Although I have heard a lot of praise for Apple this week as people start to try out the new iPhones (here is my review of the iPhone 15 Pro Max), another new Apple product has received wide criticism: Apple's new FineWoven Case, which replaces Apple's previous leather case which sold for the same price ($59.99). I've always been a fan of Apple's leather iPhone cases. They fit the iPhone perfectly (something that always makes me nervous about a third-party case that is available to purchase when a new iPhone comes out), they felt good, and they protected the iPhone while making it less slippery. As Apple has eliminated all leather products for environmental reasons, they came up with a new FineWoven case. Arthur Shi of iFixIt took a very close look at the case (using extreme magnification) to see how it is made, which is somewhat impressive. But people are not happy about how it feels in the hand, as noted by Allison Johnson of The Verge, with some people comparing it to paper. There are also build quality issues, as noted by Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels. I've been using a FineWoven case for the past week, and while I don't hate it as much as many people, I do greatly prefer the feel and look of the leather case. Perhaps if Apple was selling this new case for less than the $60 price of the leather case it wouldn't bother me as much. If your default every year is to buy the Apple case but you haven't yet purchased a case for the newest iPhones, I strongly encourage you to check out the FineWoven case at an Apple Store before you buy it because you might not like it. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- I have a big ask of you, but it is also an easy one. With September about to end, we are at the end of this year’s campaign to raise money for St. Jude. It would mean a lot to me if you donated any amount to help kids with cancer, and it would obviously mean a lot to so many others as well. I promise you that the entire process will take no more than 30 seconds of your time. Just click, enter your donation amount, and pay. It’s a great cause. Simply click here and donate any amount. Thanks!
- Brian Heater of TechCrunch interviews Eric Treski and Ron Huang of Apple to discuss the new AirPods Pro with a USB-C case.
- If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can assign one action to the Action Button. Or, you can use this clever shortcut from Federico Viticci of MacStories to assign two shortcuts to the same Action Button.
- If you want to listen to a great discussion of photography with the new iPhones, this week's episode of John Gruber's The Talk Show features guest Matthew Panzarino, and it is a fantastic episode. For example, John Gruber points out that with a traditional camera, you can take an amazing picture, but you need to be the photographer. You need to adjust everything—and know how to do so—to get that perfect picture. "What really jumped out buying a new, well-regarded, camera this year is how many decisions the iPhone makes automatically that are what I want it to do, without me doing anything." The iPhone becomes the expert photographer, using its sophisticated processor to make everything look great. You just choose what to put in frame and when to press the button.
- Jason Snell of Six Colors updated his great ebook Take Control of Photos. The book teaches you everything that you need to know about using the Photos app on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it is updated for iOS 17 and the other new operating systems. And next week, he will add a free update to address new features added by the iPhone 15. It's a great resource that I recommend to anyone who wants to do more with the Photos app.
- Justin Meyers of Gadget Hacks shares tips for using the Camera app in iOS 17.
- Nelson Aguilar of CNet recommends 17 obscure features in iOS 17.
- Zac Hall has an updated post on states in which you can use your iPhone as a replacement for your driver's license, either using Apple's own Wallet ID system or another system used by a state.
- John Voorhees of MacStories recommends using an iPad mini and a Bluetooth keyboard on a plane.
- Rikka Altland of 9to5Toys reviews the Anker Nano USB-C Power Bank, which looks like a great external battery for an iPhone 15 user because it has a built-in USB-C cable. It is $49.99 on Amazon.
- D. Griffin Jones of Cut of Mac reviews the Apple Watch Series 9.
- We may now live in a world of streaming media, but I fondly remember the excitement of coming home at the end of the week to find a Netflix red envelope in my mailbox. Nicole Sperling of the New York Times reports that today is the last day that Netflix is shipping out any DVDs. My son is only 17 years old, but when I mentioned this to him, he told me that he distinctly remembers being a little kid and having the same excitement when he saw a red envelope—which he would always hope was a kids movie that we could enjoy as a family and not some grown-up movie that was just for me and my wife. It's the end of an era.
- If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and need help with your car, you can use Roadside Assistance via Satellite with an iPhone 14 or 15. This video from Apple gives you an idea of how it works. I certainly hope that I never need to use this service, but it is nice to know that this lifesaver is available if I ever need it.
- And finally, yesterday I saw the new trailer for the movie Argylle, which comes to theaters in February and then to Apple TV+. I suppose you would call this a spy movie with a twist. The cast is fantastic, and if the movie lives up to the promise of the trailer, this will be great fun to watch in a few months:
