iPhone J.D. is the oldest and largest website for lawyers using iPhones and iPads. iPhone J.D. is published by Jeff Richardson, an attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana. This site does not provide legal advice, and any opinions expressed on this site are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of Jeff's law firm, Adams and Reese LLP. iPhone J.D. is not associated with Apple, Inc.
Contact Me
[email protected] Twitter: @jeffrichardson (occasional updates from me on iPhone topics and sometimes other items) and @iphonejd (automatic notice of every new post on iPhone J.D.)
FTC Notice
Pursuant to 16 CFR Part 255, the Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, please note: (1) iPhone software and hardware developers routinely send me free versions of their products to review. I sometimes keep and continue to use these products that I did not pay for after posting my review, which might be considered a form of compensation for my review, but I do not believe that I let that color my review. (2) When I post links to product pages on certain stores, including but not limited to Amazon and the iTunes App Store, my links include a referral code so that when products are purchased after clicking on the link, I often receive a very small percentage of the sale. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Again, I do not believe that I let that color my review of products. (3) Some of the ads that run on this website are selected by others such as Amazon or Google. If one of these ads comes from the seller of a product reviewed on iPhone J.D., that is a coincidence and I do not believe that it colors my review of that product. Other ads are from paid advertisers, and if I discuss a product from a company that is a current advertiser, I will note that. (4) Some of the ads that run on this website are from monthly sponsors of iPhone J.D. When I discuss products from these companies on iPhone J.D., I do so to pass along information provided to me by the sponsor. Often, I will also provide my own commentary on the product, and while my goal is to be honest, please keep in mind that I was compensated to promote the product. If you have any questions about this, just send me an e-mail or post a comment on a specific product review.
Although this is intended to be a review of a specific iPhone X case, it is also a review of the idea of using a case with the iPhone X in the first place. I love the feel of the iPhone X, and the perfectly black OLED screen blends in beautifully with the smooth black edges of the Space Gray model. For my first week with the iPhone X, I didn't use a case at all, and I liked it. But I was also very nervous about it. The smooth round edges of the iPhone X — like the iPhone 7, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 before it — make the device just slippery enough that I was often afraid that I would drop it when I was out and about. So after a week with no case, I decided to purchase the Apple iPhone X Leather case for $49. For over a week I kept it on my iPhone all of the time, and then after that I would often take it off when I was working at my desk or in a safe place at home, but otherwise kept it on. I like this case, and if you are looking for something slim that looks nice and makes your iPhone less slippery, this is a good choice.
Leather exterior
I've been using Apple's leather cases since 2014, when I purchased a model for my iPhone 6 (my review). I used that case with both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6s, and then I used a similar model with the iPhone 7. Apple made a nice improvement between the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7 version, replacing the leather bumps covering the buttons on the iPhone 6 version with actual aluminum buttons on the iPhone 7 version. After a lot of use, the leather over the buttons would wear down to almost nothing, as you can see from this photo of the side of the iPhone 6 version (where the volume buttons are) after two years of use. You can barely even see where the two buttons are:
Fortunately, the iPhone X version (like the iPhone 7 version) uses aluminum buttons, which are easy to find and press and which won't wear away over time.
Although I didn't like how the leather wore over time directly over the buttons, otherwise I really like the way that the leather case ages. My old iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 leather cases feel very nice and soft in my hands. In this photo, the iPhone 6 version is on the left, and the iPhone 7 version is on the right:
My new iPhone X case also feels nice, but not quite as soft, and I look forward to it maturing over time. Here is how Apple describes it on its website: "They’re made from specially tanned and finished European leather, so the outside feels soft to the touch and develops a natural patina over time."
In addition to feeling nice in the hand, the leather also makes the iPhone considerably less slippery, dramatically reducing the risk of accidentally dropping your expensive iPhone. A more rubbery case, such as the silicone case sold by Apple and many other companies, also makes it harder to drop the iPhone. But for me, that style of case provides too much friction, making it harder to slip my iPhone in and out of the pocket on the front of a button-down shirt.
Shape
Apple made a lot of great decisions when it comes to the shape of this case. First, this case is incredibly thin, so the size and weight that it adds to your iPhone X is almost negligible. I haven't yet had an opportunity to try wireless charging with my iPhone X, but Apple confirms that you can charge through this thin case.
Second, I love the bottom. Ever since the iPhone 6 leather case, Apple has kept the bottom of the case open. For the iPhone 6, that made it easier to access the Lightning and headphone ports, and I continue to like that it makes it easy to access the Lightning port on the iPhone X. But with the iPhone X, the open bottom is even more appreciated because swiping up from the bottom of the screen is a gesture performed countless times every day. I've tried using other brands of cases on iPhone X devices used by some of my friends, and the bottom portion of those cases has always seemed to get in the way when I swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or when I swipe left to right to switch between open apps.
The open bottom of this case is one of its best features for the iPhone X.
Third, one advantage of using this case is that it makes your iPhone X lay perfectly flat on the table. A naked iPhone X wobbles a bit due to the bump on the back for the cameras.
Colors
I purchased the simple Black version of this case, but if you want to add some pizzazz, Apple currently offers this case in nine colors: Cosmos Blue, Pink Fuchsia, Dark Aubergine, Charcoal Gray, Taupe, Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue, Black and (PRODUCT)RED:
Protection
The primary reason I purchased this case was to protect my iPhone X, making it less slippery. But the case also adds protection to the sides and back, in the event that something makes contact. My older leather cases have tiny bumps and scratches on them, none of which I mind on a leather case, but each of them represents a time when my iPhone could have been damaged without a case.
The inside of the case is lined with a microfiber, protecting the iPhone from scratches, and making it easier to slide the case on or remove it.
Conclusion
Because I still like using an iPhone X without a case, I don't use this case all the time. But I do have my iPhone X in this case most of the time, and as far as cases go, this one has a lot going for it. The leather feels good and protects the phone, and the thin shape is perfect, especially because it does not cover the bottom. If you are considering a case for your iPhone X, I can recommend the Apple iPhone X Leather case. And while I bought mine for $49.00, I see that you can currently save a few bucks buying it on Amazon.
Thank you to Lit Software for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month. This company produces three of the very best iPad apps designed for attorneys: TrialPad, TranscriptPad and DocReviewPad. TrialPad (my review) was first released in 2010 — the same year that the iPad itself debuted — and has seen numerous major updates over the years. If you want to present evidence to a jury, judge, or other audience, the app gives you powerful tools for displaying and annotating documents, including the Callout tool that most jurors expect to see nowadays. There is a recent post on the Lit Software blog explaining how Ian Unsworth, a prosecutor in London (Queen's Counsel) uses TrialPad in complex criminal trials.
In my own litigation practice, I spend a lot of time working with deposition transcripts, such as preparing for a motion for summary judgment. Thus, TranscriptPad (my review) is the Lit Software app that I use the most. Whether I am drafting a motion, or I am in a subsequent deposition and I want to quickly see all of the relevant testimony on a subject during prior depositions, TranscriptPad does exactly what I need. On several occasions, other attorneys have watched me use TranscriptPad and then remarked that they need to get an iPad. When an app is so useful that it is a reason for attorneys to buy an iPad, you know it is a good app.
DocReviewApp (my review) is the newest app from Lit Software. This is an app that you can use to review and annotate documents on your iPad, so this app is especially useful during the request for production of documents process.
Lit Software does more than any other company when it comes to designing fantastic iPad apps specifically for attorneys. If you are a litigator and you want to make the most of your iPad, I encourage you to check out these apps.
Click here to get TrialPad ($129.99):
Click here to get TranscriptPad ($89.99):
Click here for DocReviewPad ($89.99):
Click here for the Ultimate Litigation Package (all three apps) ($299.99):
[UPDATE: For my latest post on Anker cables dated August 19, 2020, click here.]
USB-to-Lightning cords are incredibly useful for users of Apple mobile products because they can be used to charge your iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and other devices such as Apple keyboards. And even though Apple includes these cords with many devices, it is always annoying when you need one but cannot find one, so it is a good idea to keep extra cords at home, work, your briefcase or purse, etc. For many years I have stuck with Lightning cords made by Apple because I had heard reports of folks having problems with cheaper Lightning cords made by fly-by-night companies. But recently I have heard great reports about cables made by Anker, a company known for many other useful products. I wanted a new cord to keep in my car (for use with Apple CarPlay) so I purchased an Anker PowerLine+ USB to Lightning cord from Amazon. I've been very happy with the cable so far, and I can recommend the product, both for you to use yourself and to give as a great gift to anyone else who uses an iPhone or iPad.
Quality
It was important to me to have a good quality cord. I certainly don't want my devices damaged by a short caused by a cheaply-made product. Fortunately, Anker has a great reputation, and so it is a company that I trust to make a good product. Earlier this year, Nick Statt of The Verge wrote an interesting profile of Anker, explaining how the company was founded by a former Google engineer.
A few years ago, I reviewed the Anker PowerPort 6, and I continue to use that fantastic device every single time I travel because it lets me use a single cord running to an outlet to charge six different devices. If I was getting a new one today, I would get the USB Type-C model of the PowerPort, which includes one USB-C port for fast charging of an iPad or iPhone X plus four other ports that can be used for any device.
In light of all of this, I felt good about trusting Anker to make a reliable product, the same way that I trust Apple to make a reliable product.
Durability
Although Anker also makes "normal" Lightning cords, I was attracted to the PowerLine+ version, a cord featuring double-braided nylon to make the cord more durable. The braided nylon also makes it virtually impossible to knot this cord, so I haven't had any problem with this cord getting tangled.
The braided nylon also protects the cord if you bend it. I have had numerous Apple cords split at a point where the cord was often bent. I really don't think that type of damage would be possible with the PowerLine+ cord.
The plug ends of the PowerLine+ are also built to be far more durable then the ends of cords made by Apple and other companies. You can easily feel in your hands how the Anker USB and Lightning plugs are far more sturdy than the ones on Apple's cords.
I haven't used the PowerLine+ long enough to give you a definitive report on how it wears over time, but Anker says that PowerLine+ cords are six times more durable than other Lightning cables.
Price
I would be willing to pay more for a high-quality, durable Lightning cord, but Anker's products are actually less expensive than Apple's. I purchased the six-foot cord for my car because I wanted the flexibility of having something long enough for my kids to occasionally use my iPhone while they are in the backseat to select music while the iPhone is connected to CarPlay in the front of my car. The 6' cord is roughly 1.8m, so close to the same size as Apple's 2m USB-to-Lightning cord. But while Apple's cord costs $29, the Anker 6' cord is currently selling on Amazon for only $16.99.
Anker also sells a three foot version, roughly similar in size to Apple's 1m Lightning cord. While Apple's 1m cord costs $19.00, the Anker 3' cord costs only $14.99 on Amazon, or better yet you can pay only $19.99 for a two-pack of the Anker 3' cords. If you want to have the freedom that comes with a really long cord, Anker also sells a ten foot version on Amazon for $17.99.
Color
While I generally don't mind the iconic white color that Apple uses with its cords, I have to admit that a white cord looked a little out of place in my car with its dark interior. The PowerLine+ cords come in various colors. I got the gray version, which does a far better job matching the interior of my car. The cords also come in gold, red, and white.
If you find that you often "lose" your Lightning cord because someone else borrows it or picks it up by mistake, you might want to consider getting the red or gold model. It will stand out, and others are unlikely to confuse it for their own cord.
Plug size
The plug at the Lightning end of the PowerLine+ is only a tiny bit larger than the plug on the similar Apple Lightning cord. Most folks will never notice the difference. However, if you are using a case for your iPhone which has a very small hole, made only big enough to work with the Apple cord, it is possible that the Anker cord won't fit. I've never used a case like this for an iPhone, but I've seen other folks use them, so if this applies to you it is something for you to consider.
Pouch
The three foot and the six foot models of the PowerLine+ come with a felt pouch which you could use to hold the entire cord, or which you can use to adjust cable length. Just wind up the cable and slide it through the strap in the middle of the pouch. Then close the pouch with the Lightning end coming out one side and the USB end coming out the other side. Magnets in the pouch hold the cover closed. This way, you can charge when you are very close to the charger without having lots of extra cord getting in the way.
I haven't decided how much I'll use this pouch in the future, but it was a nice touch for Anker to include it, and shows that Anker is trying to go above and beyond what you get from other companies.
Other models
While I really like the PowerLine+ model with the double-braided nylon cord, Anker makes other cables with more traditional cords, and they are even less expensive. For example, if you want a three foot size, you can get the PowerLine for only $9.99 on Amazon, or the PowerLine II (with lifetime warranty if it ever breaks) for $11.99 on Amazon. I haven't tried those models, but I presume that they are also good quality cords.
Conclusion
The Anker PowerLine+ Lightning cord works great. It is cheaper than the Apple Lightning cord and yet it seems to be much more durable. I like the color and feel of the double-braided nylon cord, and I like knowing that this cord should hold up fine even if it gets a lot of use. And because I'm sure that many iPhone users have never used a cord like this, I think it is actually a great gift idea, now that the holidays are around the corner.
On November 17, 2008, I started iPhone J.D. and published my first post, explaining why I found the iPhone a valuable tool in my law practice. That means that iPhone J.D. just celebrated its ninth birthday. My second favorite iPhone of all time was the iPhone 3G I was using when I started the blog because it was my introduction to the world of the iPhone, and was such a major step up from the Treo and BlackBerry smartphones I had been using previously. Nine years later, the iPhone X is unquestionably my favorite iPhone of all time, with its amazing screen, cameras, and Face ID. And I am clearly not the only attorney to enjoy using an iPhone. As I reported a few weeks ago, a record number of attorneys are now using an iPhone, over 7 out of every 10 attorneys in the United States.
After nine years and over 1,600 posts on iPhone J.D., it has been thrilling to watch the iPhone mature and evolve from its first year to its tenth year. And as the device has gotten more sophisticated, attorneys have been able to do so much more with the iPhone — and iPad, Apple Watch, etc. I've enjoyed writing about great new apps and improvements to old favorites, tips and tricks, product reviews, and other items of interest to attorneys using iOS devices. If you haven't checked out the iPhone J.D. Index recently, click the "Index to Prior Posts" link at the top of any page to get there. The index will direct you to lots of posts that are as useful today as they were when they were written, although there are others with only historical significance.
By far the best part of publishing iPhone J.D. has been the great feedback from readers like you. I've learned so much from talking to and reading notes from readers, and many of those interactions result in posts. Please keep the feedback coming! With well over 8 million page views in nine years, it has been great to "see" so many of you come back again and again.
Popular posts this year. Every year on the birthday of iPhone J.D. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), I find it interesting to look back and see which posts over the prior 12 months were the most popular. The fact that these posts were so popular might reveal something about the topics that iPhone and iPad owners have been thinking about lately. Here, in order, are the top ten most viewed posts published in the last 12 months:
"No videos" bug in TV app in iOS 10.2 -- the problem, and a work-around. The law is founded on precedent, and my sense is that many lawyers are relatively change-adverse, especially when something new makes it harder to do something that you have always done. When Apple released the new TV app in iOS 10.2 on December 12, 2016, it seemed that all video was moved to a different place, and many of us found that we could no longer watch videos synced to an iPhone or iPad from a computer. D'oh! The problem was eventually fixed, but I have to admit that almost a year later, I still haven't completely warmed up to the TV app.
Review: AT&T Call Protect -- block and warn of nuisance calls. The number of unsolicited phone calls that I have received on my iPhone started to increase dramatically in 2017. Thus, I was happy to start using the AT&T Call Protect app to warn me of calls I am unlikely to want to get (such as telemarketer calls) and block calls suspected to be fraudulent. The app continues to work well for me.
Why lawyers will love iOS 11 on the iPad. While #3 on the list of most-viewed posts from the past year, this one is probably #1 in my heart. iOS 11 introduced so many improvements for the iPad Pro, making that device much more useful for attorneys and other professionals trying to get work done.
Review: Apple CarPlay -- view and control your iPhone from your car. My parents just purchased a new car, and I spent some time over this past weekend showing them how to use CarPlay in their new vehicle. They seemed to be excited to use it, and for good reason. I use CarPlay virtually every day, and it has vastly improved the experience of using an iPhone in a car. Whenever you are next in the market for a new car, I strongly encourage you to only consider vehicles with support for Apple CarPlay.
Review: iPad Pro 12.9" (2nd generation 2017) -- an incredible tablet for lawyers. The 2015 version of the 12.9" iPad Pro was an amazing device, and the improvements to the 2017 version, the second generation of the 12.9" iPad Pro, make the device even more useful. (Especially with iOS 11, as noted above.) When I am in my office, I typically use my PC more than I use my iPad, but I certainly enjoy using the iPad Pro much more. And when I'm out of the office, I'm using the iPad Pro all of the time.
Review: AT&T Unlimited Data -- data for your iPhone and other device without the worry of overage charges. Some describe these as "so-called unlimited" plans because they do contain some limitations. On the AT&T plan that I use, once I hit 22GB of data use in a month, AT&T reserves the right to throttle my speed. I actually crossed over that threshold for the first time just a few days ago. AT&T hasn't yet throttled my data speed, and with eight days left before my next billing cycle, my hope is that it won't happen this time. I know why I exceeded that limit; I took a lot of 4K video of my kids this month, and I had turned off all of the limits on uploading that data using LTE (Settings -> Photos -> Cellular Data) because I had some specific needs to get those videos on my other devices before I was going to be back on a Wi-Fi network. But that's not how I usually have my iPhone configured, and unless you plan to upload or download a ton of video on your iPhone, it is hard to go over 22GB of data use in a month.
Why lawyers will love the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. There is always great interest when Apple releases a new iPhone, but that interest seemed to peak this year with the iPhone X. And as noted above, that interest was well-deserved; the iPhone X is an incredible device.
Visitors to iPhone J.D. Every year, I use this post to share some statistical information on iPhone J.D. visitors, to the extent that I can figure it out using the tools at my disposal — specifically, the Google Analytics service.
During the past 12 months, about 59% of readers visited iPhone J.D. from an iOS device, just shy of the record 60% in the previous year. About 75% of those iOS visitors were using an iPhone, and the other 25% used an iPad. About 22% of iPhone J.D. visitors are using Windows, and just over half of them are using the Chrome browser for Windows. (I primarily use Firefox on Windows in my law office, but sometimes I use Chrome or Internet Explorer.) About 12% used a Mac, which is what I use at home. Almost all of the other visitors (about 4.5%) used Android, which is higher than you might have expected given the nature of this website, but remember that (1) every year lots of folks switch from Android to iOS, and (2) some of the third party accessories that I have reviewed can also be used with an Android device, and even some iOS apps have a version available for Android.
About 64% of iPhone J.D. visitors are in the U.S., but the site also gets a huge number of visitors from the U.K., Canada and Australia. Looking at the cities of iPhone J.D. readers, New York is #1 this year, as it has been every other year except for two years ago (when there were a few hundred more visitors from London):
New York
London
Los Angeles
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Washington, D.C.
Atlanta
Sydney
Melbourne
Atlanta is back on the Top Ten list for the first time in five years. I went to college at Emory in Atlanta, and still have lots of friends in that city, so it is nice to see that return. But I'm also a big fan of San Francisco, and this is the first time ever that San Francisco has failed to make the Top Ten list. (This year it was #11, and only a few hundred visitors behind Melbourne.) The top cities in Canada are Toronto (#12) and Calgary (#27). New Orleans, where I live and practice law, hasn't been in the top ten since this website's second birthday, but this year is in the #18 spot, between #17 Philadelphia and #19 Brisbane.
Thank you to all of you who have been iPhone J.D. readers for any part of the last nine years. And a VERY big thank you to all of you who have sent me software and hardware suggestions over the years or have otherwise touched based with me to share how you use your iPhone and/or iPad in your law practice. I get so many fantastic ideas from all of you. I also love when any of you stop me at a conference, in court, or elsewhere to say that you read iPhone J.D., because it always sparks a fascinating conversation — sometimes about using the iPhone or iPad, sometimes about more amorphous topics such as the future legal technology, and sometimes just about those great pictures of your kids that you would have missed if the iPhone wasn't close by.
California attorney David Sparks discusses getting work done with an iPad instead of a computer, noting that Microsoft Word on the iPad is really just one feature short of giving attorneys all that they need to give up using the computer for word processing: proper support for Styles. I agree 100%, and every time Microsoft updates its iOS app, this is the first thing I look for in the list of what is new. And now, the news of note from the past week:
On the latest edition of Brett Burney's Apps in Law podcast, Kentucky attorney Jeff Alford discusses using TextExpander on the iPhone and iPad.
If you ever find that Face ID doesn't work, Yoni Heisler of BGR explains that rather than try again, you should enter your passcode. That way, the iPhone X will learn to adjust and will do a better job in the future recognizing your face.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone X support fast charging, much like the iPad Pro. I previously reviewed the combination of Apple’s 29W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C to Lightning Cable, a great pair for getting the fastest possible charging. But it costs $75. Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal ran some tests and concluded that while Apple's USB-C combo is the fastest, using a $20 Apple 12W charger (which comes with the iPad) or using an $11 Anker 24W charger is almost as fast for the iPhone 8 / iPhone X. I still like having Apple's USB-C combo because I have an iPad Pro which takes much better advantage of USB-C, but if you are only looking for fast charging on an iPad, it looks like Apple's USB-C combo is overkill.
According to Neil Hughes of AppleInsider, you can save a tremendous amount of battery life on the iPhone X by using mostly dark screens, because black on an OLED display uses substantially less power. I recently switched to an all-black backgrounds for the home screen on my iPhone X, not to save power, but instead because I love the contrast on that OLED screen between a true black and the icon colors.
Mark Prigg of the Daily Mail reports that a kitesurfer off the coast of California found himself stranded in shark-infested waters and used the cellular function of his Apple Watch 3 to call for help.
CarPlay Life offers some good advice for using Siri with Apple CarPlay. One tip I learned from that article is that asking Siri for directions to X will just show you the directions on the screen, but asking Siri to take me to X will not only find the directions but also start providing directions advice, saving you the step of tapping the "Go" button on the CarPlay screen.
And finally, here is the cute video released by Apple this week showing a teenager using an iPad Pro for so many things that she forgets what a computer is; this is the video referenced in David Spark's post that I linked to above:
I've enjoyed my first week with the iPhone X more than I've enjoyed my first week with any other iPhone except perhaps for my first iPhone, the iPhone 3G back in 2008. I've picked up my iPhone 7 several times this week, and it now seems so dated because they lack the huge screen. The larger screen on the iPhone X quickly feels like this is the screen that was always supposed to be on an iPhone, and I'm sure that in a few years almost all iPhone users will feel the same way. The screen in the standout feature, but Face ID runs a close second because it is so incredible to have the iPhone unlock without my having to do anything. And thanks to the release of the new Clips app (discussed below), we are now starting to see new and interesting things that can be done with all of the front-facing cameras the sit in the notch at the top of the screen. And now, the news of note from the past week:
By default, you need to look at an iPhone X to unlock it. With earlier iPhones, you can unlock with a fingerprint, even if someone else puts your finger on the device while you are asleep. That led to some chaos this week when a woman on a Qatar Airways flight put her sleeping husband's finger on his iPhone to unlock it and discovered that he was having an affair. The woman, who reportedly had been drinking, then became disruptive, and ultimately the flight had to be diverted to get her and her husband off the plane. Saurabh Sinhai of The Times of India has additional details.
Nick Compton of Wallpaper interview's Apple's Jony Ive to discuss Apple's new Apple Park building, and other Apple design issues. The photography in this article is impressive.
Now that we all know what the new iPhone looks like, what will the next iPad look like? Mark Gurman and Alex Webb of Bloomberg have some ideas, and Jason Snell of Six Color notes that these predictions seem reasonable — stuff like Face ID on an iPad and a new Apple Pencil.
Peeking further into the future, Michael Simon of Macworld discusses a possible wearable device by Apple that could be targeted for a 2020 release. Apple CEO Tim Cook does love to talk about Augmented Reality, and as cool as it is on an iPhone, it does seem like Apple has additional applications in mind for this technology.
Apple may be working on a second edition Apple Pencil, but what are the best styluses today? The GoodNotes Blog selects some favorites, and I agree with this list. The Apple Pencil is by far the best choice, but if you don't have an iPad Pro there are some other good ones to choose from.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball discusses the new Clips app by Apple, which is now at version 2.0. As Griber notes, it is a major upgrade. One of the fun new features is to use the iPhone X TrueDepth camera to place yourself on the Millennium Falcon. I showed off a little by making this short video right after the app was updated, but then Rian Johnson (the director of the upcoming Star Wars movie The Last Jedi) posted this video and immediately put mine to shame.
Speaking of the front-facing cameras on the iPhone X, Jason Snell wrote a good article for Tom's Guide explaining how to use Face ID on the iPhone X.
The visitor center at Apple Park opens a week from today, November 17, according to Chance Miller of 9to5Mac. It's nice that Apple will finally have a designated area for the general public to visit the Apple campus. I've visited Apple's Infinite Loop campus in the past with an Apple employee escorting me, but having that friend on the inside was always critical. That changes next week.
Jessica Smith of Business Insider reports that the attempted merger between T-Mobile and Spring is now called off.
Tomorrow, November 11, if you exercise for 11 minutes with your Apple Watch, you'll earn a Veteran's Day badge. iMore has the details.
David Pogue of Yahoo compares the Apple TV, Roku and other streaming boxes. He says that the Apple TV is the best, but the Roku is a great value because it is less expensive. If you have lots of other Apple devices, however, I think that the Apple TV makes the most sense.
And finally, Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal discusses how to use the iPhone X, but does it by taking on the personality of the new Animoji in the Messages app. The video is amusing and informative:
New survey results indicate that a record number of attorneys are using an iPhone in their law practice — over 70% of all attorneys in the United States. These numbers come from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center, which conducts a survey every year to gauge the use of legal technology by attorneys in private practice in the United States. The 2017 report (edited by Joshua Poje) was just released, and as always, I was particularly interested in Volume VI, titled Mobile Lawyers. No survey is perfect, but the ABA tries hard to ensure that its survey has statistical significance, and every year this is one of the best sources of information on how attorneys use technology. Note that the survey was conducted from February to May of 2017, so these numbers don't reflect any changes in what attorneys are using which occurred within the last six months. This is the eighth year that I have reported on this survey, and with multiple years of data we can see some interesting trends. (My reports on prior ABA surveys are located here: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010.)
Over 70% of all U.S. attorneys use an iPhone
The 2017 survey revealed that a record number of attorneys in the U.S. are using a smartphone (around 95%), and of the attorneys using a smartphone, a record number are using an iPhone (around 75%).
The survey asks each attorney "Do you use a smartphone (e.g. BlackBerry, iPhone, Android) for law-related tasks while away from your primary workplace?" Back in 2010, the number of attorneys answering "no" was around 12%. It decreased over the years to 10% and then last year to 6.8%. This year, it is at an all time low of only 4.4%. I'm somewhat surprised it has taken that long to get here, but we can now say that over 95% of all attorneys use a smartphone.
In 2013, the big news was that, for the first time, over half of all attorneys were using an iPhone. In 2014 and 2015 the percentage was around 60%. In 2016, there was a big increase up to 68.4%. In 2017, the number is up to 74.9%. Taking into account that 4.4% of all attorneys are not using any smartphone, we can now say that 71.6% of all attorneys in private practice in the U.S. are using an iPhone in their law practice, which is an all-time high. According to the ABA 2017 National Lawyer Population Survey, there are 1,335,963 attorneys in the U.S., which suggests that there could be over 956,000 attorneys in the U.S. using an iPhone.
If 71.6% of all attorneys are using an iPhone, and 4.4% of attorneys are not using any smartphone, what are the others using? Most of them are using an Android smartphone, around 21.6%.
Back in 2011, 40% of all attorneys used a BlackBerry, and I'm sure all of us remember a time when it was incredibly common to see another lawyer with a BlackBerry. However, BlackBerry use by attorneys has dropped sharply since 2011. In 2017, the number reached a new low of only 2%.
Finally, there are 0.6% of attorneys using some sort of Microsoft Windows operating system on their smartphone in 2017, and another 1.3% either report using "other" or say that they don't know what kind of smartphone they are using.
If you add the numbers, you'll notice that they add up to 101.5%. But it makes sense for the number to be slightly over 100% because I know that a small number of attorneys use multiple smartphones.
The following pie chart is somewhat imprecise because, as I just noted, the actual numbers add up to just over 100%, but it gives you a general, graphical sense of the relative use:
To place these numbers in historical context, the following chart shows lawyer smartphone use over recent years. The two dramatic changes in this chart are of course the plunge in BlackBerry use and the surge in iPhone use. There has been a more gradual, but noticeable, decrease in the number of attorneys not using a smartphone at all. As for Android use, there was a slight increase from 2011 to 2015, but then a slight decrease in the last two years. The "Other" category in this chart includes Windows, something else, and those who don't know what smartphone they are using.
Why are attorneys choosing iPhone, Android or BlackBerry? Firm size might have something to do with it. Almost all of the attorneys still using a BlackBerry are at the largest law firms. On the other hand, Android use is highest among solo attorneys. And for firm sizes between the smallest and largest, it looks like those BlackBerry or Android users become iPhone users:
What are these attorneys doing with their iPhones and other smartphones? Almost all are using them to make phone calls and handle emails. Around 75% are regularly using smartphones for calendars, contacts, and accessing the Internet. Other popular uses are text messaging, GPS/maps, taking pictures and mobile-specific research apps. Only 8.2% use a smartphone to track time and expenses (which is down slightly from 10% last year).
Almost 5% of attorneys report that they are not using any security measures on their smartphone, which is unfortunate; for attorneys, that number really should be zero. If nothing else, you need to use a password to protect your device. (And if you use an iPhone, Apple is making even harder to use a device without a passcode.)
50% of survey respondents use Verizon for their smartphone. AT&T has 37.4%, Sprint has 6.2%, T-Mobile has 4.7%, US Cellular and Cricket Wireless each have 0.6%, and 1.4% said "other" or "don't know."
About 40% of U.S attorneys use an iPad
Apple introduced the original iPad in 2010, and for the first few years it resulted in a surge in lawyer tablet use. In 2011, only 15% of all attorneys responded that they use a tablet. That number more than doubled to 33% in 2012, and rose to 48% in 2013. But since then, the number has essentially held steady: 49% in 2014, 49.6% in 2015, 50.6% in 2016, and 49.8 in 2017%. Suffice it to say that about half of all U.S. attorneys in private practice currently use a tablet, and that has remained true since 2014.
It used to be that around 90% of attorneys using a tablet were using an iPad. It was 89% in 2011, 91% in 2012, and 91% in 2013. From 2014 to 2016, that number stayed around 84%. In 2017, that number is at an all-time low of 81.3%. If 81.3% of the 49.8% of attorneys use a tablet use an iPad, that means that about 40.5% of all U.S. attorneys are using an iPad in 2017.
Keep in mind, though, that this data was all collected in early 2017. As I reported yesterday, iPad sales peaked in 2014 and then decreased substantially, but for the last six months, iPad sales have started to increase again, perhaps due to the new 10.5" iPad Pro and the second generation 12.9" iPad Pro released in mid-2017. Assuming that lawyers were a part of this recent turn-around in iPad sales, my guess is that the iPad numbers will increase in the 2018 survey. We'll see.
As for the lawyers using a tablet but not using an iPad, in 2017 11.1% use a Microsoft Windows operating system (a jump from 6.6% in 2016, presumably thanks to the Windows Surface devices), 9.9% use Android (versus 10.1% in 2016), and 1.6% use something else or don't know what they use. My guess is that some portion of the increase in Windows tablet users were previously iPad users.
Looking at the past seven years on a chart shows visually how the percentage of attorneys using a tablet increased substantially from 2011 to 2013, and then has remained around 50%. For the half of U.S. attorneys using an iPad, the vast majority use an iPad. For the other half of U.S. attorneys who were not interested in a tablet device in 2013, apparently they haven't changed their minds yet.
What are these attorneys doing with their iPads and other tablets? Pretty much the same thing that they are doing with their smartphones (other than the phone function), with over half of attorneys reporting that they are regularly using their tablets for internet access, email and calendars.
Popular apps
The survey also asked attorneys to identify apps that they use. I want to start by making the same objection that I made for the last two years: I don't like how the ABA asks the question. The ABA first asks "Have you ever downloaded a legal-specific app for your smartphone?" In 2017, 41.8% said yes. When I see the word "smartphone" in this question, I think of my iPhone, not my iPad. Then the next question asks: "What legal specific app(s) did you download?" When I read the questions in that order, I'm thinking of the apps that I downloaded on my iPhone, not my iPad. But others must be reading the question differently because I see TrialPad and TranscriptPad in the answers, and those apps exist only on the iPad, not on the iPhone. I would have never mentioned those apps when answering the question, even though I use them on my iPad.
So while I question how much value you can put in these answers, for what it is worth, the top 13 apps listed are, in order of the percentage of attorneys mentioning them:
Westlaw
Fastcase
Lexis Advance
A legal dictionary app
TrialPad
TranscriptPad
Courtlink
LexisNexis Get Cases & Shepardize
Clio
ABA apps
LexisNexis Legal News
HeinOnline
Westlaw News
The ABA then asked about general business apps, and the questions have the same ambiguity: the ABA first asked if the attorney ever downloaded a general business app to a smartphone (47.1% said yes in 2017), and then the ABA asked which apps were downloaded, without making it clear whether the question was asking about the iPhone and iPad. The answers provided were, in this order:
Dropbox
LinkedIn
Evernote
GoodReader
LogMeIn
Documents to Go
Box
QuickOffice
MS Office/Word
Notability
It amazes me that Microsoft Word is so low on this list (only 6.4% report using it), but at least it made the list in 2017; in prior years, it wasn't even on the list. Word is one of the most useful general-purpose apps that any lawyer can have on his iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows mobile device. If you are not using it yet on your iPhone and iPad, you are missing out on an app that is incredibly useful in a law practice.
Apple starts a new fiscal year at the end of September every year. Last Thursday, amid all of the media attention on the new iPhone X, Apple released the results for its 2017 fiscal fourth quarter (which ran from July 2, 2017 to September 30, 2017) and held a call with analysts to discuss the results. This is typically a transitional quarter for Apple considering that so many sales take place in the October to December quarter that contains holiday sales. Sales of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus started September 22, 2017, so about a week of those sales were included in the fiscal fourth quarter, but of course it did not include any iPhone X sales. Apple announced quarterly revenue of 52.6 billion (up from $46.9 billion a year ago) and quarterly net profit of $10.7 billion. If you want to get all of the nitty gritty details, you can download the audio from the announcement conference call from iTunes, or you can read a rough transcript of the call prepared by Seeking Alpha. Jason Snell of Six Colors also prepared a transcript. Apple's official press release is here.
As always, I'm not particularly interested in the financial aspects of this call. But I'm always interested in the statements of Apple executives that pertain to the use of the iPhone and iPad. Here are the items that stood out to me:
iPhone
Apple sold almost 46.7 million iPhones in the last fiscal quarter. By my count, that means that Apple has sold just over 1.25 billion iPhones as of September 30, 2017. Apple sold its 1 billionth iPhone in July 2016, and it is amazing that it didn't take much more than a year to get to 1.25 billion.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in his prepared remarks that iPhone sales in the past quarter "exceeded our expectation." The iPhone 8 Plus in particular "has gotten off to the fastest start of any Plus model," according to Cook. "That, for us, was a bit of a surprise, and a positive surprise, obviously. And so we’ll see what happens next."
Cook stated that initial demand for the iPhone X is "very strong for both direct customers and for our channel partners, which as you know are lots of carriers throughout the world."
When asked about the price of the iPhone X, the most expensive iPhone every sold, Cook stated: "In terms of the way we price, we price to sort of the value that we're providing. We're not trying to charge the highest price we could get or anything like that. We're just trying to price it for what we're delivering. And iPhone X has a lot of great new technologies in there that are leading the industry, and it is a fabulous product and we can't wait for people to start getting it in their hands."
Apple clearly believes that it will sell a lot of expensive iPhone X devices in the current quarter because it announced a prediction of 2018 Q1 sales (October-December) of $84 to $87 billion. That would easily be Apple's best financial quarter ever, and would be a big jump up from the $78.4 billion of 2017 Q1 and the $75.9 billion of 2016 Q1. So when I update the following chart in three months, I expect to see a very tall line at the end:
iPad
Apple sold just over 10.3 million iPads in the last fiscal quarter. By my count, that means that Apple has sold over 381 million iPads as of September 30, 2017.
The prior quarter (2017 Q3) was the first time in three and a half years that iPad sales started to increase. That trend continued in 2017 Q4 with more sales in this fiscal fourth quarter than last fiscal fourth quarter. I think that the best way to see this is to look at a chart that shows the average of four quarters of iPad sales over time. In the following chart, the blue line shows the actual iPad sales each quarter (in millions), and you can see the peaks every year in Apple's fiscal first quarter — the holiday quarter, when folks buy lots of iPads as presents. The green bars show the average of the current quarter and the prior three quarters, which gives you a better sense of iPad sales over time. As this chart shows, the iPad was introduced in 2010 and saw a sharp rise in sales until the end of calendar year 2013 (the beginning of Apple's fiscal year 2014), followed by a decrease in iPad sales over time, and then finally a slight increase in the past two quarters. I'm sure that Apple hopes that the last two quarter are evidence that iPad sales are back on the upswing again.
One of the early reviews of the iPhone X that I read a week ago was by Jason Snell of Six Colors titled "Tomorrow's iPhone Today." I've been using the iPhone X for just over two days as I type this, and it really does feel like somebody used a time machine to show me what the iPhone of the future would look like. Yes, it has many elements of the iPhone that we have known and loved for the past 10 years, but it is so much more advanced that it feels futuristic. I've loved every iPhone that I have owned since my original iPhone 3G back in 2008, but this iPhone X is really something special. It is more expensive than other models of the iPhone, but if you use an iPhone in your law practice and your personal life as much as I do, then it is worth it.
I discussed the major features of the iPhone X two months ago in this post. Take a look at that post again if you want the list of what is new, including the new screen, Face ID, better battery, speed increase, wireless charging, true tone display, better camera, Bluetooth 5.0, etc. Today, I want to just focus on my major impressions of the iPhone X — what makes the device feel so special.
Where everybody knows your name
I'm sure that everyone has private information of some type on their iPhone, but of course attorneys will have tons of documents and other information that is confidential and subject to privileges such as attorney-client, work product, joint defense, etc. Thus, attorneys need to use some sort of authentication on an iPhone. For every iPhone that I have used before the iPhone X, I would pick up my iPhone and then, before using it, I had to pause for authentication. Sometimes that meant typing a passcode. Sometimes it meant putting my finger on the Touch ID button.
As you know, the iPhone X uses cameras and other technology that Apple calls Face ID for authentication. What this means in practice is that it feels like you often don't have to worry about security at all. It's like Norm entering the Cheers bar; just walk right in and everybody already knows your name (and they're always glad you came). When I pick up the iPhone X to use it, the screen wakes as I lift the device, and then during the time that I am swiping my finger up to access the home screen, the iPhone X recognizes me and unlocks the device. Or sometimes, all I want to do is look at my notifications, such as new emails or text messages. I have my notification settings configured so that they show up on my lock screen, but do so in a way that if someone else picks up my iPhone, they don't see any of the content of the message (just the sender name). On the other hand, if I pick up my iPhone, the iPhone X recognizes me and automatically expands each notification to also show me the subject line and the beginning of the email or message.
(To configure this, go to the Settings App and in Notifications make the top option Show Previews When Unlocked, and in the individual app, such as Messages, turn on Allow Notifications and Show on Lock Screen.)
I love that my iPhone X is smart enough that when I pick it up, it immediately says "oh, that's just Jeff, he can go ahead an do whatever he wants" without me having to take any action at all — no entering a code, no authenticating a fingerprint, nothing. And it is smart enough to do so even when there are slight variations in my appearance; I usually wear glasses, but the iPhone X recognizes me even if I have sunglasses on or even if I am not wearing glasses at all.
Touch ID isn't perfect, especially if your fingers are wet. Similarly, Face ID isn't perfect, and sometimes would fail to recognize me. I noticed that the infrared camera would sometimes have difficulty when I was outside in a lot of sun, such as when I was at my daughter's soccer game on Saturday morning. It also had some difficulties when I first woke up on Sunday and wanted to use my phone — perhaps my iPhone X was trying to tell me that I don't look my best when I first wake up. When that happens, I just have to enter my passcode. I understand that when you do this, the iPhone X will make slight adjustments to its sense of what you look like, so that Face ID improves over time. Maybe next Sunday my iPhone X will be more forgiving of my looks.
But even though the first 48+ hours of Face ID may not be quite as accurate as Touch ID, I would never want to go back to using Touch ID after using Face ID. When Face ID does work — which is the vast majority of the time — it really feels like you are just skipping the security step altogether. Whether I am unlocking the phone, or using an app that checks for security such as my 1Password app (my password manager), it is magical and incredibly convenient for my iPhone X to see who I am and let me right in, without carding me first. And considering that I probably use Face ID well over a hundred times every day, this is a major advantage of the iPhone X.
Screen
The iPhone X screen is breathtakingly amazing. The edge-to-edge screen, with no bezel, lets you see so much more. It's almost like getting the larger screen of one of the Plus-size iPhones in a device that feels the same in your hand as a non-Plus iPhone. It's a taller phone, which means that you get a few more lines for apps that display info in a list form top-to-bottom. This includes some of the apps that I use the most on my iPhone, such as Mail, Safari, Notes, Twitter, 1Password, Music, Facebook, etc. Videos and photos look fine when the iPhone X is turned on its size in landscape mode, but other apps do seem unusually wide. But other than videos and photos, I virtually never have my iPhone turned to landscape mode anyway. In portrait mode, the extra space is much appreciated.
And it's not just quantity, it's quality too. The OLED screen is unlike anything I've ever seen on a phone before, including prior Android phones with an OLED screen. Apple has done an amazing job with this thing. The black are perfectly black, and colors are vivid (but not over-saturated). Whether you are looking at photos or videos, or simply using the iPhone to get work done, everything just looks amazing.
The iPhone X also uses a True Tone display, which adjusts colors based upon the surrounding light. I love that display on my iPad Pro, and it is nice to have it on my iPhone too. White backgrounds always look like nice white backgrounds.
I cannot really post a picture that will give you a sense of how good the iPhone X screen looks because you'll be limited by the screen of whatever you are using to read this post. Either go to an Apple Store to see it yourself, or just trust me — it is amazing.
Productivity
I celebrated my birthday yesterday, so I'll admit that billable hours were not high on my list of priorities this weekend. But I did do some work, and I can already tell that the iPhone X will help me to be more productive.
First, as noted above, the taller screen lets you see more at one time, which is a nice productivity boost. For example, when looking at a list of emails, I can see two additional emails. When reading the text of an email, I can see even more of the message.
Second, multitasking works MUCH better on the iPhone X. There is a short line across the bottom of most screens. That mostly serves as a reminder that you can swipe up to access the home screen or do other functions that in the past would be accomplished by pressing a Home Button. But if you swipe your finger from left to right across that line (i.e., across the bottom of the screen) you switch to prior apps that you have used. Yes, I know that on earlier versions of the iPhone you can 3D Touch on the left side of the screen to invoke the app switcher, but I've always found that gesture awkward and a little slow on a naked iPhone and sometimes almost impossible to do on an iPhone in a case. Swiping along the bottom of the iPhone X is vastly superior.
And then of course, as with every new iPhone, everything works even faster, so you spend less time waiting to do work. Combine that with Face ID, and this means that you can get in, get your work done, and get out much more efficiently.
Fun with the TrueDepth camera
App developers cannot access everything that Apple can access in Face ID, but they do have access to the TrueDepth camera and the speedy A11 processor, which means that apps can analyze your facial expressions. In a very creative demonstration of what that means, Apple included Animoji with the Messages app, allowing you to make an animated character mimic your facial expression. You can either create a single image, or for even more fun create a short 10 second video in which the character speaks your words and uses your expressions. Creative folks on Twitter soon realized that this means that you can create Animoji Karaoke (Harry McCracken was one of the first). Here is an example of a good one, using multiple Animoji to sing Bohemian Rhapsody:
This is just the beginning. When David Pogue of Yahoo reviewed the iPhone X, he had access to a pre-release version of Apple's Clips app which uses the TrueDepth camera like a virtual green screen that can put your face in other environments, such as on the Millennium Falcon. And those are just apps from folks at Apple, who have access to the iPhone X for a while now. Clever third parties are going to come up with all sorts of fun uses for this technology.
No, the TrueDepth camera is unlikely to help you in your law practice, unless someone out there is being more creative than I am right now. But it sure is a lot of fun. My kids had a great time making silly faces with the Animoji characters, and I even received a birthday greeting from my three year old nephew who was very cute as an alien.
I've always been jealous of the zoom camera on the Plus versions of the iPhone, but those phones are just too darn large for me to want to ever own one. With the iPhone X, I finally have an iPhone that feels like the right size in my hand while also having two cameras, the traditional wide-angle camera and the telephoto camera, both with optical image stabilization. I love taking pictures and video with my iPhone, but it was often frustrating to me to not have a zoom lens. (Sure, you could do a digital zoom, but the picture quality decreased rapidly as you zoomed in.) You can now get full quality even with a 2x zoom, and if you need to zoom in a little bit more you can do so with much better results than ever before.
This past Saturday, when I attended my daughter's soccer game, I used the iPhone X to take a video of game highlights, including the two goals that she kicked (yeah!). I kept my iPhone X in 2x mode and got a great results with the 4K video, even when she was far across the soccer field from where I was watching.
Feels great in the hand
With a width of 2.79", the iPhone X takes up essentially the same amount of space across your hand as an iPhone 7 or similar non-Plus models of the iPhone (2.64" for the iPhone 7). The glass black feels very similar to the Jet Black version of the iPhone 7, and also feels similar to the glass black on the old iPhone 4.
I used a case with my iPhone 7, mainly to add some friction to decrease the chance that I drop it. For now, I'm using the iPhone X without a case. I may decide to add a case in the future, and of course if you use a case it will be the case that you are feeling. But if you don't use a case, the iPhone X feels great, and you can really feel and appreciate the build quality and care that went into creating it.
Other advantages
The built-in speaker is louder and better-sounding. Most of the time I use AirPods, but sometimes if I'm listening to a podcast or song when nobody else is around, I'll just set down my iPhone and turn up the volume. That works better with the iPhone X.
I haven't used the iPhone X long enough to do battery tests, but I'm encouraged by Apple saying that the iPhone X lasts two more hours than the iPhone X. I suspect that the battery is larger, but that's not the full story. I noticed that when I'm not looking at my iPhone X for a while, it pays attention to that and turns of the screen. My iPhone 7 has no idea if I'm looking at the screen or not, so it keeps the screen on much longer when I'm not using the device, wasting battery life.
I know that this iPhone X has wireless charging. At this point, I don't see a need for that; plugging a Lightning cable into the bottom of an iPhone doesn't seem like that big of a deal. But as wireless charging becomes more of a thing, it might be something that I find useful, either at home if I purchase a charging device or in a restaurant or other public facility. For now, the jury is out on this feature, but I suppose it could be nice to have.
I also haven't yet had a chance to try Bluetooth 5.0, but this is one feature that I definitely look forward to using when compatible devices become available. While Bluetooth 4.2 has a range of up to about 30 feet, Bluetooth 5.0 has a range of up to about 260 feet. If Apple comes out with Bluetooth 5.0 AirPods with much longer range, that would be fantastic.
Conclusion
There really isn't much of the way of bad news with the iPhone X, other than the fact that you have to pay more to get these extra features. And although I have a lot of muscle memory associated with the traditional iPhone Home Button, it only took me about a day to get used to the new gestures such as swiping up instead of pressing a Home Button. Indeed, last night, as I was taking some screenshots with my iPhone 7, I found myself swiping up on the bottom of the iPhone 7 to exit an app instead of pressing the button, which is clear proof that it doesn't take long to get used to the new gestures.
The advantages of the iPhone X — especially the better screen and Face ID — are fantastic, making this a substantial upgrade over prior models. If, like me, you use your iPhone a large number of times a day, throughout the day and every day, I can highly recommend the iPhone X. What a great product.
Apple starts selling the iPhone X at 8am today. And because of time zones, that means that folks in Sydney, Australia (which is 15 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone) have been using an iPhone X for a while now, and Apple has a few pictures. Shortly after Apple started taking pre-orders one week ago, shipping times slipped to 5-6 weeks. Apparently Apple is working hard to ramp up production, because as I type this it is now down to 3-4 weeks. Of course you can also show up at an Apple Store today to buy one without a pre-order, but I'm sure that supply is very limited, so unless you are already standing in line as you are reading this in the early hours of Friday morning, I suspect that it is too late for you to get one today. And now, the news of note from the past week:
If you have any interest in using your iPhone to control lights and more in your home, Florida attorney Katie Floyd and California attorney David Sparks had a fantastic episode of their Mac Power Users podcast in which they speak with home automation expert Robert Spivack. It was good to hear that Spivack is as much of a fan of Lutron Caséta light switches as I am. (My review.)
Speaking of Apple Pay, Bryan Wolfe of AppAdvice notes that you will soon be able to use Apple Pay in some new locations, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Dick's Sporting Goods and Albertson's.
My favorite app for listening to podcasts, Overcast, was updated to version 4.0 yesterday. Federico Viticci of MacStories explains what is new.
Apple has a special page of its website devoted to iPhone X tips.
Lance Ulanoff of Mashable talked to a few Apple executives to get the backstory on the creation of the iPhone X.
For folks who want a new iPhone but want a more traditional model with Touch ID and without the $1000+ price tag, Apple now has the new iPhone 8. Jason Snell of Six Colors wrote this review.
As noted by Trevor Daughterty of 9to5Mac, a neat AR feature was added to the Amazon app this week. Tap the camera icon at the top and then tap AR view. Now you can select lots of different products and see how each would look in a room in AR. Once you place the object, you can walk around it, zoom in and out, etc. Neat stuff.
And finally, Apple came out with a new commercial for Apple Music this week, and I really like it. It features the Apple Music logo (two eighth notes) worked into animations of famous albums and artists. Every time I watch the ad I pick out something else; for example, the homage to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album cover goes by in such a fraction of a second that I didn't even see it the first two times i watched the video:
The new iPhone X is a big departure from the past decade of iPhones. The screen is edge-to-edge, with a notch at the top. The home button goes from being the single most distinctive feature on an iPhone to non-existent. And for the first time, the iPhone uses infrared sensors to recognize your face. We've heard lots from Apple about this new phone, but I've been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hear from independent reviewers. Yesterday, we saw the first set of reviews from over two dozen media outlets. (Joe Rossignol of MacRumors has compiled a fairly complete list.) Overall, the reviews of been incredibly positive. All of the reviewers found that using your face to unlock an iPhone instead of your fingerprint works really well, and most of them quickly concluded that it is an improvement. All of the reviewers loved the incredibly high-quality screen (the first iPhone to use OLED) which goes edge-to-edge. Many of them noted that it takes a little time to get used to the new features, but of course that is true with any technology improvement. If you want to learn more about the iPhone X, here are the reviews that I recommend:
If you want something relatively short that covers the key features, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has this first look at the iPhone X.
Jason Snell of Six Colors also wrote a helpful review of the iPhone X. He calls his review "Tomorrow's iPhone today" and that is a good three-word summary because the iPhone X really does start a new chapter in iPhone features.
Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch was one of the few reviewers to have the opportunity to try out the iPhone X for a week; most of the other reviewers had less than 24 hours to write their initial reviews. His review is less technical than others and focuses on how the iPhone X works in real world usage.
Attorney Nilay Patel of The Verge notes that "the iPhone X looks so good one of our video editors kept saying it looked fake" and says it "is clearly the best iPhone ever made."
David Phelan of The Independent in the UK was of the other very few journalists to have over a week with the iPhone X. His written review is good, but I thought that his short video review (at the top of his written review) was one of the best videos for getting a sense of what it is like to hold and use the iPhone X.
I'll mention two other video reviews which are excellent. First, David Pogue of Yahoo — who has been reviewing iPhones since the original iPhone 10 years ago — has a great video review at the top of his written review. He is also the only reviewer to mention and show off the virtual green screen in Apple's Clips app — a feature which is neat on its own, and also makes me wonder what creative third party developers will be able to do in the future with the advanced front facing cameras on the iPhone X.
And finally, Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal focuses her review on just one new features of the iPhone X: using the new FaceID system to unlock the phone with your face instead of your fingerprint. She put it to the test, even going to the trouble of having a mask made of her own face. As you can see in this video (embedded below and also included in the written review), the iPhone X does incredibly well:
