Whats New in iOS 8.0 - A high level look - Part II

Scene Kit

SceneKit is an objective C framework for building simple games and rich app user interfaces with 3D graphics combining high performance rendering engine with high performance high level descriptive API. Scene kit is available in OSX 10.8 and is now available in iOS. OpenGL-EG kind of low level APIs require the developer to implement the Algorithm that display scene in details. With the Scenekit, developer just needs to describe the scene in terms of the objects in it such as light, geometry, etc, and can animate it describing changes to those objects. 

Scene Kit's 3D physics Engine enliven your app or game by simulating gravity, forces, rigid body collisions and joints, 

Sprite Kit

The SpriteKit adds new features that makes easier to support advanced game effects. These features includes integration with Scene Kit, Advanced new physics effects and animations 

AV Foundation framework

AVFoundation framework add support for broad cross-section of audio functionality at a higher level of abstraction than core audio. These new audio capabilities includes access to the audio input and output hardware, audio recording and playback, and audio file parsing and conversion. A developer can also gain access to the audio units for generating special effects and filters, pitch and playback speed management, stereo and 3D audio environments, and MIDI instruments. 

Handoff

Handoff is a new feature in OS X and iOS that extends the user experience of continuity across devices. To participate in Handoff, an app adopts a small API in foundation. Handoff enables a user to begin an activity on one device, then switch to another device and resume the same activity on the other device. 

For Handoff, each on going activity in an app is represented by a user Activity object that contains the data needed to resume an activity on another device. When the user chooses that activity, the object is sent to the resuming device. 

If the continuing activity needs more data than easily transferred by the user activity object, the resuming app has an option to open a stream to the originating app.

References:

https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/releasenotes/General/WhatsNewIniOS/Articles/iOS8.html