One year ago, Apple proudly announced that it sold five million iPhone 5 devices the first weekend that it went on sale and that 100 million people had updated to the new iOS 6. This week, Apple announced that it sold nine million new iPhones. That incredible number includes both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, but I suspect that the large majority of the early adopters bought the iPhone 5s. Apple also said that over 200 million iPhones are now running the brand new iOS 7. This is an incredible response to Apple's new hardware and software, but frankly is not all that surprising considering that both have been so well reviewed. The iPhone 5s reviews have been incredibly positive, and while iOS 7 takes a little while to get used to the new look, it has so many improvements that I still find myself discovering new things every day. Here is the news of note from the past week:
- Tampa attorney Katie Floyd reviews the Nest Thermostat, a sophisticated way to adjust the temperature in your home that you can control with your iPhone.
- The reviews of the iPhone 5s continue to come in. I'll note a few. First, here is the review by California attorney David Sparks. His impressions are very similar to mine.
- Jason Snell of Macworld wrote this review of the iPhone 5s, and it is a delight to read. For example: "Adding a fingerprint sensor was an audacious move by Apple; this is weird, sci-fi technology that could make the iPhone a laughingstock if it doesn’t work right. Not only does it work, but Apple has also shown great restraint in making the entire process feel normal. There are no bright animations or wacky sounds when Touch ID is in use. Sure, you’re unlocking your 64-bit pocket supercomputer with just a fingerprint, but that’s no reason to get excited."
- My favorite part of this iPhone 5s review by Victor Li of Law Technology News is the last sentence.
- GDGT gave the iPhone 5s a score of 97, the highest-ever score for a cellphone on GDGT.
- James Galbraith of Macworld ran some tests to figure out how fast the iPhone 5s is. The title of the article gives away the results: "iPhone 5s lives up to the hype."
- Allyson Kazmucha of iMore tests LTE speed on the iPhone 5s on AT&T and finds that it is faster than the iPhone 5. I haven't noticed much of a difference myself, but I'm happy to learn that it could be faster.
- Rene Ritchie of iMore reviews the leather case that Apple sells for the iPhone 5s.
- There have been news stories that one person figured out how to fool the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s, but the steps involved are so complicated that in my mind it doesn't make me any less impressed by this technology. I agree completely with the perspective offered by David Pogue of the New York Times on the issue, and you should read that article if you have any concerns. If a criminal is dedicated (and lucky) enough, I'm sure he can figure out a way to pick the locks on your house, use social engineering to get past the receptionist in your office, and tap your phone line. You simply cannot eliminate all risk. But you can take reasonable precautions, and the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s makes it convenient to use increased security, such as requiring a passcode every single time that the device is woken up, and that makes it a great feature for everyone, especially attorneys.
- Josh Centers of TidBITS offers a 39 word review of that $39 iPhone 5s case.
- If you buy a red iPhone case — or any other red product from Apple — the company makes a donation to (PRODUCT) RED, the organization that fights AIDS. Bono recently announced that Apple has so far raised $65 million for the organization.
- Last week, I linked to an article based on interviews by Sam Grobart of BloombergBusinessweek of Apple executives Jony Ive, Craig Federighi and Tim Cook. He has since posted the full text of the interviews, and frankly they are far more interesting than the article. Here is the Tim Cook interview; here is the Ive/Federighi interview.
- When I fly, I often find it useful to use the Gogo in-flight Internet service, especially the new plan that offers 30 minutes of access for just a few bucks — enough time to catch up on your emails so that you don't have 100 unread messages when you land. This week, Gogo announced a partnership with Allstate that will offer 30 minutes of free in-flight Internet access during weeken flights. The Gogo Blog has more details.
- When I fly, I often wish I didn't have to turn off my iPhone and iPad during takeoff and landing. That may soon change. The FAA recently created a 28-member committee to study the situation, and yesterday that committee released its recommendation that the FAA change its policy and allow the use of personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing, as noted by AppleInsider. Hopefully the recommendation will be accepted and the policy will change soon.
- Before iOS 7, if you had to open a .zip file on an iPad or iPhone, the best solution was typically GoodReader, an app that I recommend anyway to every attorney. But as Serenity Caldwell of Macworld notes, in iOS 7, the Mail app knows how to open .zip files.
- If you want a USB car charger that will quickly charge an iPad and an iPhone, Karissa Bell of The Wirecutter says the best model is the Scoosche reVOLT c2 which costs about $20 on Amazon.
- The Onion offers its own take on the new features of iOS 7.
- And finally, last week I ended with a funny clip from Conan O'Brien about the gold iPhone 5s. In light of the gold iPhone shortages, here is the follow up video:
