In the news

Apple has confirmed that it will announce new products on Monday, March 21.  The rumors are that Apple will announce a new 9.7″ iPad, but instead of calling it the iPad Air 3, the rumor is that it will share the iPad Pro name that is currently reserved for the 12.9″ iPad.  There are also rumors that Apple will announce a new 4-inch version of the iPhone called the iPhone SE (a size that Apple hasn’t used since the iPhone 5s in 2013), and new bands for the Apple Watch.  And now, the recent news of note:

• In the ongoing battle between Apple and the FBI, the FBI filed its reply brief before the Magistrate Judge (available here).  Apple’s general counsel Bruce Sewell issued a scathing response during a call with the media, which is quoted by Kif Leswing of Business Insider.  For example:

For the first time we see an allegation that Apple has deliberately made changes to block law enforcement requests for access. This should be deeply offensive to everyone that reads it. An unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple rather than confront the issues in the case.

Or the ridiculous section on China where an AUSA, an officer of the court, uses unidentified Internet sources to raise the spectre that Apple has a different and sinister relationship with China. Of course that is not true, and the speculation is based on no substance at all.

To do this in a brief before a magistrate judge just shows the desperation that the Department of Justice now feels. We would never respond in kind, but imagine Apple asking a court if the FBI could be trusted “because there is this real question about whether J. Edgar Hoover ordered the assassination of Kennedy — see ConspiracyTheory.com as our supporting evidence.”

• John Gruber of Daring Fireball was also on the call with Bruce Sewell, and offers this perspective.
• Apple created a page on its website to provide links to the numerous amicus curiae briefs that support Apple’s position.
• Florida attorney Katie Floyd reviews the SIKAI Silicone Case for the Apple TV remote.
• California attorney David Sparks reviews the Amazon Echo.
• In an interesting article for the Washington Post, Todd Frankel reports on the roots of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s activism in the rural town of Robertsdale, Alabama.
• Also in the Washington Post, Apple VP Craig Federighi defends Apple’s position against the FBI in a well-written article.
• Speaking of Federighi, Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that Federighi has confirmed — albeit just in a private email — that force-quitting apps doesn’t improve battery life on an iPhone.
• Serenity Caldwell of iMore, who has reviewed even more iPad styluses that I have, created my favorite review of the Apple Pencil by using the Pencil to review the Pencil in a cartoon.  It’s fun to read, but also full of information.
• Workflow is a powerful automation app for the iPhone and iPad, which I previously discussed here.  In an article for iMore, Federico Viticci offers tips for getting started with the Workflow app.
• If you have a question about using Apple hardware or software, you can now tweet your question to @AppleSupport on Twitter.
• And finally, kudos to Florida attorney Rick Georges for finding the most ridiculous alternative to the Apple Watch that I’ve ever seen.  According to the Mashable article by Stan Schroeder, it is just intended to be a tech demo, but even so… yikes!