Apple’s under-the-hood changes in OS X 10.11 will offer some good advantages to developers hoping to create better web-based content for consumption in Safari. One such advantage is the extension of AirPlay video support to Apple’s browser on the desktop, where it had previously only been available on iOS.
Users can, in 10.11, play media from the web to AirPlay-enabled device like the Apple TV natively, in full original quality, using the same WebKit media controls that currently enable that feature in iOS. In fact, the tools used to make it possible are identical to those that currently power the same feature on Apple’s mobile platform, meaning if web developers have already used the API to target iOS, they don’t need to make any changes to their existing code.
Those native WebKit media controls also make it possible for websites to serve video that works with the new “picture-in-picture” feature, letting users pop out, reposition and resize clips for continuous watching on iPad while they continue to navigate the web. Basically, it means web-based media content is about to get a lot more flexible in iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, with additional freedom both within and across platforms.