iPhone J.D.

In the News

June starts in just a few days, and in celebration of Pride month, Apple has released two new Pride Edition bands for the Apple Watch in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Rikka Altland of 9to5Mac shows what the new bands look like. But even if you don't buy a new band, all Apple Watch users can now use the new Pride Threads watch face.  It's a really interesting design in which the numbers float around when the face is active.  Which reminds me, I wish that Apple would substantially increase the number of watch faces available for the Apple Watch, and a good way to do this would be to allow third parties to create and sell watch faces.  This is not a new request—people have been asking for this since the first Apple Watch came out in 2015—but a dramatically new watch face like Pride Threads that is so different from all of the others is evidence that clever designers could come up with countless interesting watch faces.  Apple is a big supporter of diversity, and that is one of the best parts of the company under CEO Tim Cook.  Diversity for watch faces is obviously less important than diversity for people, but it still ought to be something that Apple embraces.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• In an article for ABA Journal, New York attorney Nicole Black discusses some of the best apps that you can use for trial presentation from an iPad, such as TrialPad.
• Claire Stern of Elle magazine interviews Jane Horvath, a lawyer who is the head of Apple's Privacy, Policy, and Regulatory team.
• California attorney David Sparks notes that in 2011, Steve Jobs announced that iPhones would get 5GB of iCloud storage for free.  And now, eleven years later, Apple still only provides 5GB, even though iPhone storage needs have gone up substantially during that time.  Sooner or later, it seems that Apple needs to change this, but when?
• Speaking of Sparks, Episode 640 of the Mac Power Users podcast recommends dozens of useful iPhone apps.  It's a great episode.
• Time magazine's cover story for the issue dated June 6/June 13 is the 100 most influential people of 2022.  Apple CEO Tim Cook made the list, and Time features a short video interview with Cook and two paragraphs about Cook written by Laurene Powell Jobs.  Of course, I'm going to mention Cook on a website like this, but frankly the entire list of full of incredible people, and the accompanying paragraphs are all written by other incredible people who know the honorees.  Of course, "influential" isn't synonymous with "good," so while Zelensky made the list, so did Putin.  But most of the folks who made the list are inspirational, and I look forward to reading about all of them.
• Apple will introduce some of the new features coming in iPadOS 16 in less than two weeks.  Michael Simon of Macworld shares his predictions for what might be included.
• There are rumors that Apple might announced a new HomePod at some point soon.  In an article for Macworld, Jason Snell speculates on what a new HomePod might include.
• Brian X. Chen of the New York Times discusses using Apple's self-repair program to replace his iPhone's battery in an article that is interesting but, in my opinion, unfair.  He complains that it is more expensive to use this program than to have a battery replaced by a professional at an Apple Store, but of course that is true given the economy of scale that comes from replacing lots of batteries by a trained professional, and Chen doesn't even mention that Apple is clearly subsidizing the cost of this program.  He complains that the process is complicated, but of course that is true when you are taking apart something complicated in a small package.  He complains that the equipment Apple rents to you is bulky and heavy, but it is the exact same equipment that Apple uses in its stores; if Apple provided something less than what it itself uses, people would be complaining about that.  And he complains that he broke his iPhone screen as he tried to replace the battery, but then he admits a few paragraph later that his screen broke because he skipped a step in the instructions.  His article is still a good read because it demonstrates how complicated this process is, but I find his gripes unwarranted.
• After I wrote the prior paragraph, I saw that John Gruber of Daring Fireball has a similar take on article with a similar slant published on The Verge.
• Erin Jones of VERIFY explains that the personal information stored in most period-tracking apps is not protected by HIPAA (because the app developers typically do not constitute "covered entities" or "business associates" under the statute), notwithstanding what some of these apps assert.  Thus, these apps could share your personal data with third parties.  As the article notes, this is something to keep in mind should Roe v. Wade be overturned.
• Abner Li of 9to5Google reports that the Street View function in the Google Maps app on the iPhone now has the ability to show you historical pictures of a location in addition to the most recent image.  The new feature hasn't yet shown up in the app on my iPhone, but perhaps Google is just rolling it out slowly.
• Joe Otterson of Variety reports that J.J. Abrams is executive producing a live-action "Speed Racer" series for Apple TV+.  There was a heck of a lot less to watch when I was a kid than there is today, but I used to enjoy watching that one.  I'll be curious to see what they do with this series.  Go, Speed Racer, Go!
• An article by KATU in Portland explains that a thief stole a number of items over the course of a day last week, but his downfall was stealing a knapsack because it had an AirTag in it, allowing the police to track and apprehend the thief.
• Ross Feinstein of The Points Guy reports that his airline lost his luggage containing ski gear, but the luggage had an AirTag on it so he was able to help the airline to locate his luggage.  It turns out that the ski bag was still near the plane, presumably because it was a larger item.  With this information, the airline quickly had someone retrieve and bring him his ski bag.
• Katie Francis of WDW News Today reports that a woman was fidgeting with her Apple Watch while on a ride at EPCOT (The Seas with Nemo & Friends) when the watch fell off our wrist and onto the pathway below.  Her husband jumped off of the slow-moving ride and tried to retrieve it, but was told by an employee that the watch would be returned to their hotel room at The Contemporary Resort.  The Apple Watch was not returned, and instead, the victim says that a thief used Apple Pay on the watch to make $40,000 in purchases.  This does seem possible if the thief guessed her passcode, which I can imagine that happening if it is something simple like 1-2-3-4.  If you lose your Apple Watch, consider alerting your credit card companies.
• And finally, David Pogue of CBS Sunday Morning created a video discussing how an Apple Watch can continually monitor your health and act as an early warning device.  He interviews Dr. Sumbul Desai of Apple and others to discuss what the Apple Watch can do today and what it may be able to do in the future.  If you currently wear an Apple Watch or you are thinking about getting one, this one is worth watching.

Podcast episode 52: Door Detection, Hi-Fly Wi-Fi and Pianos in Bulk

As Brett and I begin our second year of the In the News podcast, we look to the future: Apple may be releasing some sort of AR/VR goggles, new accessibility features are coming to the iPhone, and Verizon will be more expensive but 1Password and Costco can save you some money.  Also, we discuss Apple's new video on data privacy.

In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for ensuring that text messages received on your iPhone show up on your other devices.  I discuss and recommend the COMPLY Foam Apple AirPods Pro Earbud Tips that I've been using since I posted a review last year.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

In the News

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has a long record of reporting on unannounced Apple products.  Sometimes, the things that he predicts do not come to pass, perhaps because his source gave him bad information or perhaps because Apple changed its mind about a product.  But sometimes, the rumors that he reports on turn out to be incredibly accurate.  There have long been rumors that Apple is working on some sort of headset that would be used for augmented reality (AR) and/or virtual reality (VR), and this week, Gurman reported that this product is far enough along that it was previewed for members of Apple's Board of Directors last week.  Gurman reports that the headset will run a version of iOS, the iPhone operating system, and that it could debut "within the next several months" and go on sale in 2023.  Gurman says that the headset "represents the company's first major new product category since the Apple Watch in 2015."  I would argue that the HomePod was also a new product category, and it was announced in 2017 (and went on sale in 2018).  Regardless, it is always interesting to see Apple launch a new product category, however one defines that.  But again, these are all rumors for now, so even if this product is the subject of R&D, that doesn't mean that it will ever see the light of day.  I still have lots of questions about how useful a product like this would actually be—concerns that John Gruber of Daring Fireball also noted yesterday—but it will be interesting to see what it is.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Apple will announce many of the new features in iOS 16 at its WWDC Keynote address scheduled for June 6.  But this week, in connection with Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple announced many accessibility features that will soon come to the iPhone and other Apple products.  Illinois attorney John Voornees of MacStories has a report on these interesting new features.  For example, folks who are blind or low vision can use an iPhone to navigate the last few steps to a door, and the iPhone will even advise whether the door opens by pushing or pulling and will read signs and symbols on or near the door.  Apple will also add Live Captions to just about any video on the iPhone, including video calling apps like Facetime and streaming video services.  Accessibility feature may be designed for folks with specific needs, but they are often useful for everyone.  To pick one old example, closed captions on TV shows may have originally been created for the hearing impaired, but I frequently turn on captions when I am watching shows and I have trouble following the dialogue.  It will be interesting to see all of these new accessibility features come to Apple products over the next year.
• Two weeks ago, I noted that AT&T will raise the price on some of its cellphone plans.  Allison Johnson of The Verge reports that Verizon will also raise rates in a few weeks.
• Bradley Chambers of 9to5Mac discusses the new Eve Outdoor Cam, which he says is the first-ever floodlight for a home that supports HomeKit Secure Video.
• José Adorno of 9to5Mac discusses a new report from Ookla (maker of Speedtest.net and the Speedtest app) of the airports with the fastest free Wi-Fi in the world.  San Francisco was #1, followed by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.  The best ones outside of the United States are in Dubai and Amsterdam.
• V. Palladino of Engadget reports that 1Password is on sale for 50% off right now.  I'm a big fan of password managers, and I've been a happy user of 1Password for many years.
• Juli Clover of MacRumors reports that you can now purchase subscriptions to Apple TV+, Apple News+, or Apple Arcade at a discount through Costco.  If you want all of those services, you are probably better of purchasing an Apple One subscription, which I discussed last year.
• If you are a fan of Apple TV+ shows and you live in the Los Angeles area, you should check out the Apple Store at The Grove, where Apple has lots of fun displays associated with many of its shows.  If you can't make it to that store, Filipe Espósito of 9tor5Mac shared some great photographs that are worth checking out.
• Speaking of which, this week Apple released a trailer for Season 3 of For All Mankind, one of my very favorite shows on Apple TV+.  The new season debuts on June 10, and I can't wait.
• While you are watching videos, you may want to watch this video for UserWay, a service that makes websites more accessible—not so much because of the service, but because someone whose voice you know very well makes a surprising appearance.
• And finally, Apple debuted a new video this week to highlight several iPhone features designed to protect your privacy.  The video, titled Data Auction, is funny and a good follow-up to the excellent privacy-focused video called Tracked that Apple debuted this time last year.

Tim Cook's commencement speech to Gallaudet graduates (full text)

This past Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony for Gallaudet University, a university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students located in Washington, D.C.  As Lauren Lumpkin of the Washington Post reports, Apple has been working with Gallaudet for the last few years.  For example, two years ago, every student and faculty member received an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil.

I haven't yet seen anyone post the full text of Cook's speech.  So much like I did when Tim Cook spoke at Tulane University three years ago, I'm sharing the full text here, with a few annotations, so that you can read his words even if you don't have time to watch the video. 

This speech didn't contain the humor that Cook used when he addressed Tulane, especially in the beginning of that speech when Cook referenced a famous college bar by name and talked about his trips to New Orleans when he was at Auburn to get "beignets and beer."  But he did mention climate change again, which was a larger theme in his Tulane address.  After quoting Franklin Roosevelt to Tulane, he quoted Elanor Roosevelt to Gallaudet.  I personally enjoyed the Tulane address even more, but I realize that may in part because I enjoyed hearing Cook talk about New Orleans (where I live).

Without further ado, take it away, Tim...

*    *    *

I am so honored to share this momentous occasion with all of you.  Thank you to President Cordano, the Board of Trustees, the students, faculty, and staff, and all the proud families and friends in the audience for welcoming me today.  I want to congratulate Dorothy [Dorothy Sueoka Casterline], Carl [Carl-Gusaf A. O. Croneberg], and Lauren [Lauren Ridloff] on your honorary degrees.  Only one of you played a superhero on the big screen [Lauren Ridloff in the movie Eternals], but all three of you have set heroic examples as trailblazers and advocates for the deaf community.  And thank you, of course, to Molly for the powerful words that you shared with us today.  [Molly Feanny was the class speaker who invited Tim Cook to speak at graduation, as she explained in this article.]

Marlee [Marlee Matlin], I can't thank you enough for that generous introduction.  As you know, Marlee is a brilliant performer.  One who has spent her career breaking barriers and defined expectations.  But while Marlee's talent shined through on-screen, she is just impressive off-screen.  As a person, as a leader, and as an advocate, Marlee brings the same integrity and grace to everything she does.  And we at Apple were so lucky to collaborate with her on CODA. 

Finally, I want to say how grateful I am for the partnership that Apple and Gallaudet have built in recent years.  As Apple works to design technology that is accessible to all, we are incredibly fortunate to have such innovative and committed partners.  It's thanks in part to this community that Apple Maps now has a series of guides that help users identify deaf-owned and deaf-friendly businesses.  And we look forward to building on our partnership for many more years to come.

Class of 2022, you made it to this day, to this moment, to this achievement, which was never guaranteed.  Every graduating class confronts challenges, but I think it is fair to say that you faced greater obstacles than most.  After all, you were only in the Spring semester of 2020, a time when many of you were just hitting your stride, when the pandemic turned the world upside-down.  For some of you, that meant leaving behind a campus where you have found a deep sense of community and acceptance, perhaps for the first time in your lives.  For others, it meant remaining in D.C. without the friends and classmates you have come to think of as family.  For all of you, though, it meant navigating a strange and uncertain world.  It meant overcoming a whole new set of obstacles that tried to prevent you from being here today.  But those obstacles, they couldn't stop you.  You are here today for a reason.  You earned this.  And no one can ever take that away from you.

The theme you chose for today's ceremony is perseverance, which is a fitting description for the tenacity that life has demanded of you and for the grit and grace you've summoned to seize your future.  Gallaudet has prepared you for a lifetime of discovery.  There is so much you learned while you were here.  More perhaps than you realize.  Some of it happened in libraries and lecture halls.  Some during dorm room discussions that stretched until dawn.  And in the end, what you earned here is more than a diploma.  It is more than a formal education.  It is experience and insight and wisdom.

The questions you are grappling with today are not so different than the questions that motivate much of the world—especially at this moment in our history.  For many, the pandemic upended not just the way we live our lives but the way we think about the lives we're living.  People are increasingly asking big questions of themselves.  What do I really want to do with my life?  How do I really want to be?  At the heart of it, I think, is one of humanity's most essential questions: what does it take to build the life that provides meaning and fulfillment?  And the thing about it is that no one can answer that question for you.  And that includes me.  There's no iPhone feature that can come to the rescue.  AI is good, but it's not that good.

Still, I have one important piece of advice I want to share—so important that it's the only piece of advice I'm going to share today.  And that is this: whatever you do, lead with your values.  By leading with your values, what I mean is that you should make decisions, big and small, each and every day, based on a deep understanding of who you are and what you believe.  These are not static things, and you wouldn't want them to be.  You will learn more and grow more with each passing year as all of us do.  But there are foundational values that are bedrock.  Things that are core to your personality and your character.  And these are the things you should choose to live by. 

At Gallaudet, you have received a world-class education.  I hope you have used this time to think deeply and openly about the world around you.  To determine what you believe and why you believe it.  What matters now is that you let those ideas guide you.  That you let your values lead you.  This is how you build the life of meaning and fulfillment. 

For me, it was a sense of meaning that drew me to Apple in the first place.  As a company, our purpose has always been to create technology that enriches people's lives.  And we believe we can only achieve that goal through a relentless focus on our values.  That's why we work hard to make technology that is accessible to everyone.  Why we fight to protect the fundamental right to privacy.  And why we are constantly innovating to protect the environment and leave the world better than we found it.

My values have also helped me persevere through the tough decisions in both my professional and personal life.  When people questioned the financial wisdom of our commitment to sustainability, I spoke my values when I made it clear that fighting climate change is, and will remain, one of our most important goals.  And in my own life, it was my values that called me to tell the world I am gay so that I might bring a measure of hope to people still hiding who they are from the world.  Put simply, my values are the driving force behind everything I do.  And they're at the heart of every decision I make.

Now, I recognize that leading a company and leading a good life are not the same thing.  But I know in my heart that staying true to who you are and what you believe is one of the most important choices you can make.  It will help you form better relationships.  It will help you find more satisfaction in your work.  And, with a little luck, and a lot of effort, it will help you build a more meaningful life.

Of course, sometimes the most meaningful life is the one that's least expected.  If I've learned anything, it's that the future is unpredictable, even as we put our best efforts into shaping it.  And that's okay.  As Elanor Roosevelt wrote, if life were predictable, it would cease to be life and be without flavor.

And so when you imagine your future, and the winding path that is laid out before you, remember that the question you should ask is not "What will happen?" but "Who will I be when it does?"  I hope you will be kind and compassionate.  I hope you will see there is wonder in being part of something bigger than yourself and magic to be found in the service of others.  I hope you will be good stewards of the planet we inhabit and participants in the fight to make it better, more equal, more accessible, more just.  I hope you will hold tightly to the community you've built here because whatever life brings, your success will be sweetened and your setbacks softened if you can share them together.  Most of all, I hope you will find happiness and joy, meaning and fulfillment, and a life that gives to you all that you ask of it. 

Class of 2022, this is your moment.  And I, for one, can't wait to see what you do.  Thank you so much, and congratulations!

iOS 15.5 makes it easier to spend money

Apple's annual WWDC conference is just a few weeks away, and on June 6, 2022, I expect Apple to preview iOS 16, which should be released this Fall.  But that doesn't mean that Apple is done with iOS 15 yet, and yesterday, Apple released iOS 15.5.  This update comes two months after Apple released iOS 15.4.  iOS 15.5 is much smaller update with fewer new features.

Use Wallet to send/receive money

An update to the Wallet app makes it easier to send and request money using Apple Cash. 

Just so that there is no confusion about what we are talking about, remember that Apple Cash is not the same thing as Apple Card or Apple Pay.  Apple Cash is a digital card stored on your iPhone in the Wallet app.  Once you connect a bank debit card to your Apple Cash card, you can easily add money to your Apple Cash account by transferring money from the debit card.  Apple Cash is an easy way to send or receive money with others, similar to what you can do with other apps like Venmo.  Apple Card is Apple's credit card, and it uses the Mastercard network.  You earn up to 3% cash back on every purchase that you make, and that cash back is applied to your Apple Cash as you earn it (unless you haven't yet set up Apple Cash on your iPhone, in which case it instead becomes a credit on your monthly statement).  Apple Pay is a way to make contactless payment with an iPhone or Apple Watch using lots of different payment methods such as a credit card (including, of course, an Apple Card), debit card, or Apple Cash.

Before yesterday, if you wanted to send or receive Apple Cash to someone else, you started in the Messages app and then you clicked the Apple Cash icon above the keyboard.  With iOS 15.5, you can now start in the Wallet app.  Select the Apple Cash card, and then right below the card you will see two big buttons to either Request or Send.  Select one of them, and then pick a person from your contacts.  Or, if you recently sent or received Apple Cash from someone, you will see them under Recents:

 

It looks like $10,000 is the most that you can request from someone.  Enter that amount or less, and then tap Request with Messages to send the request via the Messages app.  If you try to enter $10,000.01 or more, the app will not let you continue.

I'll let you know when Brett sends me that $10,000.  I'm not holding my breath.

