As reported by Jay Somaney, a contributor to Forbes, last week on Thanksgiving while I was enjoying a (delicious) apple pie, lots of other folks were buying Apple products. At Target on Thanksgiving Day, the iPad was a top selling item, with Target selling an iPad every second. The last quarter of the year is always Apple's most profitable quarter, and with many models of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch on sale, I have no doubt that this will be Apple's best quarter ever. Hopefully, some of you will be able to enjoy some great new Apple technology during this holiday season. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- For the month of December, Lit Software is having a sale on its popular iPad apps. TrialPad will be only $109.99, TranscriptPad only $69.99, and its newest app DocReviewPad only $69.99. Lit Software doesn't have sales very often, so if you have been thinking about getting these apps — some of the very law-related apps in the App Store — now is the time. Also, if you are looking to give one of these apps to another lawyer as a gift, click here for step-by-step instructions on how to do so.
- In an article for Legaltech News, Chris DiMarco discusses law firm BYOD policies for smartphones and tablets that attorneys own but use for work.
- Ten attorneys and other legal professionals discuss password security in a roundtable for Law Technology Today.
- California attorney David Sparks reviews a wallet by Nomad that can not only hold your charge cards but can also charge your iPhone.
- Jeremy Horwitz, who used to work as an IP lawyer and is now a senior editor at 9to5Mac, explains the five things that made him decide that the iPad Pro is the best iPad for him. I definitely agree with #1 on his list: the Apple Pencil.
- Horwitz also wrote a separate article about the Apple Pencil, plus alternative styluses.
- I was the subject of a short interview in a newsletter produced by DLS Internet Services for NALS, the association for legal professionals.
- Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote an exhaustive review of the iPad Pro.
- Jean-Louis Gassée, who was an Apple executive during the 1980s, explores why it may well make sense for Apple to make an electric car.
- In an article for Quartz, Dan Fromer explains why the Apple Watch seems like a stalled platform, even though he admits that he likes his. There are parts of Fromer's article agree with, but I like Dave Mark's response to that article in The Loop, in which he notes that there is nothing wrong with the Apple Watch just being a really good iPhone accessory as opposed to something ready to replace the iPhone.
- One thing that I would like to be able to do with my Apple Watch is use it as an electronic boarding pass. That way, both of my hands would be free to carry bags or other items. Technically you can already use an Apple Watch as a boarding pass, but during my travels the scanners have been configured to work best with an iPhone, and thus it has been too awkward to twist my arm into position to read a pass on the watch screen. However, British Airways announced this week that it is introducing new handheld scanners designed to work well with the Apple Watch.
- Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal has advice for using the iPhone and other tech with your Christmas lights.
- Jared Newman of TechHive reviews SnapPower Charger, an outlet cover that adds a USB charging part to a wall outlet.
- And finally, like many fans of Apple technology, I'm also a huge fan of that other company that Steve Jobs ran: Pixar. I've loved everything that they have done, from the earliest shorts to the latest motion pictures. Kees van Dijkhuizen, Jr. produced a nice two minute video that looks back at 20 years of Pixar animation, with a voice-over by Pixar's Andrew Stanton:
