What products will Apple announce this Fall? I presume that there will be a new iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, but it is difficult to know for sure what features will be included. However, Michael Simon of Macworld has some predictions based on a pretty reliable source — Apple itself. Now that the beta version of iOS 12 is out, Simon makes some informed guesses about upcoming hardware based upon what is contained in that beta software. For example, ever since the iPad came out in 2010, the time has been displayed at the top center of the screen. The same used to be true of the iPhone too, but Apple moved the time to the side when the iPhone X was released with its new camera — and thus a notch — at the top center. In the beta version of iOS 12, the iPad similarly moves the time away from the center, and Simon predicts that this is to make way for a camera and a notch, just like the iPhone. This would allow folks to use Animoji and Memoji on the iPad, so this strikes me as a reasonable guess. For the rest of Simon's predictions based on what is in the beta version of iOS 12, click here. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- On the Lit Software blog, the company discusses how California family law attorney Cari Pines uses TrialPad, TranscriptPad and DocReviewPad in her law practice.
- Massachusetts attorney Robert Ambrogi discusses the 25th anniversary of the PDF file format. I started practicing law 24 years ago, so PDFs have always been a part of my law practice, although they were only a minor part at first. Ever since I started using an iPad in 2010, PDFs have been an essential part of my law practice.
- Jack Nicas of the New York Times reports that Apple and Samsung have settled their seven-year legal fight over smartphone patents.
- Over the past two weeks, I've reviewed two products (Eve Motion, Eve Degree) made by Elgato as a part of its Eve line of smarthome products. The company announced Wednesday that it has decided to go all-in on HomeKit-compatible smarthome products. It is selling all of its non-Eve products (including its gaming business) to Corsair, and the company is changing its name to Eve Systems. I look forward to this increased focus on HomeKit technology and I hope that it results in even more great products for iPhone owners.
- Mike Matthews reviews the Honeywell Lyric Controller, a home security system which is compatible with Apple's HomeKit technology.
- Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote a detailed preview of what is new in the upcoming iOS 12.
- Federico Viticci of MacStories shares some of his favorite somewhat obscure features of the upcoming iOS 12.
- If AT&T is your cellphone carrier, you are now paying an additional $1.33 every month. Nick Statt of The Verge explains why.
- And finally, this week Apple CEO Tim Cook was interviewed at Fortune's CEO Initiative by Fortune executive editor Adam Lashinsky. Chance Miller of 9to5Mac has a good summary of the interview, or you can watch the full video on YouTube. The interview includes lots of interesting information about Apple, and the positions that Apple has taken on issues ranging from education to privacy to social issues to the environment:
