In addition to providing details on the Apple Watch earlier this week, Apple also announced a new super-thin laptop computer called the MacBook. I normally don't talk about Apple computers on iPhone J.D., but the new MacBook is interesting because of the possibility that it offers a glimpse into the future of the iPhone and iPad. First, it uses a new version of USB called USB C, which has a versatile and tiny connector. Daniel Howley of Yahoo Tech wrote one of the best articles that I have seen describing this new USB port. This has led many folks to wonder if Apple might bring USB C to the iPhone/iPad in place of the Lightning connector. I think that Apple likes using a proprietary connector for those devices, but who knows, maybe we will see USB C on an upcoming iOS device.
Second, the MacBook uses a new Force Touch trackpad, borrowing technology that is also part of the new Apple Watch. This new trackpad is no longer a button — you cannot physically push it down — but it does sense how much pressure you are putting on the trackpad and sends vibrations to the trackpad that make you think that you have clicked a button. Jason Snell wrote a great article for Macworld describing how well this new technology works. And then over on iMore, Serenty Caldwell thinks about what this could mean for the iPad, noting that it would let you get feedback while you touch the screen and could greatly improve drawing on an iPad. Indeed, Apple's website now shows that you can do pressure-sensitive drawing with the new trackpad on the MacBook, noting that you can "[p]ress lightly for a thin stroke or harder for a thick one when marking up a Mail attachment or creating a signature for forms in Preview." If Apple brings this technology to the iPad, it could greatly improve the ability to take handwritten notes on an iPad using a stylus.
Between the Apple Watch, the MacBook, and new health apps, Apple has given us a lot of cool new things to think about this week. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- Australian attorney (and upcoming TECHSHOW speaker) Philippe Doyle Gray writes about the ethics of attorneys using technology such as Dropbox and iPads. It's a detailed and thoughtful article, and worth reading no matter where in the world you practice law.
- Yesterday, I talked about some great reasons to go to ABA TECHSHOW next month. Here is one more. Lit Software, maker of the great TranscriptPad and TrialPad apps (and a current sponsor of iPhone J.D.) revealed this week that at TECHSHOW the company will be announcing "a major upgrade, and a new app!" Considering how useful TranscriptPad and TrialPad are, I'm excited to see the company's third app for lawyers.
- Chris Gayomali of Fast Company has a series of interesting excerpts (1, 2, 3) from the upcoming book Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary World. The advance buzz on this book is quite good.
- Suzanne Kapner of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the value to a mall of having an Apple Store, noting: "Apple draws so many shoppers that its stores single-handedly lift sales by 10% at the malls in which they operate, according to Green Street Advisors, a real-estate research firm."
- London-based analyst Benedict Evans has some good thoughts on why Apple is releasing an expensive gold version of the Apple Watch, including this one: "You sell the $50k (or more) couture dress (which may be worn once), but you also sell a lot of lipsticks with the brand halo (and if you think Apple’s margins are high, have a look at the gross margins on perfume)."
- Rob Griffiths produced a spreadsheet that shows all of the different Apple Watch combinations. What I found most interesting is that it shows the weight of each Apple Watch and band revealing, among other things, that the white sports band weighs more than the black sports band. That's strange.
- Have you noticed that in all of Apple's images of the Apple Watch, it displays the time 10:09? Steven Twedie of Business Insider has some theories on why this is.
- Caitlin McGarry and Susie Ochs of Macworld wrote an article on everything that you need to know about the Apple Watch.
- Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote a great article on what the Apple Watch is and what it isn't.
- John Callaham of iMore discusses the latest update to the OneNote app which adds a way to see thumbnail previews of your notes.
- When I write documents using a keyboard on my iPad, I usually use Apple's Pages app. It isn't perfect, but it lets me get my words on paper and them export them so that I can later deal with them on my computer. But I know that many folks swear by sophisticated writing apps. I new one came out this week called Ulysses, and it is similar to the software that has been on the Mac for some time. If you are interested in cutting edge writing software, Mitch Wagner wrote a review of the Ulysses iPad app for Six Colors.
- Security expert Rich Mogull has an interesting article at TidBITS analyzing the recent news that the CIA has been trying to find ways to break the security on an iPhone.
- I doubt that you need a selfie stick, but if you think that you want one anyway, Nick Guy at The Wirecutter did an extensive review of the models on the market and picked his favorite selfie stick.
- And finally, Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money got a surprise call yesterday from Apple CEO Tim Cook on the 10th anniversary of the show. Cook told Cramer that health-related technology on the iPhone and Apple Watch is a big part of Apple's future, noting: "For years, people have depended on strictly somebody else to determine their health, but now these devices, in essence, empower people to manage and track their own health and fitness. And so I think that market is probably significantly underestimated." Cook also answered several questions about Apple's new announcements this past week. The video is short, fun and interesting to watch. Here is the video:
