iOS 8, the latest version of Apple's operating system comes preloaded with the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus that were launched today. The iOS 8 release date is Sept 17. From this day, users with compatible iDevices will be able to upgrade to iOS 8.

iPhone models such as the iPhone 4S, 5, 5S and 5C are eligible to receive the iOS 8 upgrade. iPad models like the 3rd gen iPad and iPad Air can be upgraded to iOS 8. Owners of iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display can also install the new iOS 8 on their devices.

Here are the 8 probable reasons to upgrade to iOS 8.

Lockscreen

Users will be able to reply to a new SMS or a Twitter alert directly from the notification area without the need of leaving the app they are using. The lockscreen gives you access to Medical ID which makes it easy to access important medical information and emergency contacts without requiring you to unlock the screen.

Continuity

iOS 8 brings seamlessly connectivity between Mac PCs and iDevices. A new feature named Handoff allows users to launch a task like composing a mail on one device and finish the task on another device. When you get a call on your iPhone, Continuity will also allow you to receive your phone calls on your iPad or Mac if they are present on the same Wi-Fi network.

QuickType

The inbuilt onscreen keyboard available on the iOS 8 has become smarter. It allows users to see couple of predictive texts as they type a word while creating a text. It will also suggest you with words that you are most likely to type when you receive messages. Moreover, the iOS 8 allows users to use third-party keyboards like Swype and SwiftKey instead of the inbuilt keyboard.

Siri

In the new iOS 8, the Siri digital voice assistant will always remain turned on and you won't have to say 'Hey Siri' or touch the home button to start it. You can buy stuff from the iTunes Store by using Siri and it comes incorporated with a host of streaming voice recognition services.

Spotlight Search

The Spotlight search did not allow users to get internet search results when they searched for any information on their iPhone in iOS 7. The iOS 8's Spotlight not only allows you to get relevant information on the web but also it will display trending topics and contents from iTunes and Apple Store.

Photos App

In iOS 7, the Photos app could show only a thousand images that were synced to iCloud by using Photo Stream. However, in iOS 8, the iCloud Photo Library allows you to view all the photos and videos present on any of your iDevices as long as there is an internet connection.

Safari Web Browser

The new edition of Safari web browser that comes with iOS 8 will offer a decluttered user interface. Improved overview feature will show the web pages that users have opened and the tabs from the same site will be shown in groups. A snap of your credit card stored on Safari will help in automatically entering credit card details in the relevant fields effortlessly.

Health Kit App

The iOS 8 comes with a brand new Health app which is not present in iOS 7. It will accumulate fitness information from a host of third party health apps and allow users to view heart rate, calorie count, cholesterol levels, and sugar levels and so on.

When you compare the iOS 8 with iOS 7, you won't find any significant visual difference. The iOS 8 does offers better functionalities compared to its predecessor. The developers have done a good job in enhancing all the good features of iOS 7 in the new iOS 8.

Apart from the improved way of viewing and quitting apps that are consuming battery juice, the new version of iOS does not offer anything significant for improving performance. For users who own a Mac PC and iOS device, the new Continuity feature will surely improve cross platform integration among Apple products.