for the New Year can be said to be Siri’s traditional skill. Apple updates it once a year to adapt to the zodiac sign of the year, which is also in line with the habits of Chinese users.

　　The fun encyclopedia quiz may have been inspired by the little girl in "Anian" who kept asking "why" (or maybe because they were afraid that everyone would be too bored during the Spring Festival...). Users can tell Siri "I want to play knowledge quiz", "Encyclopedia quiz", "Ask me questions", etc. to turn on the question mode, and a separate card will pop up, covering various aspects of knowledge such as astronomy, geography, humanities, nature, etc., and there will be a score after selecting.

　　You can try it during the Spring Festival when you have a family gathering or when you are celebrating the Spring Festival alone.

　　Asking Siri to tell you Spring Festival stories is also a new feature. When you ask it if it can tell you "Spring Festival stories", the system's built-in podcast will be launched, and then some stories related to the Spring Festival will be played. These are more suitable for children to listen to before going to bed, which is both entertaining and educational.

　　I don’t know if the above functions can be realized on iPhone, but some of them can also be realized on other devices such as iPad and Apple Watch.

　　Talking about hardware: Watching TV series and playing games on iPad at home during Chinese New Year

　　In daily life at home, the sensory advantages of iPad are more obvious than those of iPhone. Many people are more accustomed to watching TV series on iPad on the sofa or playing games on this big screen.

　　First, let's talk about hardware. Among the current iPad product line, our first recommendation is the iPad Air. Its appearance is consistent with the iPad Pro. Although it has a single lens, it has a faster A14 Bionic chip. In addition, the USB-C interface is more versatile and is compatible with various wonderful accessories of the 11-inch iPad Pro, such as the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.

　　Last year, the Scribble feature came with the update of the iPadOS 14 system. Users (especially the elders) can write and draw at will. If you have an Apple Pencil, you can go a step further and use professional apps to make e-cards, Spring Festival couplets, etc.

　　As a great tool for bingeing dramas, the iPad must be installed with the familiar iQiyi, Tencent Video, Youku, Bilibili, etc. In addition to a relatively complete range of resources, users can also use AirPods Pro and AirPods Max to experience 5.1 and 7.1 spatial audio, or Dolby Atmos, on these apps, and experience a home theater with a portable device.

　　As a recipe tool, the iPad can play a greater role during the Chinese New Year. You can install tools such as "Lazy Rice" and "Cooking" on the tablet, and follow the tutorials step by step to try out your cooking skills during the spring.

　　As gaming tools, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, etc. have been optimized for iPad. After updating iOS 14, using PS or Xbox controllers to play games can significantly improve the gaming experience.

　　Apple Music has 10 groups of celebrity musicians who have hand-picked playlists to accompany you during the Chinese New Year.

　　As the music representative of the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music invited ten groups of musicians who were active in the Chinese music scene in 2020 to create a New Year playlist for users.

　　These musicians each represent the trends and phenomena in the music industry over the past year. The playlist also embodies their creative exploration and thinking throughout the year, as well as their expectations for 2021.

　　In addition to the star playlists, Apple Music editors have also produced several Chinese-style life theme playlists. These playlists will be officially launched on February 11 as the second part of this special Spring Festival project.

　　btw: If you are not an Apple Music user yet, remember to activate this service. New users can use it for free for 3 months. If you are a JD PLUS member, you can also follow the official WeChat account and send "Apple Music" to get up to 5 months of free use.

　　If you have Apple's smart speaker HomePod mini, don't forget to upgrade the firmware. The new firmware improves the performance of the UWB ultra-wideband chip, so that when the family gathers together, they can put the iPhone close to it and play their own music, or use "Hey Siri, play the Spring Festival playlist".

　　A Duo: Hiding from the world, coming out of the mountains, combining Chinese and Western music, returning with "new ethnic music"

　　• Wu Tiao Ren: Cooking anything from raw to cold, and singing out all kinds of emotions in life

　　• Ai-re: From Nirvana to Lowell Lo and Sandy Lam, atypical rapper selections

　　• Miriam Yeung: On the 25th anniversary of her debut, the Hong Kong pop queen lamented life through a playlist - What else do you want in life? Thank you for your company

　　• The Chair Band: A romantic evening breeze blowing from Taiwan, full of the aesthetic projection of the "chill retro trend"

　　• E.SO: Outta Boy in the post-"Naughty Boy" era, the tender soul of a hardcore rapper

　　• Shi Shi: From darkness to light, the life cycle playlist of the R&B singer-songwriter

　　• Xiao Chen Hui: Hong Kong independent duo shares their gains and losses through playlists, hoping to communicate with more fans offline soon

　　• Fung Yun Him: Hong Kong singer-songwriters use playlists to remember their deceased loved ones, and the spirit of “Hang On” runs through the playlists

　　• Xiang Yang: Singaporean talent personally selected the “Treasure New Year Playlist” and shared the “newly discovered” excellent works that I love to listen to

　　AirPods Pro: A special edition that's even better

　　In addition to Apple Music and HomePod mini, another thing closely related to music is headphones, which is a small item that is easier to carry with you.

　　At the beginning of January, Apple suddenly released a new product: the AirPods Pro Year of the Ox limited edition for Chinese users. The actual function has not changed, but there are emojis of the Year of the Ox on the earphone charging box and the outer box.