An even more minor change in the Wallet app is that when you are looking at information on your Apple Card, the app refers to the physical card as the Titanium Card, which makes sense since it is a rather thick and sturdy card made out of titanium.  Although I have the Titanium Card, I rarely ever use it.  Virtually every time that I pay for something with my Apple Card, I use Apple Pay on my iPhone or Apple Watch.

Check your HomePod's Wi-Fi signal

If you own a HomePod mini or the (now discontinued) HomePod, my guess is that you selected its location in your home based upon (1) having easy access to an outlet and (2) where you want the music to come from.  For some houses, another important consideration could be (3) a spot with adequate Wi-Fi reception.  Once you update your iPhone to iOS 15.5, it will eventually update your HomePod to version 15.5.  (If you want to do so manually, open the Home app, hold your finger down on a HomePod for about a second so that the menu pops up, and then scroll down and select Update.)

Here is how you check the Wi-Fi signal strength in iOS 15.5.  First, open the Home app.  Next, locate the HomePod.  You might have it listed under Favorite Accessories on the home screen.  Or, you might have to select a specific room and then find the HomePod listed there.  Hold down your finger on the icon for that HomePod for a second or so until a pop-up menu appears.  Scroll all the way down the menu to the very bottom.  One of the last options will be the Wi-Fi Address.  Tap on Wi-Fi Address and the words will change to Wi-Fi Network and you will see an icon with up to three bars to indicate the signal strength.

If you have two HomePods or HomePod Minis working as a stereo pair, there is an extra step.  In the Home app, hold down on the icon that represents the pair of speakers.  Then scroll down until you see the word Speakers.  Tap on Speakers to see the devices in the pair.  Hold down your finger for a second or so on one of the devices in the pair until the pop-up menu appears.  Then scroll all of the way down the menu to the very bottom, and tap on Wi-Fi Address to change it to Wi-Fi Network.

Sensitive locations in the Memories feature of the Photos app

The built-in Photos app automatically creates Memories with photos that you have taken in the past.  One might feature pictures of your son from 2014.  Another might feature pictures with dogs over the years.  Another might feature a place that you visited.  In iOS 15.5, however, Memories will not create a memory based upon certain sensitive locations where you took pictures, assuming that the pictures have location information in the metadata.  Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac provides a list of some of these sensitive locations, such as the Anne Frank House, former concentration camps, and the U.S. Holocaust Museum. 

Note that it is also possible to tell the Photos app that you would rather not see something in Memories, and this is a feature that existed even before iOS 15.5.  If you encounter such a Memory—such as a collection of pictures of a former spouse—tap the circle with three dots at the top right of the memory and then select "Feature Less..."  Next, you will see some options based upon the type of Memory, such as select this day less, select this place less, or feature a person less.

Safety for minors in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK

Last year, I described efforts that Apple was taking to protect children who use an iPhone.  One of those steps was to display a warning when a Messages detects that a child is about to send or receive a photo that contains nudity.  Apple provides lots of details on how this works on this page of its website.  iOS 15.5 brings this feature to iPhone users in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.

Picture courtesy of Apple.

Etc.

None of the features I described above are major new features, but they are nice improvements.  There are also lots of even more minor changes in iOS 15.5 and the related iPad OS 15.5 for the iPad.  For example, the Universal Control feature on the iPad is no longer labeled a beta feature, so hopefully that will mean that it works even better ... although, for me, it has been working quite well even in the beta version.  And if you were having trouble with certain home automations that were supposed to be triggered when someone left or arrived at a location, that might have been because of a bug that Apple says that it has now fixed.

Also, like any iOS update, iOS 15.5 includes lots of security updates.  Thus, even if you don't care about any of these new features, it is a good idea to install the update to keep your device safe.

Podcast episode 51: iGone, but not Forgotten

One year ago today, Brett Burney and I recorded the first episode of the In the News podcast.  Brett and I both love listening to podcasts, so now that we are on the other side of the microphone, we have tried our best to create something informative and entertaining for you to enjoy every week.  A special thank you to all of you who have sent us feedback and encouragement during the past year.  

Yesterday, we recorded episode 51, and this week's episode covers lots of interesting topics as the podcast starts its second year.  We start by looking back at the history of the iPod in light of Apple's announcement this week that even the last remaining model, the iPod touch, is gone.  We talk about how the iPod had a huge impact on Apple, the music industry, and the consumer electronics industry.  Brett and I also pick our favorite iPod models, which was not easy because there are so many to choose from.

We also talk about great uses of the Shortcuts app, using an iPhone to call 911, why Brett and I both love the Solo Loop band for the Apple Watch, and more.  I also provide some additional details on some problems that I had this week with my iPad and iPhone.

In our In the Know segment, we talk about special modes on the Apple Watch: Nighstand mode, Theater mode, and even Schooltime mode.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

In the News

Apple announced in a press release this week that the last remaining model of the iPod—the iPod Touch, which was essentially an iPhone without a phone—was finished.  Within days, just about all of the remaining models sold out, according to a report by Karen Haslam of Macworld.  It's the end of the iPod era.  When the iPod launched in 2001 (shortly after 9/11), it was a breakthrough device: 1,000 songs in a tiny and easy-to-use device that could fit in a pocket.  Nowadays, I suspect that it has been quite a while since most of us used an iPod, but its impact can still be felt.  without the iPod, there might never have been an iPhone, not only because of the influence that the design of the former had on the latter, but also because the iPod was such a huge financial success for Apple that it gave the company the confidence and incentive to try to develop something like the iPhone.  As former Apple executive Tony Fadell, the father of the iPod, told Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal this week:  "If we didn’t do the iPod, the iPhone wouldn’t have come out. ... The iPod brought us confidence. It brought Steve confidence that we could do something outside of the map and that we could actually continue to innovate in new areas."  The iPod also revolutionized the music industry.  In the age of Napster, Apple showed the world that if you make it easy to pay for music—99¢ for a song with no need to buy the whole album—people will pay instead of downloading pirated music for "free."  The iPod also made Apple cool again; the iPod "halo effect" convinced people to switch from Windows to a Mac.  As Apple says in its press release, the spirit of the iPod lives on today because we listen to music on our iPhones using an app that is now called Music but was originally called iPod.  Even the name lives on to an extent in the AirPod and HomePod family of products.  So when you pour your drink of choice this weekend, I say that we all give a toast to the iPod.  Gone, but certainly not forgotten.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• I'm always interested to learn about some of the cool things that folks do with the Shortcuts app.  Even those of us without programming skills can use Shortcuts to put some actions together and create a useful automation.  In April, the MacStories website held a contest for people to submit their best automations.  Yesterday, Illinois attorney John Voorhees revealed the winners, and there are some great ones in there.  Check them out, and if any of them appeal to you, you can download each one with a single click.
• Voorhees also described some big updates to Adobe's iPad apps.  For example, Photoshop on the iPad can now use AI to do content-aware fill (allowing you to make unwanted people or objects in a photo disappear), and using similar AI, you can remove and replace a background.
• I'm a big fan of the eero Pro routers in my home.  The model that I use gives me almost 500Mbps of Wi-Fi download speed, and up to a Gigabit for devices connected to the eero Pro's Ethernet port, which seems incredibly fast.  But apparently, much higher speeds are on the horizon.  Scharon Harding of Ars Technica discusses Wi-Fi version 7, which will allow new versions of mesh routers to go to over 33Gbps, which is over 60x the incredibly fast Wi-Fi speeds that I'm seeing now.  I'm not even sure what I would possibly do with all of that speed ... but I'm certainly willing to do my best to try to use it.
• Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac wrote a great illustrated history of the iPod in 2011 and has updated it twice since then.  It is a great way to walk down iPod memory lane.
• Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels discusses the different versions of the U2 iPod.
• Allison McDaniel of 9to5Mac reports that AT&T is the first U.S. carrier to use location-based routing for all of its 911 calls in the United States.  In the past, AT&T would estimate your location using its cell towers.  Now, AT&T uses your iPhone's GPS to provide much more accurate location information for first responders: a 50-meter radius instead of a 10-mile radius.
• In an article for Macworld, Glenn Fleishman reviews the Excitrus 100W Magnetic Wireless Power Bank and concludes that it is the best portable battery that provides both USB charging and wireless charging in a single device.  It holds 20,800 mAh, and it is $99.99 on Amazon.
• My "In the Know" tip-of-the-week on a recent episode of the In the News podcast was to use the Speedtest app by Ookla.  That app was recently updated to add a new map feature.  As Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac explains, you can use the map feature to find out how different mobile carrier networks compare in your area, or to identify problem spots if you are traveling to a different area.
• I had two problems with my iPad/iPhone this week.  First, the app that I use every day to work with PDF files—PDF Expert from Readdle—suddenly stopped syncing with Dropbox this week.  It was frustrating when it happened, but I reached out to Readdle's support folks via the Readdle website, and within a few hours, they had it fixed again.  When I saw that the technician who solved my problem lived in Ukraine, I'll admit that I felt guilty that she was spending time solving my problem with a war going on in her country.  Kudos to Readdle for looking out for its customers during this troubling time.
• My second problem this week was with my iPhone.  My son received an athletic award this week and I tried to record video using my iPhone.  I recorded most of the ceremony with no problems, but a few seconds before they announced his award, my iPhone suddenly stopped recording and wouldn't let me hit the button to start recording again.  And then after a few seconds, the interface rebooted.  That's not a good sign.  I noticed that my iPhone was getting sort of hot as it recorded 4K video, and while this should have never happened in the first place, there are two things that I will try the next time that I use my iPhone to record something important.  First, restart my iPhone before I start, just to give it a fresh start. Second, turn on Airplane mode.  My iPhone can get hot when it is having trouble holding a cellular (especially 5G) signal, and I suspect that was happening at the school.  I'm not sure if these two steps would have prevented my problem, but if you are about to record a graduation or other important event with your iPhone, you might consider trying these steps first.  It wasn't a big deal for me to not have video of my son accepting his award—I was still able to take some great photos afterward—but I would have preferred to have the video.  And more importantly, it was annoying that I was distracted by my iPhone as he walked to the stage.
• A funny XKCD cartoon from this week has an Apple theme.
• And finally, now that you can repair the battery and screen on an iPhone by purchasing the parts and the tools from Apple, Quinn Nelson created a YouTube video to show you how it works.  Apparently, this is the same process that Apple itself uses.  Although I have zero desire to ever take my own iPhone apart, I thought it was interesting to see someone else do it:

Podcast episode 50: Our Golden Milestone and Letting Passwords Go To The Dogs

In this week's podcast episode, Brett Burney and I go deep into the subject of passwords and how they might become obsolete thanks to the FIDO Alliance.  We also discuss AT&T rate hikes for older plans, AirTag discounts, and two very fun videos that were released this week:  Apple's Skywalker Sound video and iJustine's look behind the scenes at Apple Fitness+.  I then follow up on something that I promised to do way back in Episode 9; better late than never!

In our In the Know segment, Brett talks about setting up TouchID on an iPad Air and why it is different from an iPhone, and I share a tip for copying just part of a message in the Messages app so that you can paste it somewhere else.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

In the News

For a while now, Apple and other companies have been working towards a future in which we no longer need to use passwords.  Apple—and others, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express—are part of the FIDO Alliance.  FIDO means Fast IDentity Online, and with this system, instead of you needing to remember a username and password, and instead of the service needing to know your username and password (creating the risk of passwords being leaked if the service is hacked), FIDO uses something called public-key cryptography.  The user has a secret key, something that you might store on your iPhone, and it matches one and only one public key, which the service uses. (The service does not need to worry about keeping the public key confidential because it is useless unless it is paired with your secrete private key.)  Yesterday, as we were all of course celebrating World Password Day, the FIDO Alliance announced that they are taking major steps towards this future without passwords.  As Corin Faife of The Verge reports, their proposal is that when you want to log in to a service, you simply authenticate yourself on your iPhone using Face ID (or Touch ID)—or other devices if you don't use an iPhone.  No username.  No password.  Your web browser (or app or whatever you are using) talks to both the service and your iPhone (or other device) and then you are authenticated.  Although no specific timetable was announced yesterday, apparently their hope is to have the first implementations in about a year.  About two months ago, Lily Hay Newman of Wired wrote a good overview of how FIDO will work, and she says that it "will make phishing a thing of the past" which is great because the bad guys "have become masters at tricking users into unintentionally handing over their passwords, and even two-factor authentication codes or approval prompts can be exploited."  Security is such an incredibly important topic for everyone—and especially for lawyers, who have a duty to keep certain information confidential—and thus I would love to see day when we will have an even more secure world without the headaches of usernames and passwords.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories reviews The iOS App Icon Book, a book showcasing great app icon designs.
• For a good example of why the end of passwords cannot come soon enough, Adam Engst of TidBITS shares the stories of two friends of his whose email accounts were taken over by scammers because the bad guys figured out his friends' passwords.
• Josh Hendrickson of ReviewGeek reviews Eve MotionBlinds, smart shades that work with Apple's HomeKit technology.
• David Snow of Cult of Mac recommends accessories for your Apple Pencil, such as a cover that makes it look like a yellow #2 pencil ($11.04 on Amazon).
• Speaking of Amazon, a four-pack of Apple AirTags typically cost $99, but right now you can get them on Amazon for $84.55, which is as low as I ever remember seeing them priced.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball reports that the European Commission may impose new rules on how Apple uses ApplePay.
• On May 4 (Star Wars Day), Apple released a fantastic video showing how the incredibly talented people at Skywalker Sound use Macs to create sound effects for Star Wars and many other movies and TV shows.  This video was great fun to watch.
• If you use an older AT&T plan, Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reports that AT&T is going to raise the plan price to encourage you to switch to an unlimited plan.
• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge wrote a comprehensive review of the top-of-the-line Eero Pro 6E, which takes advantage of Wi-Fi using the new 6GHz band—which no Apple devices currently support, but I suspect that support will come soon, perhaps later this year in the 2022 version of the iPhone.
• Justin Meyers of Gadget Hacks has an interesting list of lesser-known iOS features.  For example, I didn't know that when you are using the keyboard you can type a capital letter by tapping the Shift key and then sliding your finger over to the letter.
• And finally, if you use Apple Fitness+, you should enjoy this video from Justine "iJustine" Ezarik, who had a chance to visit the Fitness+ studio in Santa Monica, CA.  I wish that she could have shown even more behind-the-scenes shots, but the views of the control room showing all of the different screens are really interesting.  For example, one screen includes overlays for every different device that someone might use to watch a video — iPad, iPhone, TV, Mac — so that they can make sure that the action stays in an area that everyone can see.  It is also interesting to see the countdown timer and "up next" information that the fitness coaches see as they lead a workout.  Apple's Fitness+ videos have always been incredibly well produced, in addition to having useful content, so it is fun to see a glimpse into how they produce the videos.  If you want to get even more behind-the-scenes access, check out this article by Robert Leedham of British GQ.

Apple 2022 fiscal second quarter -- the iPhone and iPad angle

A few days ago, Apple released the results for its 2022 fiscal second quarter (which ran from December 26, 2021, to March 26, 2022) and held a call with analysts to discuss the results.  Unlike Apple's Q1 which contains all of the holiday sales, Apple's Q2 is usually not a particularly interesting quarter.  But this year, Apple's Q2 was a big financial success.  Back in 2018, Apple posted record Q2 revenue of $61.1 billion.  This time last year, Apple set another Q2 record with $89.6 billion.  This year, Apple set another record, reporting $97.3 billion, up 9% year-over-year.  But as explained below, Apple also warned investors that Q3 will not be so rosy; supply constraints as a result of COVID shutting down factories in China plus industry-wide silicon shortages mean that Apple's revenue in April, May, and June will be less than it would have been if Apple could sell all of the products that people want to buy.  If you want to get all of the nitty gritty details, you can download the audio from the conference call from iTunes, or you can read a transcript of the call prepared by Jason Snell of Six Colors.  Apple's official press release is here.  Here are the items that stood out to me.

iPhone

• iPhone revenue for the quarter was $50.6 billion, a record for a fiscal second quarter.  This was a 5% increase from last year, and Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple saw strong demand for the iPhone 13 family of devices.
• As Jason Snell noted in an article for Macworld, the fact that iPhone revenue was higher in 2022 Q2 than 2021 Q2 is particularly impressive when you consider that the iPhone 12 was released later in 2020 than the iPhone 13 was released in 2021.  So a year ago, Apple's Q2 saw a large number of iPhone sales that normally would come in Q1.  That didn't happen this year, and it would have been reasonable for iPhone revenue in 2022 Q2 to be less than it was a year ago as a result.  But instead, iPhone revenue was higher this year.  That indicates that Apple is seeing even higher iPhone demand this year than a year ago.
• Cook refused to say whether demand for the iPhone SE 3 was better or worse than Apple had seen for prior iPhone SE models, instead simply saying that Apple could not be happier with its iPhone sales.
• Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that iPhones are selling very well compared to other smartphones: "When we look at top selling smartphones around the world, we’ve had pretty incredible results during the March quarter, the top six models in the United States are iPhones, the top four in Japan, the top five in Australia, five of the top six in urban China, and so on and so forth.  So the iPhone 13 has been truly a global success."

iPad

• iPad revenue for the quarter was $7.6 billion, down somewhat from $7.8 billion one year ago. 
• Cook attributed the decrease in iPad revenue to supply, not demand.  Cook described the same problem three months ago.
• The 2% drop in iPad revenue as compared to this time last year was better than the 14% year-to-year drop last quarter, when Apple was also very constrained in iPad supply.  (But as noted below, I expect iPad revenue to go back again next quarter.)
• Maestri said that iPad demand remains strong:  "Customer response to our iPad lineup, including our new M1-powered iPad Air, remains very strong, and our installed base of iPads reach a new all-time high during the quarter, with over half of the customers purchasing an iPad during the quarter being new to the product."

Other

• Although Apple does not reveal specific information about Apple Watch sales, Apple said that the entire category of Wearables, Home, and Accessories saw 12% revenue growth in the past year, setting a new record of $8.8 billion.  Maestri said that two-thirds of the people who purchased an Apple Watch in Q2 were purchasing their first Apple Watch.  That's impressive considering that the Apple Watch has now been for sale for just over seven years.
• Apple services revenue rose to a record $19.8 billion in Q2, up 17% from last year.
• Tim Cook said that because of supply constraints caused by COVID and industry-wide silicon shortages, Apple will sell $4 to $8 billion less in Q3 than it would have sold without these issues.  Cook said that these shortages will affect most of Apple's product categories.  The silicon shortages were something that Apple saw in Q1 as well, but the shortages due to COVID were new in Q2.  As a result of these shortages, some sales that Apple would have made in Q3 will not happen until Q4.  But Cook also believes that some customers will purchase non-Apple products in Q3 because of these shortages, which means that Apple will lose the sale completely as a result of the shortages.  Cook said that the good news is that the factories in Shanghai, China that had closed to COVID are now starting to re-open, but it could take four to eight weeks for the factories to get back to normal.