Seventeen years ago today, on July 11, 2008, I woke up very early so that, before dawn, I could show up at the AT&T store near my law firm and wait in line for an iPhone. This wasn’t the original iPhone, which was released in 2007 and sold about 6 million units. But the iPhone 3G was a major advance. It used the new 3G network, which was two to three times faster than EDGE on the original iPhone. It was the first iPhone with GPS. It was a better design, with edges that sloped to make the iPhone feel thinner in the hand. It came with the App Store, which Apple launched the same day. And critically for me, it supported Microsoft Exchange email, which meant that I could use it to get my law firm email, allowing this device to replace my Palm Treo 650. With all of these improvements, this model was a hit. Apple would eventually sell about 15 million units. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the iPhone 3G in my hands on opening day becuase that AT&T store only had in stock two of the models that I wanted (the black one with 16GB instead of 8GB). I was fifth in line. But I paid my money and ordered one, and my iPhone 3G arrived on July 22, 2008. The iPhone quickly became a key part of my law practice and my life. Two months later, I wrote about what made the iPhone 3G so special in an article on the ABA TECHSHOW blog—an article that seems to be lost to time. Two months after that, I took a picture of my iPhone 3G to create a banner for this website and wrote an updated version of that article to become the post that started iPhone J.D. on November 17, 2008. I know that there are many attorneys like me who started using an iPhone in 2008 because of the iPhone 3G that was released seventeen years ago today. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- The biggest topic in all of technology today, including legal tech, is AI. Attorney Stephen Embry wrote an article for Above the Law in which he notes that Microsoft has announced an AI tool that is four times better than human doctors in making a diagnosis. I agree with Embry’s conclusion that AI has just as much potential as an aid to lawyers as it does as an aid to doctors.
- Marko Zivkovic of AppleInsider reports that Apple has a new AI model that can predict your health based on data from your Apple Watch.
- Although I’m not using the beta versions of iOS 26 or iPadOS 26, it is interesting to read about how Apple is tweaking and improving the software to prepare for the official launch in a few months. For example, a great feature on the Mac is the ability to shake the cursor to make it get bigger to help you find it on a screen. Chris Lawley notes on Mastodon that this feature was just added to the beta version of iPadOS 26 so that you can more easily find the cursor whenever you are using a trackpad or a mouse. Excellent addition.
- David Sparks of MacSparky discusses the fact that the Liquid Glass interface in the beta is becoming a little less see-through.`
- In a post on Threads, Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac shares pictures from the beta of watchOS 26 to show that while the prior beta version had light effects that were like a “disco ball” of colors, the latest beta is much calmer.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac describes an interesting new feature coming to Apple Maps in iOS 26. Maps learns the routes that you travel regularly—such as your work commute—and then if Apple learns of significant delays, the Maps app can warn you before you even begin to travel.
- If you want some football while you are driving, Zac Hall of 9to5Mac reports that some NFL teams now have apps that support CarPlay, including the New Orleans Saints (Who Dat!), Buffalo Bills, and Chicago Bears.
- I’m amazed how long it has been since Apple was forced by a court to remove the blood oxygen feature from Apple Watch units sold in the United States due to its litigation against Masimo. I assumed that Apple would have settled by now. Instead, Blake Brittain of Reuters reports that Apple appealed the decision and this week presented appellate oral argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. One of Apple’s arguments on appeal is that the U.S. International Trade Commission should not have entered the ban because Masimo wasn’t selling a device that used the patents in 2021, when Massimo sued Apple. My understanding is that, on average, it takes about six months after oral argument to get a decision from that court, so we may not see this issue resolved in 2025.
- I was in an airport a few weeks ago and my iPhone—which was not in a case—slipped out of my hands and onto the hard floor. I feared the worst, but my iPhone doesn’t even have a scratch on it. Wow, and whew! This doesn’t just happen automatically. Apple works hard to make the iPhone as durable as it can. The folks at the website Counterpoint were recently given an opportunity to see and take pictures of one of Apple’s durability labs in Cupertino, California, to see how Apple stress tests devices to make them as strong as possible.
- Wes Davis of Gizmodo reviews the Eero Pro 7. I have three Eero Pro devices in my home, and they work great for all of the reasons I noted in this review in 2020. I’m using the second generation of Eero devices. The Eero Pro 7 is one of the fifth generation of Eero devices. (Both the Eero 7 and the Eero Pro 7 were released in February 2025.) Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend Eero devices for anyone looking to improve the Wi-Fi in their home. Today is the last day of Amazon Prime Day, and. you can currently get a Eero Pro 7 3-pack (enough to cover up to 6,000 square feet) on Amazon for only $594.99, which is a discount of over $100 and appears to be the lowest price ever for this great product.
- Here’s one more discount worth noting on Amazon today. I absolutely love the Anker Laptop Power Bank that I reviewed a few months ago. I use it often, and it works great. I bought it when it was on sale for $94.99, but then the price increased. Today on Amazon, it is down to $94.99 again. If you have been thinking about getting a portable power bank, this one is great. I love the display, the built-in cords, how it packs a ton of power, and everything else.
- If you use Wemo smarthome products in your house, you will want to read this report by Chance Miller of 9to5Mac. Belkin announced this week that it is getting out of the smarthome market and its Wemo app will stop working after January 31, 2026. Fortunately, if you have a Wemo product that supports HomeKit, it will continue to work; just use Apple’s Home app to control the device.
- I’m a big fan of the Apple Vision Pro, and it has been fun to watch the device improve since Apple first previewed the device over two years ago. Dan Moren of Six Colors has been writing about Apple products for about two decades, but he first started using a Vision Pro about a week ago. His first (of many) posts about the Apple Vision Pro is here. It is great to see the perspective from someone who is brand new to the device, such as the first time that the device made him say “whoa.” I still have lots of “Whoa!” moments with my Vision Pro.
- The Apple movie F1 (which I reviewed a few days ago) is a box office hit. According to Jordan Hart of Business Insider, the box office receipts have already covered the cost of making the movie, and I’m sure it will continue to do well for a few more weeks. That sort of makes it a free movie for Apple to eventually bring to its Apple TV+ streaming service. (I look forward to watching it again using the virtual huge screen of my Vision Pro.) As I noted in my review, I really enjoyed the movie, and I hope that the success inspires Apple to create even more fantastic movies to complement the great TV shows on Apple TV+.
- One of the best shows on Apple TV+ is Foundation, and Season 3 starts today. (Technically, Apple released it a few hours early on Thursday, as noted by Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac.) Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac summarizes some of the early reviews of Season 3 from critics who got a sneak peek, and it appears that this will be an incredible season. I certainly know what I’ll be watching tonight!
- I’ve also been enjoying Murderbot on Apple TV+, a show based on the bestselling and award-winning book series by Martha Wells. The Season 1 finale comes out today, and Apple announced yesterday that the show has been renewed for a second season.
- According to my teenage son, who is the video game expert in my family, this game has been around for a while on other platforms. But I just learned about it, and it is included with an Apple Arcade subscription: Suika Game+. It’s a fun, very casual game that reminds me of a cross between Tetris and Candy Crush. And it’s cute. If you have an Apple Arcade subscription—I do because it is part of the Apple One bundle—I encourage you to check it out this weekend.
- And finally, if you watch Foundation and want to prepare for Season 3, Apple posted a video with five of the best moments from the first two seasons. It is fun to watch: