President Trump’s executive order attempting to ban Muslim immigrants has received widespread criticism from many, including the tech sector. Tripp Mickle of the Wall Street Journal reported this week that Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that hundreds of Apple employees have been affected by the order, and Apple is considering legal options to oppose the order. Cook is reported as saying: “More than any country in the world, this country is strong because of our immigrant background and our capacity and ability as people to welcome people from all kinds of backgrounds. That’s what makes us special.” Apple has a lot of smart lawyers working for it, so I hope that they come up with a good plan. And now, the news of note from the last week:
- Although I sometimes use the built-in Calendar app for certain tasks, most of my iPhone and iPad calendar usage occurs in the fabulous Fantastical app, so I’m always interested in seeing updates to that app. California attorney David Sparks discusses the version 2.8 update which adds haptic feedback on the iPhone 7 so that you can feel little clicks when you are scrolling the date or time (just like the built-in Calendar app), which is a nice touch. The app also now gives you some stickers for the Messages app, and while I don’t use stickers often, there are some cute annotated ones in here that I might use, such as an “I’m running late” sticker.
- Sparks also really likes the Apple Watch stand that looks like a Mac. I’ve linked to reviews of that product a few times now, and every time I think to myself that I really don’t need one but for only $15 maybe I should get one anyway. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but before the month is over, who knows…
- If you own the larger 12.9″ iPad Pro and want a good keyboard for it, Jason Snell of Six Colors reviews the Brydge Keyboard and is a big fan of that product.
- A new drawing app for the iPad called Linea was released this week. I’m not sure how many lawyers use drawing apps; I’ve used them in depositions to sketch out what a witness is trying to describe, but most of my use of those apps is just for fun. But if you have any interest at all, I recommend that you check out Serenity Caldwell’s video review of Linda on iMore which shows off the app by using the app.
- Ryan Christoffel of MacStories discusses an update to the Microsoft Outlook for iOS app which adds third-party integration into emails through add-ins.
- Aldrin Calimlim of AppAdvice reminds us that, thanks to lyrics in the Apple Music app, you shouldn’t have to worry about singing the wrong lyrics to a song. No more signing “Hold me closer, Tony Danza” by Elton John.
- If you are lucky enough to already be using Apple’s AirPods, the firmware was automatically updated this week, as reported by Mike Wuerthele of AppleInsider. It looks like this one just fixed some bugs, but it is interesting to learn that AirPods get automatically updated when Apple pushes an update. It will be fun if/when a future update adds more features.
- Rachel Caricola of The Wirecutter says that the Netgear Arlo Pro is the best outdoor wireless security camera. It works with iOS.
- David Levitt of Bloomberg reports that Apple is renovating its iconic Fifth Avenue New York Store (the one with the glass cube) and will double the size of the store.
- Actor Justin Long did the famous “I’m a Mac / I’m a PC” ad for a long time, playing the Apple product. But Karen Freeman of AppAdvice reports that Long is now pitching a competitor to Apple’s iPhone, the Huawei (#1 smartphone maker in China).
- And finally, it was seven years ago this week that Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad on January 27, 2010. Here is a video of the introduction, and you can tell how proud Jobs was to finally show off the product that had been in development for some time (even before the iPhone). It is funny to see Jobs begin the video by announcing that Apple had had crossed over the 250 million mark for iPod sales, nine years after introducing the product. Obviously, iPod sales are no longer newsworthy for Apple, which has sold over a billion iPhones. Apple has sold over 350 million iPads since the introduction in 2010, and while people in general are not buying iPads as much as they were a few years ago, the product continues to get better and better for attorneys. I’m very curious to see what Apple has planned for iPad hardware and software in 2017. But now, let’s step back to 2010 and watch Steve Jobs do his thing: