Four weeks from today, I’ll be in Chicago giving presentations on how to get the most out of technology in your law practice at the ABA TECHSHOW conference. I always meet and reconnect with lots of iPhone J.D. readers at that conference, and if you are trying to decide whether to attend this year, I encourage you to do so. The ABA announced this week that Nilay Patel (the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Verge) will be giving a Keynote address this year. This is great news. Patel practiced IP law in Chicago before he became a full-time tech journalist, and his reviews and insights on Apple products over the years have been top-notch. I really look forward to his presentation. One last note about TECHSHOW: Brett Burney and I are co-hosting a Taste of TECHSHOW dinner on Thursday, March 26. Spaces are very limited and, in the past, have filled up quickly; this year, instead of signing up online or in an app, you need to register onsite at the Conference Concierge, first-come, first-served. Keep that in mind as you plan your itinerary. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Speaking of ABA TECHSHOW, Bob Ambrogi of LawSites announced the 15 legal tech startups that will participate as finalists in the 10th-annual Startup Alley.
- Speaking of former practicing attorneys who now focus full-time on technology, David Sparks of MacSparky writes about how Apple Wallet is now so valuable that you often no longer need a real wallet. I agree.
- We already knew that there would be an Apple event on Wednesday. Zac Hall reports that, according to a source who is in the know—that would be Apple CEO Tim Cook—the new product announcements will actually start on Monday. Time to grab some popcorn and get a good seat.
- Steve Jobs would have turned 71 years old this week. As unfortunate as it is that he was taken so young by a cruel disease—one that, unfortunately, my own family has experience with—how lucky we are for the things that he brought into this world. This week, the Steve Jobs Archive released a project called Letters to a Young Creator, which features short notes written by people who have created great things in business, design, technology, and the arts. I’ve only just started to read them, and they are inspiring. You can read them on the website, or can download them (for free) to your device from Apple Books.
- Fernando Silva of 9to5Mac recommends portable power banks. However, he doesn’t mention the Anker Laptop Power Bank (my review) ($119.99 on Amazon), which I use all the time with my iPad and my Vision Pro, and I highly recommend. I almost purchased one a few months ago as a birthday present for my brother, but when I talked to him first to try to feel him out on whether he might be interested, his response was that he already owned two of them.
- You should use a password manager, and I’m a big fan of 1Password. But the company announced this week that it is raising prices. The family plan that I use goes from $59.88 to $71.88/year. I know this has caused some people to wonder if now is the time to switch to Apple’s free Password app. Adam Engst of TidBITS compares the two services. For some people, Apple’s app may be sufficient. But for me, I need something that is cross-platform since I use a PC at work, I want something that stores more than just passwords (such as notes, medical records, Social Security numbers, etc.), and I appreciate a better system for sharing certain passwords with others in my family. However, if you don’t share with others and you only use Apple products, Apple’s system does have its advantages, and you cannot beat the price.
- Speaking of security, Apple announced yesterday that the iPhone and iPad are the “first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations.” This means that they can “be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met.”
- I don’t often discuss Android smartphones on this website, but this week, Samsung announced the new Galaxy S26 Ultra, which includes a new feature that will appeal to attorneys and others who often read confidential information on a smartphone screen and want to reduce the risk of someone reading over their shoulder. The new feature is called Privacy Display. It is not one of those screen protectors that you attach to the phone; it is a hardware feature that you can turn on or off as needed. Instead, Allison Johnson of The Verge describes it like this: “There are two sets of pixels in the display: one that projects the image straight ahead toward the viewer and one that projects light off to the sides, so you can see the screen from an angle. By turning off that second set of pixels, the screen looks basically normal to the person holding the phone, while looking very dim from an angle. Someone directly behind you with a good view over your shoulder might still see a bit of what’s onscreen, but the effect is stronger just off to the sides.” Interesting.
- In an article for TidBITS, Julio Ojeda-Zapata recommends products made by companies other than Apple that are compatible with Apple’s Find My system and that work in ways that an AirTag does not.
- Rolfe Winkler of the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will move some of the production of the Mac mini to a Foxconn facility in Houston. The facility will also include a training center for advanced manufacturing, a potential precursor to even more Apple products being made in the United States.
- Mahmoud Itani of Macworld shares tips for using the Notes app on the iPhone.
- Jamie Jirak of Daily Dot reports that while the MuppetVision 3D attraction was recently closed at Disney World, a version of the experience will soon become available for the Apple Vision Pro. That sounds fantastic to me. It’s time to play the music; It’s time to light the lights…
- Josh Rubin of Cool Hunting interviewed the folks at Apple who created Immersive Environments in the Apple Vision Pro—such as the new Jupiter environment—to discuss their creative process.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac shares a short video clip in which Ted Lasso actor Hannah Waddingham reveals that the next season will come out in August 2026 and shares what she loves about the show.
- F1 races come to Apple TV starting next week, and Jason Snell of Six Colors has an extensive post with all of the details.
- The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now airing on Apple TV. And as Christoffel notes, the initial reviews are very positive.
- And finally, For All Mankind is one of my favorite TV shows, and I’m excited that Season 5 will debut soon, on March 27. This week, Apple released a trailer for Season 5. Apple also announced that the spin-off series Star City will debut on May 29—the same day as the final episode of Season 5 of For All Mankind. I guess I know what I’ll be doing that night. Here is the trailer for the new season of For All Mankind: