iPhone J.D.

From iPod to Apple Watch

As reported by Chris Welch of The Verge and many others, last week Apple announced that it was finished selling the iPod.  There is one exception — the iPod touch — but that has always been just an iPhone without the phone.  As for the iPods that were truly iPods, Apple is no longer selling them, and all iPod models are now destined to appear on Apple's webpage for vintage and obsolete products. 

Many folks have been talking about how the iPod was the precursor to the iPhone, and that is certainly true.  But this past weekend I was looking at my old iPod nano 6th edition — the penultimate version of the iPod nano — and thinking about how it was a precursor to the Apple Watch.  That version of the iPod nano was introduced on September 1, 2010, and I used it for many years.  One of the things that I liked about it was the ability to have something very small — much smaller than a traditional iPod or iPhone — that you could clip to your shirt and just have earphones coming out.  It was so light that you barely noticed it when it was clipped to your clothes.  You could walk around and do chores, exercise, etc. without carrying anything heavy.  But unlike the iPod shuffle which, in its second through fourth generation, could also be clipped to your clothes, the iPod nano had a screen so you could actually see what you were doing with it.

There were many folks who looked at the iPod nano (6th edition) and thought that this would make a good watch.  Indeed, Apple included a clock as one of the built-in apps (even one with Mickey Mouse).  Just two months after the iPod nano (6th edition) was introduced, attorney Nilay Patel (who was then with Engadget) wrote a review of the iPod nano as a watch in light of the numerous iPod nano wristbands on the market.

Thanks to the Apple AirPods and similar Bluetooth earphones, you can now achieve much of the advantage of the iPod nano watch, as long as your iPhone is in the same room.  But the real replacement for the iPod nano watch is to use an Apple Watch with music loaded on it along with AirPods.  That way, you can walk around and do your chores, exercise, etc. even when far away from your much larger and heavier iPhone, and without any wires getting in your way.

Having said that, the technology is not quite yet where I want it to be.  Loading songs onto an Apple Watch is slow and clumsy.  Playing songs with just an Apple Watch and AirPods usually works OK, but isn't nearly as reliable as using an iPhone with AirPods.  And loading podcasts onto an Apple Watch is even less convenient.  You can use apps like Overcast and Watch Player to transfer podcasts, but playback is not always smooth.  And the developer of Overcast, Marco Arment, recently announced on Twitter that syncing to an Apple Watch will probably not work once watchOS 4 comes out later this year so the feature is likely to be removed.  Surely Apple will get this all working well at some point; hopefully, that point is sooner rather than later.

Let's all raise a glass to the iPod.  It was the device that many credit with saving Apple in the 2000s.  It helped to bring about the iPhone, which is one of the most useful and amazing items in the history of technology.  And it also played an important role in inspiring the Apple Watch.  As Steven Levy wrote in his fantastic book chronicling the history of the iPod, the iPod truly was The Perfect Thing.

In the news

Not long after I discussed the implications of traveling with an iPhone or iPad as you cross the United States border, the TSA decided to make domestic traveling with an iPad even more complicated.  This week, the TSA announced that when you go through security at an airport, you now need to remove from your bag any electronics device larger than a cellphone.  Under the prior rules, you had to remove a laptop computer, but not an iPad.  The new policy is "[d]ue to an increased threat to aviation security" on which the TSA provides no additional details.  Note that if you use TSA Pre-Check, then this rule change doesn't apply to you, and you can continue to keep that iPad in your bag.  I signed up for Pre-Check a while ago, and now I have yet another reason to appreciate that program.  And now, the other news of note from the past week:

• The latest episode of Brett Burney's Apps in Law podcast features an interview with Pennsylvania lawyer Patrick "PJ" Best, who describes how he uses iAnnotate to work with PDF files.  I listened to the episode while driving home last night, and it is a great one.  Best notes that one of the most useful features of iAnnotate is that the app lets you modify the toolbar to display just the tools that you like to use when annotating documents, and you can even switch between multiple toolbars.  It's been four years since I reviewed iAnnotate, and that app has received lots of great updates since that time.
• California attorney David Sparks discusses Omnigraffle, an iPad app that lets you create diagrams.
• In an article for Lawyerist.com, Louisville attorney Stephen Embry discusses how augmented reality on an iPad might be useful in litigation in the future.
• (Another reason that AR on the iPad will be interesting — you can put yourself in one of the best music videos of the 1980s.)
• New Orleans attorney Greg Rubin and I have been trading emails about Apple Watch apps, and he said that if any iPhone J.D. readers are boaters, he recommends the YoNav! app.  If you have an Apple Watch Series 2, this Apple Watch app can show you your GPS coordinates even if you don't have your iPhone with you.  Finding your GPS coordinates is useful if you are on a boat, but could also be useful if you are into geo-location, or if you are hiking outdoors.
• Jason Snell of Six Colors discusses iPad multitasking improvements in iOS 11 in an article for Macworld.
• Jonny Evans of Computerworld identifies the best new features in the upcoming iOS 11.
• And finally, this week Apple released a short video in which Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shows off some of the things that you can do with Siri.  It's a funny video, so check it out if you haven't seen it yet:

Review: SnowLizard SLXtreme for iPhone 7 -- waterproof, protective iPhone case with battery and solar panel

Earlier this year, I reviewed Renogy E.LUMEN, a device which combines a flashlight with an iPhone charger and a battery that can be recharged by a built-in solar panel.  In a similar spirit, today I am reviewing the SnowLizard SLXtreme for iPhone 7, a protective case for the iPhone 7 which is also waterproof, and which also has a built-in battery which can be (optionally) recharged with a built-in solar panel.  That's quite a mouthful.  SnowLizard recently sent me a free review unit of this device, which sells for just under $150.  The "snow" in the SnowLizard name tells me that this device was designed for folks who ski.  I live in New Orleans, so I don't know much about this strange substance you call snow.  But I do know about the beach, so when my family recently took a beach trip, I gave this device a spin.  It worked quite well.

Protection

The case has two parts:  the main body, and the bottom which removes to insert the iPhone. 

Just plug the Lightning connector into the bottom of your iPhone, and then slide it in.  Then snap snap down on both sides to attach the two parts of the device.

The case itself is large, although it doesn't add much weight to the iPhone.  But it does add protection.  I didn't perform drop tests myself, but SnowLizard says that it is built to withstand a drop from a height of 6.6 feet.  I tried to abuse the case, and it does seem quite rugged.

The camouflage design that the company sent me also gives it the appearance of being rugged.  If you want something that looks a little more tame, I see that the company also sells models that are black, yellow and orange.

Additionally, the bumps along the side and the use of rubber on the bottom makes this device easy to grip in your hand, even if your hand is wet and might normally drop an iPhone.  And yet you still have access to all of your buttons.  The thin protective film over the Home button provides protection and yet lets you still use Touch ID.  I was amazed to see that Touch ID worked every time for me except for once — and that was because my finger was totally covered with sand so it wasn't the SnowLizard's fault at all.

You cannot use a wired Lightning headphone while your iPhone is in this device, but you can use Bluetooth.  I used my AirPods with the SnowLizard for many hours and it worked great.

Waterproof

This device is rated IP-68 under IEC standard 60529.  The first number – the 6 – is the highest on the scale of solid particle protection, so it is dust tight and provides complete protection against dust.  The second number – the 8 – is the second-highest level on the liquid ingress protection scale, suitable for continuous immersion in water of 1 meter or more.  SnowLizard says that it provides protection at up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) of depth.  (For comparison, the Apple Watch Series 2 rates a 7 on the same scale, so the SnowLizard device is more waterproof than the newest Apple Watch.)

To test this, I kept my iPhone in this case while I was at the beach.  I was surrounded by lots of sand, but knew that my iPhone was protected.  Then I went in a swimming pool with my kids and took lots of cool underwater video.  The case performed like a champ, and my kids thought it was fun to get filmed doing stunts underwater in the deep end of the pool.

Here is a 15 second clip to give you a sense of how that looked:

Battery and Solar Panel

I would have considered this a useful product if it was nothing more than a rugged waterproof case.  In fact, when I first saw that this case had a built-in battery, I wondered about the necessity of that.

In actual use, however, I see how this is a good idea.  When you are at an outdoor location like the beach, camping, etc. you may be lucky enough to get a cell signal, but it may not be very strong.  As your iPhone works harder to get and send data, your battery wears out more quickly.  Because the SnowLizard has a built in 4000 mAh battery, it can completely recharge an iPhone 7 once and then still has enough power to provide a partial charge after that.  You turn on the battery by pressing a button on the back of the device.  I thought it was great to be at the beach for many hours, and then find that instead of my iPhone being almost completely drained, it was still at 100%.  If you are already dealing with a larger case to provide protection to the iPhone, it is a nice bonus to also devote some space to a battery.

While you can recharge the battery with an included USB to Micro USB cable, which frankly is what I usually did, the device also has a solar panel on the back of it.  It takes a long time to recharge a 4000 mAh battery using the sun.  (SnowLizard says that you can boost the battery up to 7% in an hour.)  But it is nice to have the option to use the sun if you are outdoors.

Note that you cannot use the battery and recharge the battery using the solar panel at the same time.  If you turn on the battery, you will charge your iPhone.  If you turn off the battery and let the sun hit the solar panel, then the battery will start to recharge with one LED flashing to indicate that the battery is receiving a charge.

Conclusion

This case is bulky enough that you are unlikely to want to use it every day, unless you live a far more adventurous life than I do.  I don't see myself going to Court with this device – especially with the camouflage colors.  But when you want to be active and exposed to the elements while also using your iPhone, the SnowLizard SLXtreme device is more than up to the task.  You can protect your iPhone from bumps and falls, you can use your iPhone even underwater, and you can extend the battery life of your iPhone, all with this one device.

Click here to get SnowLizard SLXtreme for iPhone 7 on Amazon ($147.82)

In the news

Apple updated iOS to version 10.3.3 this week.  You should update your iPhone and iPad for the same reasons I mentioned back when 10.3.2 came out; iOS updates always improve security.  In fact, Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac reports that one of the things fixed is the potential ability of a hacker who is close enough to your iPhone to exploit a flaw in the iPhone's Wi-Fi chip and wirelessly gain control of your iPhone.  Yikes!  Glad that one was fixed.  And now, the other news of note from the past week:

• South Carolina attorney Justin Kahn discusses a recent update to the iAnnotate app (version 4.3) which lets you annotate two documents side-by-side.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains why you should not manually quit apps in iOS.  Sure, you can do it occasionally if an app is frozen or otherwise isn't working properly, but if you believe that you are saving memory or making your iPhone faster by quitting apps, you are wrong.
• Jonny Evans of Computerworld shares over 50 iOS 10 tips, and there are some good ones on that list.
• Cella Lao Rousseau of iMore reviews portable Apple Watch chargers.
• When I purchased a 2017 Honda Accord earlier this year, I made sure to select CarPlay as an option.  I love CarPlay and I use it every time I drive.  Reese Counts of Autoblog reports that this Fall, Honda will start to sell the 2018 Honda Accord, with Apple CarPlay included in every model and a larger 8" display (up from 7" on the 2017 model).  It will also include a physical knob to control the volume instead of touchscreen volume controls (which can be hard to use).
• There was a time when I would carry an iPhone, and iPad and an iPad mini all at the same time, but apparently that is nothing.  Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac reports that Chinese customs agent stopped a woman coming in from Hong Kong who had 102 iPhones strapped to her body.  (iPhones are cheaper in Hong Kong than in mainland China.)
• David Pogue of Yahoo explores the idea of charging an iPhone wirelessly, and interviews the CEO of Energous, a company trying to do this.  The charge would be very slow (a trickle charge), and the technology seems far off, but someday this might actually work.
• Ryan Christoffel of MacStories reviews the new CARROT Weather app, an app that gives you both the weather forecast and snarky banter.
• We all like free WiFi, but at what cost?  Rheet Jones of Gizmodo reports that 22,000 people agreed to clean toilets to get WiFi ... because they didn't read the terms of service.
• And finally, yesterday Apple updated its Clips app to version 1.1.  This first update to Clips adds some neat new features like new posters (an animated background on which you can place text), but the big new feature is the ability to add Disney/Pixar characters to your videos.  Here is an 11 second demo I created at my desk which didn't take much more than 11 seconds to make:

Using 1Password for websites with two-factor authentication

A few days ago, 1Password was updated to improve the ability to use 1Password with sites that have a time-based, two-factor authentication code.  This is a useful feature of 1Password.  Here is why I recommend two-factor authentication in general, and how it and how it now works in 1Password on the iPhone or iPad.

Two-factor authentication is good

Two-factor authentication is a way to confirm your identity when you are logging in to a website.  Normally a website asks for your username and password, but your username is often easy for a hacker to learn (it might just be your public email address), and thus all a hacker needs to do is learn your password and he has access to your account with that website.  There are lots of different ways that a hacker could theoretically learn your password — such as if you use the same password at multiple sites (don't do that!) or if you have multiple password that are similar and the hacker can guess your pattern (don't do that either!) or if someone looks over your shoulder while you are typing in your password in a public spot (yikes!), etc.  With two-factor authentication, it is not enough for the hacker to have your username and password; he must also have access to a device in your possession (such as your iPhone) which displays a number that changes every 30 seconds.  If the hacker is in some foreign country across the globe, he won't have that, and his attempts to access your account will fail.

There are many different iPhone apps which can be used to display authentication numbers which change every 30 seconds.  1Password is a good one to use just because you naturally think of that app as a place to store login information.  But with the update this week, 1Password is even better than other apps because it can automatically put the number on your clipboard.  This makes two-factor authentication really fast to use.  And that's good because you get more security without a bottleneck that slows you down.

Here is how you use the feature. 

Configure a 1Password entry to use a one-time password

First, in 1Password, find your entry for the website in question, where you already have your username and password stored.  Tap Edit in the top right corner and scroll down until you see "Add new one-time password."  Tap that and you will see a new entry which has a QR code icon on it.

 

Next, on your computer, go to the website in question.  In this example, I'll use Backblaze, the service I use to automatically backup my home computer.  On the account settings area of the Backblaze website on my computer, I click on the option to turn-on two-factor authentication.  The website will then display a big QR code on my computer's monitor.  I tap the QR code icon in 1Password on my iPhone and use my iPhone's camera to scan the QR code.

Now my 1Password entry for Backblaze has a One-Time Password field with a six-digit number which changes every 30 seconds.  There is even a little timer on the right which counts down the seconds so I can see how long I have until the password changes.

Using 1Password with two-factor authentication

Now that the entry for a website has two-factor authentication configured, you can use it the next time that you access that website.  So back to my Backblaze example, whenever I want to access the Backblaze website on my iPhone, I tap the Action button at the bottom of the Safari window, then I select 1Password, I use my Touch ID fingerprint to confirm that I am really me, and then 1Password automatically types my username and my password on the website.

 

Next, the website will ask me for my authentication code, but I don't have to go back to the 1Password app to lookup that code.  Right after 1Password automatically entered my username and password, it pasted the six-digit code to my iPhone clipboard, and it briefly displayed a message that says "One-time password saved to the clipboard."  Thus, all I need to do is tap in the box and select paste, and the number is entered for me.

 

This new system is so much more convenient then having to manually go to another app to find the number and then going back into Safari to enter the number.

Although my focus here is iPhone/iPad, this new 1Password system works the same on your PC and Mac.  Just use 1Password on your computer to enter the username/password, and then use your computer to paste the number when you are asked to enter the six-digit code.  [UPDATE:  To be more clear, the current version of 1Password for Mac automatically copies that code so that it is ready for you to paste, just like iOS.  The current version of 1Password 6 for Windows (version 6.6.439) does not automatically copy the code, but you can right-click on the entry in the browser add-on to manually copy that code and then you can paste it into the Windows browser.  I presume that 1Password for Windows 6 will gain this feature in a future update.]

I currently have two-factor authentication in 1Password configured for Backblaze, Dropbox and Facebook, but I plan to add more websites in the future now that 1Password works so much better with two-factor authentication.

New information on your iPhone being searched by Customs at the border

Taking an iPhone or iPad when you leave or enter the United States is a complicated issue for attorneys.  You are likely going to want to do work when you are abroad — especially if you are traveling for business, not pleasure — and thus it makes perfect sense to have your iOS device with you.  In fact, it can be a much better option than a computer, which can be more easily attacked by malware in a foreign country.  If you can get access to WiFi and you use VPN software like Cloak, you should be fairly safe.  The problem, however, is that U.S. customs agents as of late have been demanding to search mobile devices upon reentry into the country, and there are some reports that they will sometimes even copy the data from a device.  If you have confidential attorney-client communications or attorney work product, you don't want a stranger who works as a U.S. customs agent to have unfettered access.

To try to get more concrete information on the current state of affairs, Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon who has a reputation of being a privacy advocate, recently sent a letter to Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with questions on the current policies.  I encourage you to read the full response as posted by the Washington Post, as well as the article by Brian Fung of the Post, but here are four parts of the response that jumped out a me.

First, CBP does sometimes search electronic devices in the possession of individuals entering the United States, but does so rarely — less than one-hundredth of one percent of travelers.  CBP will inspect devices of both non-citizens and U.S. citizens.

Second, if your device is locked, CBP can ask you to unlock your device so that they can search it.  If you refuse to do so, and if you are a U.S. citizen, CBP will still allow you to enter the country, but you may be delayed (so you may miss your connecting flight) and your device will likely be confiscated.  If you are not a U.S. citizen, failure to unlock your device could be a reason that CBP does not allow you to enter the United States.

Third, CBP takes the position that it has the authority to search anything that is on the device itself.  CBP asserts several justifications for searching devices, and you can probably guess them.  For example, CBP may look for contraband (such as child pornography), or information that could be a threat to national security (such as something related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons).

Fourth, CBP will not ask to access your information on remote servers.  Thus, they should not ask you for your password to Dropbox, Facebook, your law firm, etc.  However, if there is a local copy of any data synced to a remote server — such as local files in the Dropbox app on your iPhone — CBP can look at those documents.

All of this means that if you don't look too suspicious — which unfortunately might be determined based upon the color of your skin or the clothes that you are wearing — there is a very good chance that a customs agent will not ask to look at your phone at all.  My most recent experience with customs was just a few weeks ago when I was in a car and drove across the border to Canada and then drove back again.  The experience of re-entering the U.S. was incredibly quick and non-intrusive for me, just a few questions.  Then again, I was in a van with my wife and kids coming across the border next to Niagara Falls, so it was fairly obvious that we were just typical American tourists.

But if you are unlucky, customs may well ask you to unlock your iPhone or iPad so that they can search through your files.  You need to decide before your travel whether this risk is enough reason to not take your device in the first place.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation prepared an excellent document on this topic called Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border: Protecting the Data On Your Devices and In the Cloud.  According to the EFF, you can ask the border agent to withdraw the order that you unlock your device on the grounds that the device contains confidential and sensitive attorney-client communications and attorney-work product.  This might work.  But it might not, and in the process you are going to have explain to the agent in great detail what is on the device.

The EFF also cites a 2009 directive stating that border agents must consult with the CBP legal office before searching documents protected by the attorney-client privilege.

I wish I could conclude this post with easy answers, but it appears that there are none at the moment.  I don't know how you should weigh the usefulness of having your iPhone and iPad with you outside of the country versus the risk that a border agent will try to search the device as you enter the country.  And remember, we are just talking about U.S. border agents right now; you may also find yourself facing an official in another country who demands access to your device and who has no regard for the Rules of Professional Conduct or the Rules of Evidence governing privilege.

In the news

Today at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern, legal tech consultant Brett Burney and New Orleans attorney Ernie Svenson are presenting a free webinar called Advanced Mobile Lawyering Tactics.  I have known Brett and Ernie for a long time, and both are excellent presenters and very knowledgeable on mobile technology.  According to a post on Brett's Apps in Law website, topics include:  file management, note taking, scanning documents and working with PDF files, legal research, mind-mapping, and security tips.  If you are in the Central time zone like I am, that means that you can learn some useful tips while you have lunch at your desk at Noon.  Click here to register for free.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• In an article for Macworld, Jason Snell explains how the new iPad Pro, especially when paired with the upcoming iOS 11, is an amazing device for getting work done. 
• In another article for Macworld, Jeffery Battersby reviews Citrix ShareFile, a service that works on your computer and iOS device.  My law firm uses ShareFile and it works well for sharing large files.
• In yet another article for Macworld, Glenn Fleishman explains how the ability of apps to track you (even when you want them to) will change in iOS 11.
• Abhishek Kurve of Cult of Mac explains how, with iOS 11, you will get more free space on your iPhone or iPad.
• Serenity Caldwell of iMore discusses what will be new when watchOS 4 for the Apple Watch is released later this year.
• Steven Sande of Apple World Today reviews the iDevices Outdoor Switch, which brings HomeKit control to outdoor lights (and other things that you plug in outside).
• Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac reports that the Waze driving app now lets you record custom voice prompts "turn right," "turn left," etc. and share them with others.  Finally, you can have your spouse tell you what to do in your car.
• And finally, Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal describes steps you can take — from easy to hard — to fix an old iPhone battery that doesn't do as good a job of holding a charge:

Review: Apple Smart Cover for 12.9" iPad Pro -- now available in leather

On March 2, 2011, Apple introduced the iPad 2, Apple's first attempt to improve upon the iPad.  The iPad 2 itself was nicer because it was faster, thinner and lighter.  But I was also excited about two new accessories.  First, Apple introduced an HDMI connector, letting you send 1080p video to a TV, and opening the door to higher-quality presentations.  (Having said that, it amazes me that, this many years later, I still encounter VGA more than HDMI when I give presentations using my iPad.)  Second, Apple introduced the Smart Cover, a device that could both protect the screen of the iPad and work as a stand.  Back in 2011, you could get either a polyurethane version for $39 or a leather version for $69.  I opted for the leather version, and I used leather Smart Covers for many years with multiple versions of the iPad and iPad Air.

When Apple came out with the larger 12.9" iPad Pro in the Fall of 2015, I bought a new Smart Cover to accommodate the new size.  I was curious if the extra weight of the 12.9" iPad Pro would make the Smart Cover less stable as a stand, but I was happy to discover that it worked just fine.  However, Apple only released a polyurethane version of the Smart Cover for the 12.9" iPad Pro.  Last month, when Apple released the second generation of the 12.9" iPad Pro, Apple also introduced the first 12.9" version of the leather Smart Cover.  So you can now choose between a 12.9" polyurethane version for $59 or a 12.9" leather version for $79.  (Both versions work with the first generation and second generation version of the 12.9" iPad Pro.)  Here are my thoughts if you are trying to decide between the two.

Smart Covers are a great idea

Smart Covers have been around for so many years that I suspect most of you have owned or at least tried one by now.  But for the sake of completeness, I will start by briefly noting why I like the Smart Cover so much as an iPad accessory.

First, it protects the screen.  The glass on the iPad is pretty strong and scratch-resistant anyway, but with a Smart Cover you never need to worry about a sharp object damaging the screen.  I also find that it makes the iPad easier to grip when carrying it, which provides further protection because I am less likely to drop my iPad.

Second, it gets out of the way when you don't need it.  The genius of the Smart Cover is that is uses magnets built-in to the side of an iPad.  Thus, it is easy to attach to the iPad, and easy to remove.  When I am using my iPad at work at my desk, I typically don't have the Smart Cover attached.  But whenever I pick up my iPad to take it to a meeting or another attorney's office, I always quickly attach it.

Third, it folds into a stand, in two different positions — one that keeps the iPad more flat with a slight rise in the back, great for using the Pencil or on-screen keyboard:

And one that keeps the iPad more upright, perfect for when you are looking at the screen more than touching it:

When I want my iPad upright for a more extended period of time, I actually prefer to use a dedicated stand to prop up my iPad so that I never have to worry about the iPad falling down, even if I push hard on the screen.  And for over a year now, I've been incredibly happy with the Simplex Tablet iPad Stand by Thought Out which I reviewed in 2016.  That device is only $30 and it is incredibly strong, and makes it easy to have my iPad propped up next to my computer so that I can use both at the same time.  But the Simplex is heavy enough that I only rarely move it outside of my office.  With the Smart Cover, I always have a stand with me, wherever I am, with no noticeable extra weight.

Polyurethane vs. Leather

Now you know why I recommend that attorneys get a Smart Cover for an iPad.  The remaining question is:  which one:  polyurethane or leather?  There are some differences, and the leather version is not always better even though it costs $20 more.

Strength.  As I noted above, back in 2015, I was worried that the extra weight larger 12.9" version of the iPad would make the Smart Cover less capable as a stand.  With the polyurethane version, that has not been a problem at all.  But the leather version, for some reason, is not quite as strong when I have the iPad in the more fully upright position.  Every time I did a side-by-side test, with the leather Smart Cover in stand mode on one of my 12.9" iPad Pros and the polyurethane on the other one, as I applied gradually more pressure to both iPads, the leather Smart Cover would always collapse before the polyurethane version. 

Moreover, I have used the polyurethane version since the Fall of 2015 and it has only rarely failed as a stand — and when it did, it was often because I wasn't placing it on a flat surface, or I was applying what was really unreasonable pressure to the screen.  I've been using the leather Smart Cover for a few weeks now, and there have been two times when I felt the triangle of the stand start to slip as I was using it.  Admittedly, both times, I was probably applying more pressure than was necessary.  The magnets holding the Smart Cover to itself just seem a little bit less strong on the leather version.

I don't mean to suggest that the leather version doesn't work as a stand.  It does work, and it works well.  But the polyurethane version works better. 

Durability.  Since I started with the bad news about the leather version, I'll move on to the other potentially negative issue.  If you spill something on the polyurethane version, you can just wipe it off.  But with the leather version, you can potentially stain the leather.  I've never had this happen to me in my many years of using leather Smart Covers on a 9.7" iPad, but I've heard other folks mention it as a reason that they prefer the polyurethane version.

The two materials also wear differently.  Polyurethane maintains the same look over time.  Leather ages over time, and can change color, especially in areas where the oils from  your hands touch the Smart Cover more often.  I actually consider this a feature of the leather version, not a shortcoming; to me, it gains personality over time.

Look and feel.  The main reason that I prefer the leather case is the way that it feels.  The polyurethane Smart Cover has a slightly sticky feel to it.  Even after using the polyurethane version for well over a year, I never really got used to it.  As soon as I went back to the leather version a few weeks ago, I was instantly happy to return to the feel of leather.  It feels great to the touch, the same way that leather seats in a car are nicer than seats with a plastic-y feel.

I also think that the leather looks much nicer too.

Colors.  For the older 9.7" or newer 10.5" version of the iPad, you get more color options with polyurethane.  I see that Apple currently sells seven 10.5" polyurethane colors:  Mist Blue, Pollen, Flamingo, White, Pink Sand, Midnight Blue and Charcoal Gray.  (You get eight options with the 9.7" Smart Cover.)  But with the 12.9" polyurethane Smart Cover, your only color choices are White and Charcoal Gray.  I'm not sure why Apple considers color so much less important with the larger model.

With the 12.9" leather Smart Cover, you get three color choices:  Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue and Black.  (The 10.5" leather Smart Cover has a fourth color:  Taupe.)

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how many different colors are offered.  All that really matters is whether there is a color that works for you.  I prefer a dark color, which is available in both leather and  polyurethane.  But I prefer the Black leather to the almost-but-not-quite-black Charcoal Gray polyurethane.  In the following picture. the polyurethane model is on top of the leather model:

Of course, if White, Saddle Brown or Midnight Blue is the best color for you, then you can make your selection accordingly.

Conclusion

After spending over a year using a polyurethane Smart Cover, I'm happy to be able to return to a leather Smart Cover.  For me, it looks and feels so much nicer.  I wish it was 100% as strong a stand as the polyurethane Smart Cover, but it is more than strong enough.  The extra $20 is worth it for something that I carry around every day, and thus feel and look at every day.

If you are in the market for a 12.9" iPad Pro, or really any iPad for that matter, I encourage you to get a Smart Cover.  They add protection and live up to the "smart" in their name by cleverly folding up into a stand and getting out of the way quickly when you don't need them.  And best of all, now you once again have a choice of leather or polyurethane for the 12.9" version.

Click here for the leather 12.9" Smart Cover from Apple ($79.00)

Click here for the polyurethane 12.9" Smart Cover from Apple ($59.00)

In the news

The new iPad Pro has been out for a little while now, and as wonderful as that device is, we can't help but start thinking about the next big thing in the world of iOS.  We know that iOS 11 is coming soon, and you can even download a public beta now if you want to take it out for spin — but I don't recommend that you do so on a device that you use for work because Apple is still working out the kinks and many third party apps won't work with the beta version.  We also know that Apple will come out with new iPhones this Fall, presumably an iPhone 7s and an iPhone 7S Plus, so that is another next big thing to look forward to.  But for a while now, there has been a rumor that Apple will also release a premium model, perhaps called the iPhone Pro, giving Apple the ability to sell a more advanced iPhone with features that Apple cannot produce at scale and at a low enough cost to put the features in all iPhones sold.  John Gruber of Daring Fireball wrote a fantastic analysis of why it makes sense for Apple to produce an iPhone Pro, and Gruber even explains why the iPhone Pro will likely sell for $1200 to $1400.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Kentucky attorney Stephen Embry discusses how the iPhone shook up the legal market when it was introduced ten years ago.
• Florida attorney, and former U.S. Senator, George LeMieux discusses how the iPhone and other technology has changed the world, in an article for the Tampa Bay Times.
• California attorney David Sparks reviews the Dash iPad Sleeve from Waterfield.
• Security is a frequent topic here on iPhone J.D., and for good reason.  Unfortunately, even if you do everything right, you are still vulnerable.  Software developer Justin Williams tells the tale of how he got hacked even though he uses a password manager, two-factor authentication, etc. because an AT&T call center representative was tricked into resetting his iPhone even though the hacker didn't know the passcode.  Then the hacker was able to transfer money out of a PayPal account.  Ugh.
• Speaking of security, at certain Hilton hotels, you can use your iPhone to unlock the door to your room.  As reported by Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac, Hilton announced that its system has now been used 11 million times at 1,700 hotels without a single security breach.
• There is a solar eclipse in a few weeks that will be visible from the United States.  Jeff Byrnes of AppAdvice reviews the Solar Eclipse app from Redshift that gives you all of the information that you need to view the eclipse.
• It was a little sad to see the report by Chance Miller of 9to5Mac that Jawbone is shutting down.  There was a time when the company was known for making some of the best headsets, and the Jawbone Jambox was a very popular speaker for a while.  I was a big fan of the Jawbone Prime, a Bluetooth headset I reviewed back in 2009.
• In an article for TidBITS, Glenn Fleishman explains the new video and photo formats (HEVC and HEIF) coming in iOS 11.  "HEIF tries to combine all the best aspects of PNG, JPEG, and GIF, while dramatically improving compression and adding new features like the capability to store bursts of photographs."  Sounds good, and perhaps it will let Apple make Live Photos even better — a feature that is really fun when you take pictures of kids.
• Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac looks it some of the earliest Apple prototype designs for the iPhone, many of which were revealed during discovery in the lawsuit between Apple and Samsung.
• Who needs an iPhone when you can have a $2,500 Nokia phone which commemorates the meeting today between Trump and Putin?  Click, if you must, on this post by Devin Coldewey of TechCrunch for pictures and more information.
• And finally, Apple started out its WWDC developer conference a few weeks ago by showing an amusing video of what the world might be like if all of our apps suddenly went away.  It's funny and worth watching if you haven't seen it yet: