August is always slow month in the world of iOS, and so far that has certainly been true this year. Yesterday, Apple released a minor update to iOS, version 8.4.1, to fix some bugs with Apple Music, but all eyes are on next month when I expect Apple to release iOS 9 and the 2015 version of the iPhone. I'm sure that we will also see a new iPad too, either in September of perhaps in October. (Last year, Apple announced the iPhone 6 on September 9, 2014 and the iPad Air 2 on October 16, 2014.) As for this past week, there wasn't much to talk about, but here is the news of note:
- California attorney David Sparks talks about what it would be like to have force touch on the iPhone, a rumored feature of the next iPhone.
- Shira Ovide and Daisuke Wakabayashi of the Wall Street Journal report that Apple is working with more than 40 app and hardware developers to make the iPad more attractive to business users. The article mentions employee scheduling software and digital cash register systems, but I'm curious if these efforts could result in new apps that are useful for lawyers.
- Software developer and long-time Android proponent Joe Casabona explains why he is switching from Android to iPhone.
- Curious what music they have been playing on Beats 1 on Apple Music? Nikhil Sonna analyzes all of it in an article on Quartz. The top played song is the catchy Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd, which has been played 107 times. The top genre played is Hip-Hop/Rap.
- Soon after Apple Pay debuted, I used it at a Rite Aid store. But then the chain stopped accepting Apple Pay because it is part of a consortium developing a competitor called CurrentC. CurrentC is still not on the market yet, but starting tomorrow, Rite Aid will start accepting Apple Pay again, as reported by Caitlin McGarry of Macworld. So that means that you will be able to pay with your iPhone and Apple Watch at both Walgreen's and Rite Aid. (CVS still doesn't accept Apple Pay.)
- Adam Engst of TidBITS reviews Dark Sky, one of my favorite weather apps for the iPhone.
- Jay Blahnik, who is reponsible for many of the fitness features in the Apple Watch, talks about his work in an interview by Scott Rosenfield for Outside magazine.
- Luxury watch expert Ariel Adams of A Blog to Watch reviews the 18K gold Apple Watch Edition.
- And finally, in an article for Forbes, Ariel Adams writes about a company in Los Angeles called Made Worn that custom engraves watches. They often work with Rolex watches, but Adams shows off a custom-engraved Apple Watch that costs $10,000. Click here to see all of his images of this unique watch, but here is a sample. And no, this isn't a picture of my arm:
