On November 17, 2008, I started iPhone J.D. and published my first post. A milestone always seems like an appropriate time to step back and take a look at where you have been, so I do that every year here on iPhone J.D. Over these past eleven years, I've written more than 1,800 posts and I've watched both the iPhone and iPad develop from being a useful tool for getting work done to, in many instances, being the best tool for getting work done. Just this past weekend, I have been preparing for an appellate argument, and I've been using my iPad extensively to do so — to review briefs and cases, to double-check my legal research, and to handwrite my oral argument outline, pasting in the key quotes from cases that I will want to use. The iPad lets me get work done in lots of different spaces in my house and my backyard, and while I wouldn't want to bring a laptop computer up to the podium, I guarantee you that my iPad will be there when I am arguing.
Popular posts this year. Every year on the birthday of iPhone J.D. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), 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 often sheds some light into what has been on the minds of attorneys and other folks using an iPhone or iPad. Here, in order, are the top ten most viewed posts published in the last 12 months:
- Fixing "This app is no longer shared with you". Thanks to the Family Sharing feature, one family member can purchase an app and then other family members can use the app. At least, that is how it is supposed to work. Sometimes, your iPhone forgets that another member of your family has purchased the app and tells you that the app is no longer shared with you — which means that you cannot use it. Fortunately, there is an easy fix, which I outlined in this post from April of this year. Since that time, I've had many people email me or add comments to this post noting that the fix worked great for them. Hopefully, it won't be long before Apple figures out a way to prevent this error message from ever popping up, but until it does so, I suspect that this post will remain popular.
- Review: GoodReader version 5 -- new features for an old favorite. GoodReader was a favorite app for many attorneys and other iPad users looking for a great way to work with PDF files. When GoodReader version 4 was released in 2014, it was a fantastic app. Before long, the developer promised great new features in GoodReader 5, but then we never saw an update and many wondered if the app would have a future. During the five-year delay, many users — including me — abandoned GoodReader for another app with more modern features. (I opted for PDF Expert by Readdle.) But then finally, GoodReader version 5 was introduced earlier this year, and it has some nice features in it that are not found in other apps. Although GoodReader is no longer my primary app for working with PDF files, I do still use the app from time to time, and I'm glad to have this tool on my iPad.
- GoodNotes -- take handwritten notes on an iPad. I first reviewed GoodNotes in 2012, and the app has seen numerous updates over the years. But a major new version of GoodNotes came out during the past year, making the app better than ever. GoodNotes lets your iPad replace your legal pad, giving you an easy-to-use but also powerful way to take handwritten notes. The feature list is rich, and I use this app almost every day in my law practice.
- Review: PDF Expert by Readdle -- manage and annotate your documents. PDF Expert has been around for a while, but I didn't spend much time with it until I started to look for a replacement for GoodReader. Once I started using the app, I really liked it. When attorneys ask me what app I recommend for working with PDF files on an iPad, PDF Expert is now my #1 recommendation.
- Transcript of Apple CEO Tim Cook's commencement address at Tulane University. Tim Cook came to New Orleans earlier this year to speak at the Tulane graduation. I didn't attend in person, but I did watch the video, and I thought he did a great job. Thus, I decided to prepare a transcript to give others a quick-and-easy way to see what he had to say without having to watch the full twenty-minute video. This was a popular post this year, so hopefully that means that others found it helpful to read a transcript.
- Using the Studio Neat Canopy with the new 12.9" iPad Pro (2018 version). The Studio Neat Canopy is a case for the Apple Magic Keyboard that protects the keyboard when you are carrying it around and also provides a stand for your iPad so that you can use an iPad + keyboard in an orientation similar to using a laptop computer. I use this combination frequently, especially when I travel. In this post from last November, I explained how to get the Canopy to work with the new version of the iPad Pro released by Apple late last year. (Technically, that post was released shortly before the 10th anniversary of iPhone J.D., but most folks read it during the past twelve months, so I'm including it in this year's list.)
- iPhone tip: I'm on my way. This is a quick tip for letting someone know how long it will be before you arrive at a destination. This tip still works in iOS 13.
- Extend the range of your Lutron Caséta Wireless system. I have lots of HomeKit devices in my house, but my favorite way to turn a normal house into a smart house is by using devices made by Lutron in its Caséta line. If you have a larger house, you may need to extend the range so that you can control all of your devices from all parts of your house. This post explained how to do that by using one of the Lutron lamp dimmers placed in a strategic location. This tip made a huge difference in my own house, and hopefully others found it to be just as useful.
- GoodNotes update adds gesture control for undo and redo. I already mentioned that GoodNotes got a major update in the last 12 months, but it also got some great minor updates too. In this post, I discussed an update that lets you use two fingers to double-tap to undo the last edit. After I wrote this post, Apple released iOS 13 and GoodNotes was updated again to add yet another shortcut for undo: use three fingers to tap once on the screen to bring up the undo/redo toolbar at the top of the screen. Or, you can swipe to the left with three fingers to undo, but I find it easier to tap once, then swipe with three fingers.
- The use of iPads by U.S. Fifth Circuit judges and law clerks. I wrote this post after seeing a presentation given by three U.S. Fifth Circuit judges in which they talked about how judges and law clerks were using iPads. Just last week, I attended a CLE in which another U.S. Fifth Circuit judge — the incredibly smart Judge Stephen Higginson — explained that he loves to read briefs on his iPad, using the Fifth Circuit's hyperlink system to quickly jump between the brief and the record. Another interesting tidbit: he also said that he often reads the Reply Brief first (helping him to focus on the key issues in an appeal) before he reads the Appellant and Appellee Briefs.
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 63% of readers visited iPhone J.D. from an iOS device, which is a record high. About 18% used a Windows PC, about 11% used a Mac, and almost 7% used Android. It's always interesting to see lots of Android users reading iPhone J.D.
About 64% of iPhone J.D. visitors during the past year were in the U.S., which is consistent with the last few years. iPhone J.D. also gets a large 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 2015 (when there were a few hundred more visitors from London):
Those are the same cities that made the Top 10 list last year; the only difference is that Chicago jumped up from #4 to #2, and Houston dropped from #5 to #7. Melbourne and Toronto just barely missed the Top 10. New Orleans, where I live, is at #33 this year, just barely ahead of #34 Montreal. #1,000 on the list is Haifa, Israel. #2,000 is Panama City Beach, Florida. And at the very bottom of the list, around #5,000, with only six visitors in the past year, is Waga Waga, Australia.
Thank you to all of you who have posted a comment, sent me an email, stopped me to say hello, or just been a regular visitor of iPhone J.D. over the past year. I look forward to all of the interesting things in the world of iPhone and iPad that will be worth talking about in the next twelve months!