AppsAnywhere 2.12: All new UI & Hardware Profiles

‍We're incredibly excited to share what we’ve been cooking up at AppsAnywhere HQ over the last few months! In line with our new strategy, we’ve focused on our product pillars along with customer feedback to help guide our focus and build a comprehensive product that works for everyone.  

2.12 will see a number of amazing product updates which align with our first product pillar, the UI and User Experience. Not only is the portal much fresher and slicker with improved accessibility, but we’ve also enhanced the technology under the hood which will allow us to easily make changes based on your feedback.    

Keep reading to learn more about all of the updates in AppsAnywhere 2.12...  

AppsAnywhere 2.12 webinar recording

AppsAnywhere's Product Owner, Spencer Vale, Development Manager James McNab, and Lead UI Lewis Howles showcase the new upcoming AppsAnywhere release, 2.12.

UI & User Experience   

We’ve rebuilt our UI from the ground up to provide the best experience to as many people as possible, no matter how they use AppsAnywhere. One of our aims was to make the portal as clear as possible, without expecting any kind of shared knowledge. The new portal builds on the great experience you've come to expect from AppsAnywhere. For example, App Lists are now easier to use, and unavailable apps are present to give you more feedback. The UI gives more frequent indicators when we're waiting on data. 

We’ve also worked on smaller improvements which will save people time and effort. One example of this is the addition of the copy button on the device information screen. It’s now far easier to share that information.  For Admins, we're aiming for it to be a breath of fresh air! The simpler, more modern navigation and new architecture, create a platform from which we can do some powerful things in upcoming releases.

Key points:  

• Improved search to find and launch the apps you need more easily, including the ability to launch an app directly from the search   
• Searches now include unavailable apps, so it no longer seems like apps disappear between devices   

• A new collections feature providing simpler access to a user's favourites and key categories. This will also allow customers to better highlight apps that they want to bring to their users’ attention  
• A new launch process, providing more information to the user which makes it easier to understand next steps if something goes wrong. This makes the launch process more transparent, gives the user better feedback, and makes it easier to carry on if something goes wrong 
• More visible App Lists, making it as much a feature for users as it is for those who deliver courses. This leverages existing functionality to give users more choice over how they use AppsAnywhere and find the apps they need 
• A new ‘why unavailable’ feature makes is clear why an app is unavailable, without needing to look through confusing settings 
• A more consistent user experience for all devices, including mobile   

• Improved readability for screen-readers by decluttering the interface and improving the ordering of components throughout the page 
• Improved keyboard navigation throughout the portal 
• Allowing delegation of authentication to the Parallels Client if the user signs in via SAML   
• Improved architecture: Faster, written in modern technologies, API driven   
• Thousands of tests to confirm functionality and improve and enforce consistency   

• Lower server load - we don’t load all apps up-front, and some information is only loaded as required, reducing peak demand on servers   

Hardware Profiles  

We understand that not all students have the same devices, which can lead to difficulties with software delivery. We want users to receive the best possible experience regardless of device and our customers to be able to minimize their reliance on expensive VDI solutions. With our new Hardware Detection feature, if a device meets the hardware profile requirements, the application can run locally or virtualise, but if it can’t, then AppsAnywhere could revert to a more appropriate delivery method like VDI for example.  

• Ability to limit delivery methods using hardware profiles by detecting a device's RAM and dedicated GPU capabilities   
• This feature allows running it natively for users whose hardware is powerful enough, while providing a fallback to those who can’t - ensuring that everyone gets a good experience while minimising costs 

New validation workflow    

The new validation process is much less intrusive, and with the new launch process, provides clear indication to the user of what is needed and what's happening.  

• Less intrusive, it now provides information to the user when needed, but stays out of the way where it can. Particularly with on-demand, we can now simply let users launch apps and handle any requirements as part of that one launch process.  
• A new validation trouble-shooter to try to help if something goes wrong   

• The ability to re-download the client   
• The ability to re-validate  

Detection of Locally Installed Executables   

We've expanded the ways in which a locally installed application can be detected, increasing the number of compatible applications to improve the success of this delivery method.    

AppsAnywhere 2.11 recap

Refresh your memory of what was new in AppsAnywhere 2.11, including automatic app licensing and added OS support...

AppsAnywhere 2.11 recap