If you are an iPhone enthusiast like I am, then September is the most magical time of the year. Since 2012, September has been the month that Apple announces all of the new features of the next generation of the iPhone. This year, ten years after Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007, there is even more anticipation than normal because of rumors that Apple is introducing not only a normal and plus (larger) version of the iPhone, but also a higher-end model that I suspect Apple will call the iPhone Pro. Yesterday, Apple announced that its September event will take place on Tuesday, September 12 at 10 Pacific / 1 Eastern. The invitation says "Let's meet at our place." For the first time, the event will take place at the brand new Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's brand new Apple Park campus — which also features a circle-shaped, 2.8 million-square-foot main building surrounded by the world’s largest panels of curved glass. I'm very excited to see what Apple will show us in less than two weeks. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Dorothy Atkins of Law360 reports that a California trial court judge dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit against Apple claiming it had some liability for the death of a college student who was killed when another driver was texting on his iPhone instead of paying attention to the road. The judge ruled: "The chain of causation alleged by the plaintiffs in this case is far too attenuated for a reasonable person to conclude that Apple’s conduct is or was a substantial factor in causing plaintiff’s harm."
- California attorney David Sparks says that augmented reality may be one of the biggest improvements in iOS 11.
- According to Ben Arnold of The NPD Group, 900,000 totally wireless headphone units have been sold in 2017, and Apple's AirPods account for an astounding 85% of those sales. Even though AirPods have been on sale since December of 2016, there is still a backlog when you purchase them. (They are currently shown as shipping in 2-3 weeks on Apple's website.) I can understand why; I use mine every day, and they are one of my all-time favorite Apple products.
- Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss Apple and its role in the world.
- Lauren Lyons Cole of Business Insider recommends using Apple's iPhone Upgrade program when you buy a new iPhone.
- Jeff Benjamin of 9to5Mac compares and contrasts Apple's two iPad keyboards — the Smart Keyboard and the Magic Keyboard.
- Ben Court and Spencer Lowell of Men's Health got an inside look at the Apple lab that tests people exercising with an Apple Watch to improve the fitness features.
- Dan Moren of Six Colors discusses the new additions to Pedometer++, now in version 3.0.
- If you liked the Sphero version of BB-8 that you could control with your iPhone, you're going to love Sphero's new Star Wars droids.
- And finally, Nicole Lee of Engadget discusses an upcoming product from Lenovo that works with the iPhone called Star Wars: Jedi Challenges. It uses your iPhone, an AR headset, and a Bluetooth lightsaber to make you feel like you are Rey fighting Kylo Ren, or even play Holochess. It will cost $199, and I suspect that it will be on many of Santa's lists this year. That Engadget post includes a video that gives you a sense of what it will look like when you wear the device. Here is the official video preview for the product: