In the News

I focus on the iPhone and iPad on this website, not the Mac, but I find myself continuing to think about Apple’s Mac announcements during the event it held earlier this week because of what was not announced:  a larger iMac.  Since 2003, the iMac has come in two different screen sizes.  Originally those sizes were 15″ and 17″, but they increased over the years to 21.5″ and 27″.  I’ve used four different versions of the larger iMac during the last 16 years, and they have been fantastic home computers.  As iPhone photography has improved over the years, it has been especially nice to take photos and videos on my iPhone and then manage and edit them on my iMac’s large 27″ screen.  Last year, Apple introduced a 24″ model with an M1 chip, and I assumed that this year, Apple would introduce a 27″ (or larger) model with one of Apple’s new M1 chips.  Instead, Apple completely stopped selling the 27″ iMac this week and instead announced the new and powerful Mac Studio (which is the size of a Mac mini but about 2.5x as tall) and a separate 27″ Studio Display (a display that actually includes the same chip used in the iPhone, the A13, so the display can support features like Center Stage, Spatial Audio, and “Hey Siri”).  There is always a chance that Apple will eventually introduce another iMac with a larger screen, but many Apple experts think that is unlikely to happen (such as John Gruber).  Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica wrote an article speculating that a larger iMac was coming, and then subsequently updated it with a contradiction of his entire article, appending to the end:  “Apple confirmed to Ars that the 27-inch iMac has reached end of life.”  I’ve enjoyed using the largest iMac model for so long that I’m sad to see it go.  Having said that, I suppose can see the logic in folks purchasing a 27″ Studio Display along with either a Mac mini or Mac Studio, and then after a few years, keeping the same display while updating to a newer Mac mini or Mac Studio.  But with the Studio Display starting at $1600 and the Mac Studio starting at $2000, even before you upgrade the internal storage, that gets to be very expensive.  The Mac mini is cheaper, and hopefully will be updated this year to offer even more at the same price point, but at this point it is difficult to come up with a Mac mini + Studio Display combination that is similar to a 27″ iMac.  Over time, I’m sure that there will be more clarity on the best computers for former users of the 27″ iMac, but for now, it’s unclear.  As Dan Moren of Six Colors notes, he is ready to replace a 2017 27″ iMac, and he is “a little at loose ends right now.”  Progress is often difficult.  And now, the news of note from the past week: 

• ABA TECHSHOW was last week, and Lyle Moran of ABA Journal discusses some of the tips discussed during the final “60 in 60” session.  You can also view all of the slides from the presentation, and because Ivan Hemmans (Senior Manager of Technical Development at O’Melveny & Myers) was unable to attend in person, each of his slides contains the full 60-second video in which he describes each of his tips.
• Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories discusses all of the small announcements from this week’s Apple event.
• Similarly, Michael Simon of Macworld discusses some of the Apple updates from this week that have received less attention.  For example, Apple has updated the colors of its iPhone 13 cases and Sport Loop Apple Watch bands (adding Lemon Zest, Blue Fog, Eucalyptus, and Nectarine) and Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch bands (adding Starlight, Abyss Blue, Bright Green, and Flamingo).  If one of the new Apple Watch band colors seems perfect for you, don’t wait too long to get it.  Apple routinely updates the band colors, and once a color shade is discontinued, it is often gone forever.
• Kermit the Frog tells us that it’s not easy being green, but Apple figured out how to give us two new shades for the iPhone this week.  As Arnold Zafra of The Mac Observer explains, you can now get the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max in alpine green, or the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini in green.  See also Jeffrey E. Richardson, Note, It’s Not Easy Being Green:  The Scope of the Fifth Amendment Right to Counsel, 31 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 145 (1993) (Westlaw link).
• Jim Gresham of iDownloadBlog shows Apple’s new wallpapers that come with the new green iPhones.
• Yesterday, I compared the new iPhone SE to an iPhone 13.  Hartley Charlton of MacRumors that there is another option: you can still purchase an iPhone 11, and he compares the iPhone 11 to the new iPhone SE (third generation). Michael Potuck similarly compares the new iPhone SE to other models.  When you are ready to buy a new iPhone, I typically recommend staying away from older models because a new model, even a less-expensive new model, tends to last longer and work with more new features than a model that was introduced years ago.
• Josh Centers of TidBITS argues that the new iPhone SE is a great bargain.
• Sheena Vasani of The Verge compares the new iPad Air to other iPad models.
• Apple announced a new deal with Major League Baseball, and Jason Snell of Six Colors provides all of the details.  The headline feature is two Friday night games on Apple TV+, but that’s not all.  There is also a live show every weeknight, on-demand videos, and more.  The rumor is that Apple also wants to add NFL football to Apple TV+, and if it does so, it may use its MLB blueprint for the NFL.
• In another article for Six Colors, Snell also notes that Apple does a great job of using the same component in multiple products:  “I’m more struck by the fact that the iPad Air’s specs show just how efficient Apple can be about standardizing hardware and re-using it across multiple devices. Its 12-megapixel wide-angle camera (with Center Stage software) is now available on every single iPad as well as the new Apple Studio Display. Its M1 processor is in every iPad Pro plus the iPad Air, the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 24-inch iMac, and the Mac mini. I’m not saying Apple is like Taco Bell, making many different meals out of the same ingredients. But… maybe a little? Anyway, I’m hungry. Did someone mention tacos?”
• Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac reports that Apple will release iOS 15.4 next week.
• Jeanne Whalen of the Washington Post reports that Putin is considering a plan to nationalize foreign-owned businesses that left Russia after Putin invaded Ukraine.  I’m not sure what impact this would have on a company like Apple with a limited physical presence, but every McDonalds might become a McVladimir.
• Speaking of the impacts of the war in Ukraine, as gas prices increase in the United States, Thorin Klosowski of Wirecutter explains why he doesn’t recommend the GasBuddy app—he calls it a “privacy nightmare”—but he has some other suggestions.
• Allison McDaniel of 9to5Mac shares tips for using Apple’s Notes app on the iPhone.
• If you want an iPad stylus but consider the Apple Pencil too expensive, Julie Strietelmeier of the Gadgeteer reviews the MKQ iPad stylus, which looks somewhat similar but costs only $35 on Amazon.
• Andrew Heinzmn of ReviewGeek offers a good overview of some of the most useful categories of smart home devices.
• And finally, in 2019, Apple created a cute video called The Underdogs about a scrappy team of office workers with a chance to sell their great idea—using Apple products to do so.  In 2020, Apple brought back the team for a very funny pandemic-themed video called The whole working-from-home thing.  Yesterday, Apple released the third installment to coincide with workers returning to their offices.  This one is called Escape from the Office, and like the prior installments, it is quite funny and features a lot of Apple products: