Earlier this week, I discussed the new GrayKey device which can supposedly unlock an iPhone even without the password, given enough time. In an article for Motherboard, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai and Joseph Cox note that Apple has a feature in beta which frustrates GrayKey because a police officer must plug in an iPhone to the GrayKey device within one week of the iPhone last being unlocked. Of course, it would be easier for law enforcement if they could just compel a suspect to unlock his iPhone. In an article for The Volokh Conspiracy, USC Law Professor Orin Kerr discusses two recent opinions on this topic from federal magistrate judges. Additionally, Former FBI Director James Comey has a new book out this week, in case you have been living under a rock and haven't heard yet. Obviously, the parts concerning President Trump are getting the most attention, but Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac notes that the book also offers Comey's perspective on the FBI's efforts to force Apple to unlock iPhones. iPhone security and privacy is a big issue that is going to remain in the news for a long time. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- The Drafts app was updated to version 5 this week. California attorney David Sparks is a big fan, and he explains why in this article and even includes some videos showing how to use the app. Tim Nahumck of MacStories also wrote a comprehensive review of Drafts 5. Given the enthusiasm that many have for this app, I downloaded it and I'm starting to try it out. So far, I'm not really seeing how this app fits into my life, but I'll keep trying it and I haven't given up on it yet.
- Cult of Mac has started a series of articles to recommend 50 essential iOS apps. The first two apps recommended — Deliveries (my reviews: 1, 2) and Dark Sky Weather are excellent, so I look forward to the future installments in this series.
- Andrew Orr of the Mac Observer offers some good advice for what to do if your iPhone is stolen. Read the article now while you are calm and collected, and hopefully you will remember these steps should misfortune shine upon you.
- In an article in Macworld, security expert Glenn Fleishman offers advice for how to recover your iCloud account if you have two-factor authentication turned on (which I recommend) and one of your authentication methods goes missing. Read this article now while you are calm and collected ... you know the rest.
- Andrew O'Hara of AppleInsider reviews the CordDock iPhone dock by ElevationLab, and he notes that it is different from most other docks.
- Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac notes that the Dropbox app has been updated to work better on the iPad.
- If you find yourself at a McDonald's today (or next Friday), you can pay with Apple Pay and get a free medium order of fries. Mitchel Broussard of MacRumors has the details; for example, you have to order using the McDonald's app.
- To make up for eating at McDonald's today, on Sunday you can do a 30 minute workout with your Apple Watch and earn the Earth Day Challenge badge. Once again, Mitchel Broussard of MacRumors has the details. And then, after all of that working out, you can relax on Sunday night by doing what I will be doing: watching the new season of Westworld on HBO, which Lee Hutchinson of Ars Technica writes about in this spoiler-free review of Season 2.
- And finally, Serenity Caldwell of iMore prepared a review of the 2018 version of the 9.7" iPad. But instead of preparing a written review like I would do, or preparing a traditional video review, she decided to show off what this iPad can do by filming the screen while she walked through various tasks. She even created the soundtrack in Garage Band on the iPad, and managed to incorporate a few seconds of video of her as a young girl using a Mac. Combine all of this work with the fact that she is a talented artist, and the final product is impressive. Here is her video:
