Apple's streaming music service: Just over a year after buying Beats, Apple appears to be ready to transform Dr. Dre's streaming music service into something of its own.  According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to launch a $10 per month subscription service that would offer unlimited access to music, much like Spotify. ( In fact, it's difficult to tell why Apple thinks this service will be significantly better than Spotify — it's probably not even going to offer a free, ad-supported tier.)  Like Beats Music before it, Apple's music service is likely to focus on curation.  Big names like Drake and Pharrell may even be on board to help.  Apple's also said to be serious enough about this service that it could arrive on Android, making it the first Apple-branded app to do so. 

Apple takes on Google Now: Google Now's helpful, predictive information has been one of Android's most compelling features for years, and now Apple may want to offer an alternative.  According to 9to5Mac, one of the biggest iOS features in the works is a Google Now competitor called "Proactive."  The feature would live to the left of the home screen and display relevant information based on what's coming up in your calendar, where you are, and what you usually do on your phone or tablet.  The report warns that this feature may not be ready for iOS 9, but it certainly seems like a headline addition if it makes it in. 

Maps learns public transit: It's about time.  One of Apple Maps' many big failings has been its lack of public transit directions, but those could finally start to arrive in iOS 9.  According to 9to5Mac, Apple is planning to begin introducing directions for bus, train, and other public transit routes in several big cities, with other locations arriving over time.  That means a lot of people may still be left waiting — but starting with major cities like New York would at least provide coverage for millions of riders each day.