Month: March 2025

Password manager apps have been around for a long time. I’ve been using 1Password since late 2012. Thus, I suspect that it is difficult to come up with new features for password manager apps that haven’t been thought of already, other than working with emerging technologies such as passkeys. Nevertheless, the latest update to 1Password managed to come up with a new feature that I think is quite clever and useful. As Julie Clover of MacRumors explains, the app now supports location-based passwords. Select a username/password and assign a location where you frequently use that password. When you are at that location—such as your work, your home, a coffee shop, etc.—passwords associated with that location will appear in the Nearby section of the Home screen. This is a nice new feature that makes it faster to get to the password you want without having to take the time to search for it. It’s nice to see that you can teach an old dog new tricks. And now, the other news of note from the past week:

• If you are thinking of upgrading from an iPhone SE (3rd generation) to the new iPhone 16e, I suspect that you already know about the major changes: a larger device with a bigger screen, Face ID, Action button, faster processor, Apple Intelligence, much better camera, and USB-C instead of Lightning. But there are some smaller but still notable differences as well, and Michael Burkhardt of 9to5Mac discusses them in this article.
• When iOS 18.4 is released next month, it will include new emoji. Jovana Naumovski of Gadget Hacks shows off the new characters, which include Face with Bags Under Eyes and Fingerprint.
• I normally don’t use beta software on my devices like my iPhone and iPad because I depend upon them to get work done. I don’t want to worry about the bugs associated with software that is still being worked on. But I have installed beta software in the past on my Apple Vision Pro because everything about that device is already sort of a beta for the future of technology. Thus, I installed visionOS 2.4 beta 2 on my Apple Vision Pro a few days ago. As Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac explains, this beta includes Apple’s new Spatial Gallery app, an app that includes notable spatial photos, videos, and panoramic pictures. For now, there is only a small amount of content, but it is interesting, and it demonstrates that 3D content can be compelling even if it isn’t immersive spatial video that feels up your entire field of view and then some.
• If you want a portable battery that is powerful enough to run a refrigerator but is portable enough for off-grid trips, Brian Patterson of Apple Insider reviews the Jackery 2000 Explorer. It is not cheap ($1,499 on Amazon) but for many uses it will provide all of the power that that you could need. If you want something less powerful but far cheaper, the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300 is currently on sale on Amazon for an all-time low price of $169.
• I stopped using Twitter/X for obvious reasons and switched to Mastodon, and the primary reason that I enjoy using it is that the Ivory app from Tapbots is such an excellent client app. Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels reports that Tapbots is working on a similar client app for Bluesky that will be called Phoenix. I don’t use Bluesky right now, but with an excellent app, maybe I will start doing so.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains some of the changes coming to how Apple handles child accounts.
• Greg Wyshynski of ESPN explains how NHL referees are using Apple Watches to receive real-time, in-game notifications.
• In this video clip from an interview of Ben Stiller on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Stiller explains that he offered a role in Severance to former President Barack Obama.
• Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac says that the Apple TV+ movie The Gorge is a perfect date-night film because it includes both action and romance. I watched it recently, and I thought it was great fun. I recommend it.
• And finally, I understand that it can be difficult to explain what makes the iPhone 16e special other than saying that it is a modern but less expensive iPhone. But this new ad from Apple doesn’t really clear up anything for me. This one is just bizarre:

Less than a year ago, Apple introduced the high-end iPad Pro (M4) and the mid-range iPad Air (M2). They are both fantastic iPads. For most lawyers, the iPad Air gave them everything that they could want. For users who wanted a premium model that looked a little better and could do a little more, the iPad Pro was a nice upgrade. Yesterday, Apple narrowed the gap between those devices by replacing the iPad Air (M2) with the new iPad Air (M3). The name tells you what is different: the new model has a faster processor, so it is everything that you loved about last year’s iPad Air with a speed bump. This is a very capable device that will be perfect for most lawyers. Apple also updated its low-end iPad; more on that below.

The iPad Air (M3)

I love the iPad Air because it includes so many features that used to only be available in the high-end iPad Pro. I’m talking about features like thin bezels, flat sides, USB-C, a very nice screen, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and an option to get a large 13-inch size. I love that larger size because I do so much reading on my iPad: pleadings, contracts, legal opinions, websites, etc. But if your eyesight is better than mine and you prefer the more traditional, lighter, and easier-to-carry 11-inch size, that is also available for the iPad Air.

If you were trying to decide between last year’s iPad Air (M2) and the iPad Pro (M4), you had to decide if it was worth the extra $400 for a nicer and brighter OLED screen, Face ID instead of Touch ID, four built-in speakers instead of two, and the speed of an M4 processor versus an M2. There were some other minor differences, such as the ability to pay more for a reduced glare non-texture display on the iPad Pro, but those were the main differences. For most attorneys, the iPad Air was the better choice, whereas the iPad Pro was better for attorneys who didn’t mind spending more for the top-of-the-line model with all of the best features.

This year, with the iPad Air (M3), the decision is essentially the same except for the speed. The M3 is about 15% to 20% faster than the M2, depending upon what tasks you are doing. The M4 is almost 25% faster than the M3. So by getting an M3 instead of an M2, you are closing that speed gap. That’s nice. To be fair, for many tasks that a lawyer is likely to do with an iPad, even the speed difference between the M2 and M4 was barely noticeable. But even so, it is nice to have a more responsive M3.

Thus, the elevator pitch for the new iPad Air (M3) is: it’s everything that you loved about last year’s mid-level iPad, but now it is a little faster for the same price.

The iPad Air (M3) starts at $549 for the 11-inch model and $749 for the 13-inch model. Those are both the 128GB versions. It is an extra $100 to go up to 256GB, an extra $300 to go up to 512GB, and an extra $450 to go up to 1TB. I think that 128GB is enough space for many lawyers, but if you want to store a large number of documents, photos, or videos, then going up to 256GB is a nice upgrade for only $100 extra, especially if you plan to use this iPad for many years to come.

Magic Keyboard for iPad Air

Apple sold a version of its Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air (M2), and yesterday, Apple introduced a new version that works with the iPad Air (M3). The new version adds a row of function keys at the top and a larger trackpad. But unlike the version of the Magic Keyboard that you can get with the iPad Pro, this version lacks haptics in the trackpad, lacks baclklit keys, and lacks an aluminum top, instead using one covered with silicone.

iPad (A16)

The other new iPad that Apple introduced yesterday is the iPad (A16).

Apple introduced the original iPad in 2010. Successive generations were called the iPad 2, iPad 3, and in 2012, Apple released the iPad 4. Then Apple turned its attention to the iPad Air in 2013 and 2014 and introduced models of the iPad Pro in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Apple introduced the iPad (5th generation) as the new entry-level iPad, and Apple released new models of that low-end iPad up through the iPad (10th generation) in 2022.

I thought that the next version of the entry-level iPad would be called the iPad (11th generation), but instead, Apple is calling the new model it released yesterday the iPad (A16)—consistent with Apple’s modern naming convention of using a general product name along with an indication of what kind of Apple processor it uses.

The new iPad (A16) is the same size as the iPad (11th generation), but Apple used to call that size 10.9-inch and now Apple is rounding up and calling it the 11-inch size.

As the name tells you, the new model includes the A16 chip, which is a step up from the A14 of the iPad (11th generation). The A16 chip was first used in the iPhone 14 released in 2022, so it is certainly not the latest and greatest, and it is not even powerful enough to support Apple Intelligence. But people purchasing an entry-level iPad are looking for something good but relatively inexpensive; nobody expects to see the fastest processors. The other big improvement over the iPad (11th generation) is that it starts with 128GB instead of 64GB.

In the past, I have urged most lawyers to get an iPad Air and not the entry-level iPad. That remains true today. The iPad (A16) starts at $349 for the 128GB model, whereas the iPad Air 11-inch starts at $599 for the 128GB model. But the extra $250 gets you a device that is better and faster today and is more future-proof, an important feature in an iPad considering that most people continue to use them for many, many years before upgrading. For example, the M3 processor is faster than the A16, and it supports Apple Intelligence—which I think it going to become a bigger deal in the coming years. The iPad Air also has a better, more vibrant screen. The iPad Air also supports the Apple Pencil Pro. (The best version of the Apple Pencil for the iPad (A16) is the Apple Pencil (USB-C).) And the iPad Air supports the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, a superior keyboard to the Magic Keyboard Folio supported by the iPad (A16).

Having said that, the new iPad (A16) is not just the iPad for your kids. If you want to use an iPad to get work done but have only simple needs and want to spend as little as possible, the iPad (A16) is a good device for 2025. But it is going to start showing its age even more every year.

Conclusion

Even though these two new models are essentially just speed bumps, not major new versions, there is nothing wrong with a speed bump. Who doesn’t like the idea of getting more without paying more? And while the iPad (A16) is a nice entry-level model for anyone with simple needs, the iPad Air (M3) is the sweet spot for most lawyers and other professionals who want to get work done with an iPad but also have a fantastic device for surfing the web, personal email, watching movies, etc.

Happy Mardi Gras from New Orleans! It will be an unusual Mardi Gras Day today because of the weather. As reported not only in our local news but even in the New York Times, the National Weather Service warned that strong winds today could bring gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. You don’t want to be standing next to a tall float with winds that high! As a result, the parade schedule in New Orleans for today has been trimmed back substantially. The parades will start earlier to try to beat the bad weather, the routes will be much shorter, the parades themselves will be shorter with no bands between the floats, and the late morning/afternoon parades are being rescheduled for this Sunday. At least we will have some parades today; all of the parades in neighboring Jefferson Parish are cancelled/postponed. As a result, today will be a Mardi Gras Day for the history books along with other notable ones including:

• February 24, 1857: First Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, the Krewe of Comus
• 1862-1865: Parades cancelled due to the Civil War
• February 25, 1879: Most parades cancelled due to yellow fever epidemic
• February 14, 1899: Three inches of snow
• February 20, 1917: Three-way tie for warmest Mardi Gras with high of 83º
• 1918-1919: Mardi Gras cancelled due to World War I
• March 1, 1927: Wettest Mardi Gras with over two inches of rain
• February 9, 1932: Three-way tie for warmest Mardi Gras with high of 83º
• 1942-1945: Mardi Gras cancelled due to World War II
• February 27, 1979: New Orleans parades cancelled due to police strike.
• February 16, 2021: Coldest Mardi Gras with high of 33º + cancelled due to COVID-19
• February 21, 2023: Three-way tie for warmest Mardi Gras with high of 83º

Notwithstanding the changes for today, the biggest part of Mardi Gras season—the days leading up to Fat Tuesday—have been fantastic this year. The weather was amazing this past weekend, and I had so much fun spending time with lots of family and friends.

During the Iris parade this past Saturday, a crew member threw me a pair of beads with an iPhone on it. Of course, I have no idea who it was because riders have to wear masks, but I assume it was an iPhone J.D. reader who knew what I would love to catch:

Apple recently stopped selling any iPhone model with a home button, but that iconic design will live on in Mardi Gras beads and elsewhere.

Speaking of cool beads, I have to give credit to the marketing folks at my law firm. For the last few years, they have created beads to use at various firm events this time of year, and they are fantastic. Here are some recent ones:

Whatever you are doing today, I hope that at least a little bit of Mardi Gras spirit makes its way to you.

It’s Mardi Gras time in New Orleans! I had a great time watching parades with family and friends last night, and I look forward to doing it again on Saturday for reasons that I explain at the beginning of this week’s episode of the In the News podcast. Next, we talk about reviews of the iPhone 16e by people who have been using the device for a little while, the latest updates in the UK-Apple Advanced Data Protection saga, Photoshop on the iPhone, Apple News+ Food, the Apple Vision Pro, Steve Jobs, and more.

In our Where Y’at? Segment, we discuss the Apple Watch and AirTags.

In our In the Show Segment, we discuss Mr. Milchick.

In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for reducing motion sickness in your car and I explain why you should use a Live Photo on your iPhone Lock Screen.

Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just listen using your podcast player of choice. You can also watch the episode on YouTube: