I believe that we are on the cusp of some big changes in the world of iPhone and iPad. We know for sure that Apple will announce new products in a few days on April 20. I don’t know what Apple will announce, but I suspect that we will see a big step forward on the iPad Pro. We are also about to see iOS 14.5. I look forward to being able to unlock my iPhone while wearing a mask by virtue of the fact that I will be wearing an Apple Watch. Also, the new App Tracking Transparency feature will certainly be interesting, for the reasons noted at the end of today’s post. I look forward to learning more about all of this next week, but for now, let’s take a look back at the news of note from the past week:
- I’ve been using the TranscriptPad app from Lit Software extensively over the past few weeks to work with deposition transcripts, and that is an essential app in my law practice. Thus, it has worked out well for me that the app received new bookmark features this week, as Lit Software explains on its blog. You can use bookmarks within the app to make it easier to jump to a part of the transcript. But what I find even more useful is the inclusion of bookmarks in the PDF file when I create a report; the app automatically places a bookmark every time a new issue begins. Thus, I can work with a single report in an app like PDF Expert and use the Outline tab in PDF Expert to jump directly to a specific part of the report. This is one of those features that I didn’t know that I wanted, but now that I’m using it, I can’t imagine living without it in the past.
- If you want to track the food that you eat, California attorney David Sparks of MacSparky recommends the FoodNoms app.
- I’m a fan of Apple’s Fitness+ service, and even my wife is now using it. Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories describes some of the new features coming to Fitness+ next week, including workouts for pregnancy and workouts for older adults.
- There is a fascinating story in the Washington Post by Ellen Nakashima and Reed Albergotti about the security firm that hacked the iPhone for the FBI that was used by the San Bernardino shooter back in 2016.
- I’ve often heard a Tesla car referred to as an iPhone with wheels. Jason Snell of Six Colors used a Tesla for a week and wrote an interesting story about his experiences.
- Developer David Smith describes a new free Apple Watch app that he released called Ian’s Awesome Counter that could be useful for anyone who needs assistance maintaining focus.
- Zac Hall of 9to5Mac has advice for making an Apple Watch less intrusive. I don’t go as far as Zac does, but I also like to limit how much my Apple Watch interrupts me. I have all sounds turned off and very few apps can alert me — which means that when I do get alerts, I know that they matter to me.
- If you want a HomeKit-compatible device that is weather-proof and can be used outside, there are not many options on the market. I use the iHome iSP100 Outdoor Smart Plug, which I reviewed in 2018, and it works very well for me. Christopher Close of iMore discusses a new device called the meross Outdoor Smart Plug, which has three independently-controlled outlets and only costs $35, and thus looks like a better deal than the iHome device that I use.
- I love the Memories feature on my iPhone and iPad because it does a great job of surfacing fun pictures from my past. I’ve had times when it surfaced a picture of a loved one who is now deceased, which can be a bittersweet memory, but one that I still find valuable. But what if the Memories feature triggers a memory that you don’t want, such as an ex or a troubling part of your life? This issue is discussed in two well-written articles. First, Lauren Goode of Wired wrote this article, and then after that, Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels shared this very personal story. I recommend them both.
- Allison Aubrey of NPR discusses using an iPhone app as a COVID-19 vaccine passport.
- Congratulations to the folks behind the GoodNotes app, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week. I use the app throughout the day in my law practice to take notes, I use it at night to help my kids with homework (e.g. I scan and then annotate a math assignment so I can work through problems on my iPad to help them work through the assignment on the handout), and I sometimes even use it on the weekend to do crossword puzzles that I find on the Internet or scan from a newspaper. It’s such a great app.
- The penultimate episode of Season 2 of For All Mankind was released on Apple TV+ today and … O M G.
- When iOS 14.5 comes out (presumably next week), it will alert you when an app wants to track you and give you the option to opt-in or opt-out. This has Facebook upset because they make their money by tracking users. Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal always does a great job with her videos, but this week she outdid herself. She does an amazing job explaining the controversy and what it could mean for the future with the aid of some little helpers in this video: