Jeff Richardson

I hope that you are enjoying what should be called Apple Week 2023. We started the week with major updates to the operating system and apps on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The Air Pads Pro, Apple TV, and HomePods also saw updates—for example, I can now talk to my HomePod mini by just saying “Siri …” instead of “Hey Siri, …” The initial reviews were posted on websites and on YouTube of the new versions of the iPhone and iPhone Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and new AirPods Pro. And people who pre-ordered those new devices early enough will have them in their hands today. My brand new iPhone Pro Max started in China this past Sunday, was in South Korea on Tuesday, came through Anchorage to arrive in Louisville on Wednesday, made it to Jackson, Mississippi on Thursday night, and finally should arrive in New Orleans and be in my hands at some point today. From hardware to software from Apple plus all of the third parties who are updating their accessories and apps to take advantage of the new features, it is all a bit overwhelming at the moment. With that in mind, and with full knowledge that I am skipping over lots of important details from this past week, here is just some of the news of note from the past week:

• Not only did we get a software update on Monday, but we also got another one on Thursday. As noted by Michael Potuck on 9to5Mac, iOS 17.0.1 applies three security patches. If you haven’t updated to iOS 17 yet, Apple also released iOS 16.7 this week to apply similar patches. Potuck notes that if you apply the patch to your current iPhone and then receive a new iPhone 15 or 15 Pro, you’ll have to update the new device to iOS 17.0.1 before you can restore from a backup of your old iPhone. I do not know (yet) if this is something that needs to be done manually or if the new iPhone will walk you through this step as a part of the migration software.
• The big new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the new 5x optical zoom lens. Why didn’t Apple opt for a 10x zoom, which you can get on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? In an interview with Nicolas Lellouche of the French publication Numerama, Apple’s VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack explains that you get poor results with a 10x zoom unless you use a tripod to keep the phone perfectly steady, but with a 5x zoom and Apple’s new stabilization method (an autofocus 3D sensor-shift module), Apple can keep the lens steady enough to get good results. If you don’t parlez the Français, Joe Rossignol of MacRumors describes the article.
• Jaron Schneider of the photography website PetaPixel also interviewed McCormack to discuss the camera system on the new iPhones. It’s a great interview. For example, McCormack says that while you can put your new iPhone in a mode to always take 48-megapixel photos—which you might think would be best to get more details—you are typically better off leaving it in the default 24-megapixel mode to get more dynamic range. McCormack explained: “Because when shooting at 24-megapixels, we shoot 12 high and 12 low—we actually shoot multiple of those—and we pick and then merge. There is, basically, a bigger bracket between the 12 high and the 12 low. Then, the 48 is an ‘extended dynamic range,’ versus ‘high dynamic range,’ which basically just limits the amount of processing. Because just in the little bit of processing time available [in the 24 megapixel] we can get a bit more dynamic range into Deep Fusion. So what you end up with in the 24, it’s a bit of a ‘Goldilocks moment’ of you get all of the extra dynamic range that comes from the 12 and the detail transfer that comes in from the 48.”
• Chris Niccolls of PetaPixel reviews the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max from the standpoint of a professional photographer.
• Other than that PetaPixel review from a photographer’s perspective, I wasn’t as impressed by the reviews of the new iPhone 15 models this year as I have been in past years. However, another exception is that I found John Gruber’s review to be excellent, so read that one if you want to learn more about these new models.
• Jason Snell of Six Colors received a review unit of the iPhone 15 Pro Max on Thursday. He posted three pictures yesterday on Mastodon to compare the 1x, 2x, and 5x cameras, and you can see that the 5x camera results in a very different picture. He predicts that the 5x lens “is gonna be GREAT for zooming in to read far away text” (as his pictures demonstrate) and notes that “the image stabilization is for real.”
• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge speculates on why there is a Thread radio in the new iPhone 15 devices.
• William Gallagher of AppleInsider notes that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers the Natural Titanium color for his new iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’ve heard lots of other people say this week that they prefer this color too. I see that if you try to order a new iPhone 15 Pro Max right now, the Black Titanium and Blue Titanium are available on October 20, but the Natural Titanium and White Titanium are not available until November 10.
• Jason Cross of Macworld notes that if you want the battery in your iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro to last as long as possible, there is a new setting that will stop the iPhone from charging when it hits 80%. All batteries degrade over time and thus hold less charge, but you can reduce this if you stop charging at 80%. He also notes: “Users like me who work at a desk with ready access to a charger and rarely drop below 40 percent on a typical day would be better off setting a hard charge limit of 80 percent, as long as they remember to turn it off on those days when they’re likely to have a heavy-use day away from the charger.” Interesting advice.
• John Gruber reviews the new USB-C version of the AirPods Pro and the new update to all models of the AirPods Pro. One new feature is Conversation Awareness. If you are listening to something and then you start talking, the music lowers the volume of what you are listening to, enhances the voice in front of you, and reduces background noise. I was listening to my AirPods Pro in the elevator this week when someone started talking to me and I was surprised (and delighted) to see this feature work so well. I’ve heard reports of others having trouble in certain situations—such as chatter around you in a supermarket being mistaken for a conversation in which you are participating—but for now, I like this new feature. The other new feature is a third listening mode called Adaptive Audio Mode, which is sort of a better version of Transparency Mode: you can hear the world around you as you listen to something, but there is a small amount of noise cancellation so that the outside world is a little less distracting.
• With a new USB-C version of the AirPods Pro, what about other great iPhone accessories that should be updated from Lightning to USB-C such as the MagSafe Battery Pack? You can no longer buy the Lightning version of this fantastic device from Apple, but you can currently get it on Amazon for only $85. And because you can charge this battery pack by attaching it to an iPhone 15 and then plugging the iPhone in using a USB-C cord, you can still use this device with the latest iPhone. But John Gruber of Daring Fireball notes that when Apple first announced the product, they did so after waiting about two months after a new iPhone introduction, presumably to avoid any speculation that Apple thought that battery life was so poor that you needed a battery pack. Perhaps Apple will do the same thing this year: announce a USB-C version of the MagSafe Battery Pack in November. We’ll see.
• Jason Snell of Six Colors wrote an excellent review of iOS 17. There is also a good companion article by Snell and Dan Moren that describes new features added to multiple platforms this week, not just the iPhone.
• Zachary McAuliffe of CNet describes his favorite new features in iOS 17 including StandBy, improvements to the Messages app, and more. One interesting new feature that he mentions: when you get a text message or an email with a two-factor verification code, your device can now automatically delete those messages after you get the number. Bravo.
• Dan Moren of Six Colors notes three new Apple features that he would be “lost” without (ahem): the ability to download Offline Maps in iOS 17 so that you can use a map even without a cellular connection, improved walking directions in watchOS 10, and the ability to locate a lost Apple TV remote using iOS 17 and tvOS 17.
• Griffin Jones of Cult of Mac identifies 50 iOS 17 features that you should know about.
• Apple updated its productivity apps—Pages, Keynote, and Numbers—with new features this week to work better with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. For example, you can now work with 3D objects in USDZ format in all three apps. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac has details.
• Adam Engst of TidBITS reports on a new free app from Sebastiaan de With called Orion that turns your iPad into an HDMI monitor. If you are traveling with a Windows laptop, I presume that you could use this to turn an iPad into a second external monitor, which I could see being useful. (If you have Mac, you can already use built-in features in MacOS to extend the Mac’s screen to the iPad.)
• When you install the new watchOS 10 on your Apple Watch you will see a new Snoopy watch face. I’ve been using it all this week, and it is delightful. Every time I look at my wrist, I see a very short (about five seconds) animation featuring Snoopy and sometimes Woodstock, and there are tons of different animations: apparently well over a hundred. Robert Leedham of GQ interviews Paige Braddock, the chief creative officer at Charles M Schulz Creative Associates who worked with Apple to create this new watch face.
• Sam Schube of GQ posted an interesting article based on a long interview with Apple VP Eddy Cue to discuss Apple TV+ and sports.
• Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica reports that tvOS 17 adds an extra column of icons to the Apple TV.
• Juli Clover of MacRumors explains what is new in the HomePod software version 17.
• If you are running out of space on iCloud, Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels notes that the 2 TB plan for $9.99/month is non longer the top plan, You can now also opt to pay $29.99/month for 6 TB or $59.99/month for 12 TB.
• The Steve Jobs Archive announced a new fellowship program and named the nine 2023 SJA Fellows. These are young, talented people who want to spend a year creating something at the intersection of technology and liberal arts. Each fellow receives a stipend, resources, and tools (I’m sure lots of Apple technology) to help them create something amazing over the next year. What a great idea, and a great way to honor the legacy of Steve Jobs.
• When Apple shows off the latest version of the Messages app every year, there are fake text messages showing conversations between fake people. I’m sure that most folks don’t even pay attention to the words because they are essentially there for Lorem Ipsum reasons. But Max Read took the opposite approach, studying and analyzing the patterns in the fake messages over the years, and the result is this fantastic article: A literary history of fake texts in Apple’s marketing materials. Well done. And also, a shout out to John Bishop, whoever you are.
• And finally, this fun and informative video from Apple provides you with a Guided Tour of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro:

Yesterday, Apple released major software updates for many of its products, including iOS 17 for the iPhone, iPadOS 17 for the iPad, and watchOS 10 for the Apple Watch. These updates add a large number of new features for all of these products. In some cases, they also change the way that the products work, so you may have to retrain your muscle memories. The changes on the Apple Watch, for example, are fairly substantial because every button now does something brand new. Thus, while I know that you will eventually want to upgrade, this might be an upgrade to postpone for a few days until you are ready to start adapting to changes.

I provided a preview of the new features when the first beta versions were announced a few months ago. We now have interactive widgets, the new StandBy mode on the iPhone, you can drop the “Hey” in “Hey Siri” if you want, autocorrect is better than ever, and there are countless other improvements. If you want an exhaustive look at everything that is new for the iPhone and iPad, Federico Viticci of MacStories posted his annual comprehensive review.

I just updated my devices and I haven’t had much chance to dig into everything, but I look forward to doing so in the coming days and weeks. I promise you that when I find features that really stand out to me, I’ll mention them here and on the In the News podcast.

Brett and I released what may be the biggest and best episode of the In the News podcast that we have ever published! I say biggest because we went over an hour, which is unusual for us. And it may be the best because there were so many interesting topics to discuss and analyze due to all of the Apple announcements from the past week. We start by going deep on the new versions of the iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple’s transition from USB-C to Lightning across its product line (not just in the new iPhones), and Apple’s move from leather to FineWoven in watch bands and cases. We also discuss the upcoming Qi2 standard that is apparently supported by the iPhone 15, the new version of the AirPods Pro that Apple (strangely) wants to pretend is not new, and much more.

In this week’s Where Y’at segment, we talk about butt dialing the Emergency SOS via Satellite service.

In our In the Know segment, Brett and I share two additional highlights from this week: one for the Apple Watch Ultra, and one for the iPhone.

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:

We are finishing up one of the biggest weeks of the year in the Apple world: the introduction of the newest iPhone models. The iPhones have been out long enough that it is no longer realistic to expect dramatic improvements every year, but when Apple adds a few hardware features that improve the iPhone experience and you add to that the yearly update of the iPhone operating system, the end result is yet another nice year-over-year step forward. Apple starts taking orders for the new iPhones today, and new Apple Watch orders started a few days ago. The new products should be in our hands starting one week from today. It’s an exciting time, especially if you ordered something for yourself. And now, the news of note from the past week:

• If you are spending some money on a new Apple device, I encourage you to share the love and also make a donation to help those with childhood cancer. Simply click here and donate any amount. Those of you who donated already are awesome. For everyone else, just click that link, and I promise it won’t take more than a minute of your time to do something that will make a tremendous difference. Thanks so much!
• Let’s start with some of the iPhone news from this week. Jason Snell of Six Colors was at the announcement, so he had a chance to try out the new models, and he offers lots of interesting thoughts on what is new. He also notes that the colors on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are very pale.
• The new iPhone 15 models use USB-C instead of Lightning. That means that you have many more charging options. However, Brian X. Chen of the New York Times warns that you should not get the very cheapest items, such as USB-C cables that cost only $5, because they will not be very good quality and could, in extreme cases, even damage the iPhone.
• Stephen Shankland of CNet offers advice in selecting a USB-C cable.
• Apple used to sell the MagSafe Duo and MagSafe Battery Pack, two devices that charge via Lightning. Rather than come out with new USB-C versions this week, Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that it looks like Apple has discontinued both devices. That’s a shame because I love the MagSafe Battery Pack, as I noted again just a few months ago. Hopefully Apple will do something to improve the product and then will bring it back.
• Since the iPhone now supports USB-C,  you might also want to use AirPods Pro that support USB-C. You can now buy that from Apple but you have to get the whole product, not just a new case. The new product is called the second-generation AirPods Pro, just like the old product. But as reported by Joe Rossignol of MacRumors, you get more than just a new charging port in the case; you also get support for the best noise quality when used with the upcoming Vision Pro headset. So if you plan to get an Apple Vision Pro next year, you might want to get new AirPods Pro as well.
• Dan Moren of Six Colors mentions some other tidbits that Apple did not announce during the presentation this week—like the new version of AirPods Pro—but that you should know about.
• Everyone who has held a new iPhone said that it feels much lighter than the model it replaces, even though Titanium should only reduce the weight by around 8% to 10%. Why is that? The blogger who goes by “Dr. Drang” (and who has a Ph.D. in engineering, so he tends to know what he is talking about) offers some theories on why this is. And yes, he shows his work when he does the math.
• Justin Meyers of Gadget Hacks identifies the differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac explains the reasons that he opted to get an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Spoiler alert: it’s the camera.
• One of the problems with Qi (wireless) charging is that if you don’t put your device on the charger in the right spot, it might not charge at all. Apple solves that problem in MagSafe by using magnets to make sure that everything is lined up correctly. Apple donated the MagSafe standard to the consortium behind Qi, and it is supposed to be part of the upcoming Qi2 standard. Apparently, the four new iPhone 15 models should support Qi2, but as Nathan Edwards of The Verge points out, this isn’t 100% clear because the Qi2 standard isn’t finished yet. But in theory, much like you can purchase any MagSafe device today and know that it will work well with your Apple products, in the future you will be able to purchase any Qi2 product and have the same degree of certainty that it will just work.
• Andrew O’Hara of AppleInsider reviews the new HiRise 3 Deluxe from Twelve South. This looks like an amazing product, offering MagSafe charging for an iPhone and support for the new StandBy Mode, plus an Apple Watch charger and a Qi charger (perfect for AirPods), all in a beautiful package that is Apple certified.
• Apple has phased out using leather in its products because of the environmental impact. Instead, Apple is using a soft material that it calls FineWoven, which is a type of microtwill. For example, for many years I have used a leather case made by Apple with my iPhone, but this year it is instead a FineWoven case. Although my new iPhone is still at least a week away, I received the case yesterday, and FineWoven feels very nice. It has some similarities to leather, and it seems to be a perfectly fine replacement. Apple is also using FineWoven in new Apple Watch bands. Antonio Benedetto of The Verge discusses Apple’s new use of FineWoven in its products.
• Apple may not be using leather, and the new Hermès Apple Watch bands that Apple is advertising don’t use leather, but Tim Hardwick of MacRumors reports that Hermès also has new leather band options that Apple is not selling through its own website. They are beautiful, but they are expensive.
• Mitchel Broussard of MacRumors identifies all of the new Apple Watch bands announced by Apple this week.
• Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac notes that there is now a new watch face for the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2: Modular Ultra.
• This Monday, Apple will release iOS 17 and the related operating systems such as iPadOS 17. As I noted earlier this year, that means that we will get lots of new features. However, a few features announced by Apple won’t be ready for the initial launch date. John Voorhees of MacStories identifies that features that will take a little bit longer before they are ready.
• Jovana Naumovski of Gadget Hacks identifies some of the great features coming to Safari on the iPhone this Monday in iOS 17.
• Before the Apple announcements this week, Tripp Mickle of the New York Times explored why the iPhone is so popular. One interesting statistic: nearly 90% of all teenagers own an iPhone. In my household, that statistic is 100%: 2 out of 2.
• John Cook of GeekWire shares a story of how he accidentally “butt-dailed” Apple Satellite SOS Emergency Service while he was hiking in the Dinosaur National Monument near the Colorado and Utah border.
• There were some Easter Eggs during the Apple announcement video this week. William Gallagher of Apple Insider reports that Apple hid in plain sight some of its famous prior products in the video.
• Amber Neely of Apple Insider reports on a woman in Utah who swallowed her AirPod instead of a vitamin. Whoops.
• A big congratulations to Tara Cheever of Lit Software, the maker of amazing iPad apps for lawyers such as TrialPad and TranscriptPad. Tara was honored this week by the Legal Technology Resource Center as one of the top Women in Legal Tech. Tara has helped countless attorneys do more with their iPads over the years, and this recognition is well-deserved.
• And finally, part of Apple’s presentation earlier this week was this video called Mother Nature. When I first saw the video, it struck me as a little silly. But upon a second watching, I’ve changed my mind. This approach is a fun and effective way for Apple to identify the significant efforts that it is taking to reduce its carbon footprint without being too preachy. So in the end, I like this video. Check it out and see what you think:

In addition to the new iPhone models announced by Apple this week, Apple also introduced two new Apple Watch models: the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple is also continuing to sell the Apple Watch SE (second generation), which was introduced one year ago—the same time as the Series 8 and the first generation of the Ultra.  I think the best way to understand the two new models is to understand the entire lineup, so I’m actually going to begin by addressing the Apple Watch SE.

Apple Watch SE (second generation model, released 2022)

The Apple Watch SE is the cheapest model. It starts at only $249 (for the 40mm size for smaller wrists) or $279 (for the 44mm size for larger wrists). It comes with an aluminum case in the colors Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. You can get a Wi-Fi model or a model with cellular connectivity for an extra $50 (plus you need to pay for a cellular plan, which can cost around $10/month).

The SE uses the S8, a chip released last year with the Series 8, so it is a fairly modern processor, although not the new top-of-the-line S9 discussed below.

The SE includes the main sensors that you would want: fall detection, crash detection, noise monitoring, high and low heart rate notifications, irregular rhythm notifications, and low cardio fitness notification.

Like the earlier models of the Apple Watch, the display on the SE is normally turned off. When you raise your wrist, the screen display turns on, with brightness up to 1,000 nits.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 (for the 41mm model for smaller wrists) and at $429 (for the 45mm model for larger wrists). Here is what you get for the additional $150 over the Apple Watch SE.

Let’s start with the advantages over the SE that are new with the Series 9.

First, you get the brand new S9 processor. This new chip has 60% more transistors than the S8 chip used in the SE and last year’s Series 8, which should make the watch seem more responsive. The GPU is 30% faster, so animations and other visual effects should be faster. And a new 4-core neural engine doubles the speed of machine learning tasks.

Second, the Series 9 supports a new gesture for controlling the screen: the double tap. If you pinch your fingers twice on the hand next to the wrist where you are wearing your Apple Watch Series 9, the watch will detect that you have done a double tap and click the default button that is being displayed on your watch screen. For example, if you receive a phone call, the double tap answers the phone. If you receive a notification, the double tap opens the notification. If you are listening to music or a podcast, the double tap will play or pause. The Series 9 uses the new S9 processor to make this gesture work.

Third, you get a faster Siri. The Series 9 watch can process your commands locally, so you don’t have to wait for your watch to send a command to a server to interpret what you said before acting upon your command. The modern versions of the iPhone have a similar feature, and it makes Siri much more responsive.

Fourth, you get a brighter—or in some cases, darker—screen. The SE, like last year’s Series 8, has a display with a brightness of 1,000 nits. The Series 9 doubles that to a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits. Thus, if you are outside in the sun, the screen will be brighter and easier to read. The new screen also works better in a low-light situation, such as a dark room, because it can dim to just 1 nit.

Fifth, the Series 9 adds a new U2 chip (Ultra Wideband). This means that your Apple Watch can do a better job of sensing other Apple products around it and a better job helping you find a lost iPhone by putting arrows on the screen to point you to specific directions. If you have a HomePod (I’m not sure if this works with the HomePod mini), the new U2 makes the watch aware of your HomePod so that when you get near it, the Now Playing screen opens on the watch so that you can quickly control the music playing on the HomePod.

In addition to those five new features, the Series 9 is better than the SE because of the following features that were also available in last year’s Series 8.

First, you get a slightly larger screen than the SE, a feature that debuted with the Apple Watch Series 7 (and which I discussed more extensively in my review of that model). The 1mm increase doesn’t sound like much, but it does make a real difference when you are using the watch. Many on-screen buttons are noticeably larger and easier to tap. And you sometimes see more information on the screen, which is nice.

Second, the larger screen can be on all the time. This is a huge difference, and I love it. With the Apple Watch SE and many older models, you need to move or raise your wrist to activate the screen. With the Series 9 (like the Series 5, 6, 7, and 8), you can just glance at your wrist without moving it to see the time or to look at a notification. When you are in a meeting or with other people, this allows you to be much more discrete, potentially avoiding the embarrassment of a client or someone else thinking that you are getting bored with what they have to say because you are fiddling with your watch just to turn on the screen to see a notification or the time.

Third, the Series 9 has many more sensors than the SE, providing you with even more useful information. No new sensors were added to the Series 9 this year, but you do get the sensor added last year in the Series 8 that tracks your temperature while you are sleeping to help track your cycle if you are ovulating, which can help you make decisions for family planning and which provides a more detailed view of a menstrual cycle. The Series 9 also has a blood oxygen sensor (first introduced with the Series 6), which you can use to monitor your breathing and blood circulation, and thus your overall cardiac health. The Series 9 also has an ECG (also called an EKG) (first introduced with the Series 4 in 2018). The Series 9 also has a more advanced heart sensor than the SE (first introduced with the Series 6). Apple is careful to say that this is not a medical device, but these sensors can give you a warning that it might be a good time to go see a doctor.  

Fourth, the Series 9 is more resistant to the outside world than the SE. Both the SE and the Series 9 are water resistant, so it is OK to swim with them or get them wet. But the Series 9 is also dust resistant (IP6X) (a feature introduced with the Series 7).

Fifth, you can charge a Series 9 more quickly than an SE. This is something that Apple first introduced with the Series 7, and I like it. I usually have no trouble with my Apple Watch lasting all day long. But on days when I push it to the limit, it is nice to give the battery a little boost at some point during the day, and it is noticeably faster to do so with an Apple Watch that supports a USB-C charger with fast charging.

Finally, with the Series 9 you can choose to pay more for a stainless steel case. I prefer the shiny look of the stainless steel case, and I’ve been using this version of the Apple Watch since 2015 when the Apple Watch was first introduced. The stainless steel case is a little tougher, and when you get that model you also get an improved screen that uses sapphire crystal instead of Ion-X glass to be more resistant to scratches. You have to pay an additional $300 for the stainless steel model so it is definitely a premium purchase, but if you think of an Apple Watch as jewelry that you wear all the time, that price increase may seem more reasonable.

Even if you don’t opt for the stainless steel model, you can see that the Series 9 offers ten solid advantages for the additional $150. If you just want a simple Apple Watch, you can live without all of them. But you are missing out on quite a bit with the SE. Just to pick one example, I think that for many professionals, the always-on, larger screen alone is worth the $150.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is available with an aluminum body in the same colors as the Apple Watch SE—Midnight, Starlight, and Silver—plus two additional colors: pink and PRODUCT(RED). 

With the stainless steel body, the color choices are Graphite, Silver, and Gold.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The other new Apple Watch announced this week is the Ultra 2. The Apple Watch Ultra was announced last year, and it has been a big hit. I know many people who own one, and they all love them. I personally find them to be a little chunky so don’t think that one of these models is in my future, but I am jealous of the larger screen.

This second generation version of the Ultra adds most of the new features that were added to the Series 9. You get the new S9 processor, the new double tap gesture, the new faster Siri because your commands are processed on the watch itself, and the new U2 Ultra Wideband chip.

While the Series 9 chip added the feature to go up to 2,000 nit brightness, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 now goes up to 3,000 nit brightness (up from 2,000 nits on the original Ultra). That’s pretty crazy, and I look forward to seeing what it looks like in real life. If you are outdoors and in the sun, having the brightest screen possible is a fantastic advantage.

The other key features of the Ultra remain the same as last year.

First, as mentioned above, you get the largest display available on any Apple Watch: 49mm, versus 45/41 on the Series 9 and 44/40 on the SE.

Second, you get the most durable Apple Watch ever made. It features the same sapphire crystal on the front that you get with the stainless steel version of the Series 9, but on the Ultra that crystal is completely flat with protection on the edges to give it additional protection.  It features a case made of Titanium, so that it is both rugged and light, and there are raised guards around the digital crown for more protection.  (There are no color choices with the Apple Watch Ultra 2; it only comes in what Apple calls the natural color of Titanium.)  It is strong enough to be water resistant up to 100m (versus 50m on the Series 9 and SE) with EN13319 certification, so it can be used for scuba diving.

Third, speaking of scuba diving, the Ultra has a depth gauge with a temperature sensor. It also comes with an Oceanic+ app to use as a dive computer.

Fourth, the Ultra has an 86-decibel siren that you can activate to attract attention from up to 600 feet away. If you are lost in the woods and want someone else to find you, that siren can help. I suppose this could also be useful in a city if you are trying to attract attention because you are in an unsafe situation.

Fifth, the battery lasts up to 36 hours, which is twice as long as the 18-hour battery on the Series 9 and SE. Apple says it can also last up to 72 hours with low power settings enabled.

Seventh, the Ultra 2 features a button on the left side of the Apple Watch called the Action button. Unlike the button on the right side of the Apple Watch, which performs system functions and thus cannot be used with apps, the Action button on the left can be used by apps to allow for input without touching the screen.  If you are underwater, this is especially useful because you cannot touch an Apple Watch screen when it is in water. In a workout, you can use the Action button to begin the workout and to move to the next interval of a custom workout or the next leg of a multisport workout. If you are running on a track, you can also use the Action button to mark each segment.

Eighth, the Ultra 2 features better GPS than the normal Apple Watch. (In addition to using the L1 frequency, which is the oldest and most-used version of GPS, it adds support for the new L5 frequency, which can provide less interference.)

Ninth, the Ultra has much louder speakers (Apple says 40% louder than the Series 9 or SE) and a much improved microphone. Thus, if you are in extreme weather conditions, it should be far easier to have a phone conversation using just your watch.

Apple sells three bands designed for the Ultra: an Ocean Band for swimming, an Alpine Loop for rough outdoor use, and a Trail Loop for long runs.

Conclusion

The upgrades to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 make both watches much nicer to use. Brighter screens, a faster processor that makes the watch more responsible and that supports new features such as double tap and a faster Siri, and the new U2 chip all add up to some nice improvements. And with these improvements, the gap between the Apple SE (which hasn’t changed since last year) and the Series 9 is larger than ever, even though the price difference is the same as last year’s Series 8 versus the SE.

As for the Apple Watch Ultra, if you have been on the fence about getting this largest and most capable watch, perhaps these extra features will entice you.

Overall, Apple’s Apple Watch latest collection is excellent and provides buyers with lots of great options.

Yesterday, Apple introduced the 2023 versions of the iPhone: the iPhone 15 line. Once again, there are two types of iPhone and two sizes for each type, so the new devices are the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can pre-order new units starting this Friday at 5am Pacific / 8am Eastern, and you can get them in stores one week from this Friday on September 22. Here are the new features that I think will be most appreciated by lawyers and other professionals who use an iPhone.

The iPhone 15 Pro line

Let’s start with the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max because that is where we are seeing the most interesting new features.

Titanium

The Pro models look different from any other iPhone ever created because the outside is constructed from titanium. And to show how sophisticated Apple has gotten with metals, the titanium is fused with an aluminum inner chassis, which apparently helps with thermal dissipation.

As a result, each iPhone 15 Pro model is almost 10% lighter than the previous year’s model. Folks who were on Apple’s campus yesterday to try out the new devices reported that titanium makes the iPhone 15 Pro noticeably lighter every time you pick it up. For example, Jason Snell of Six Colors wrote: “This is not a minor, quirky, ‘I suppose if you weighed it you’d grudgingly admit it’s a few grams lighter’ sort of thing. It’s very clearly noticeable, thanks to the combined titanium and aluminum design. It doesn’t feel flimsy, mind you–it’s very solid but quite lighter.”

The outside has a brushed metal look with contoured edges. This looks good, and my hope is that this also makes the iPhone less slippery, but I’ll have to try it to see.

USB-C 3

We all knew that USB-C was coming to the iPhone, and now it is here. And on the Pro models, it is a faster version of USB-C called USB-C 3. To take advantage of this faster speed, you will have to purchase a separate cable that supports USB 3 with 10Gbit per second speed. Apple says that this means that transfers can be up to 20 times faster. (Lightning maxes out at 480 Mbits per second.) If you have ever taken a 4K HDR video with an iPhone and then tried to quickly get it to a computer so that you can edit the video, this was an exercise in frustration in the past. But with USB-C 3 speeds and the right cable, that should no longer be a problem.

Apple doesn’t currently sell a USB-C 3 cable, but it used to sell them as noted in 2017 by Chaim Gartenberg of the Verge, and it looks like you can still purchase them on Amazon for $37.99. On Apple’s own website, they are now selling the faster USB-C Thunderbolt 4 cable. Thunderbolt 4 can transfer up to 40Gbit per second, but the support for that fast speed means that Apple sells that cable for $69. If you only plan to use that cable with a new iPhone 15 Pro, that would be paying a lot more for speeds that you won’t be able to use. But if you have some other use for a Thunderbolt 4 cable that takes advantage of the full speed, maybe it is worth it for you.

Another advantage of USB-C is that you can charge your iPhone more quickly. If you use a 20W charger, you can reach a 50% charge in only 30 minutes.

Camera improvements

I often hear people say that the #1 reason they are getting a new iPhone is to get a better camera. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have several ways to give you even better pictures.

First, there is an improved 48 megapixel camera. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro also features a 48MP camera, and when you use the 48MP mode, the improvements can quite be stunning, as I showed in side-by-side photos last year. But the problem was that you had to use RAW mode on the iPhone 14 Pro to take full advantage of the 48MP camera, and because of the hassles associated with RAW, that meant that I didn’t use it as often as I thought I would. Fortunately, with the new Pro models, you can take 48MP with the iPhone’s normal HEIF mode. Picture sizes will be larger of course so they will take up more space on your iPhone, but the quality should be much better in many situations. Note that according to Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac, the iPhone 14 Pro will also soon get a “HEIF Max” option to take 48MP pictures by default. If you don’t want to take 48MP all the time, the default mode is still an impressive 24MP.

Second, if you get the larger model (the iPhone 15 Pro Max) the former 3x telephone is now a much more powerful 5x telephoto. Apple uses something called a “tetraprism” to bounce the light off of a couple of right angles to achieve the effect. The 5x model is equivalent to a 120mm focal length, so if you are used to going up to 300mm or 400mm on your DSLR’s telephoto lens, this is not that. But it is a heck of a lot closer than any iPhone has gotten in the past using an optical zoom. If you are trying to capture an architectural detail on a building or your kid playing across the field in a soccer game, the iPhone 15 Pro Max should get you closer than you have ever been able to get before.

Third, the iPhone 15 Pro uses its three cameras to provide seven virtual focal lengths. You get 13mm with the utra-wide lens. The main lens with its 48MP resolution can be cropped to different image sizes without any noticeable impact on image quality, so it can give you 24mm (the main setting), 28mm, 35mm, and 48mm, and then the telephoto lens can get you 120mm on the iPhone 15 Max Pro or less (I’m not sure of the focal length) with the 3x telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple spins this as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models giving you what seems like seven different lens.

Fourth, the ultra-wide lens is now supposed to be better than ever, although I haven’t yet seen details on this.

Fifth, because of the new processor (discussed below), things like night mode, HDR, video quality, and overall picture quality are all supposed to be better, as demonstrated by this lovely model:

A17 Pro processor

The iPhone 15 Pro models get Apple’s latest and great processor, the new A17 Pro. It is the first 3-nanometer chip, and it does more and does it faster. Of course, this makes the iPhone feel snappier. But it also means that sophisticated computations—such as the ones used for the new camera app—are possible that were never possible before. Graphics should be up to 20% faster.

Record spatial video

When Apple previewed the Apple Vision Pro earlier this year, Apple mentioned that you could use the upcoming device to record or view spatial video, which is immersive 3D video. When Apple let certain folks try out the beta version of the Apple Vision Pro earlier this year, I remember people saying that they saw a a spatial video of a child blowing out candles at a birthday party, and they said that it was unlike any other home video they had ever seen. You actually felt like you were there.

Later this year, the iPhone 15 Pro will be able to use two of its three lens to capture 3D spatial video that can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro when it comes out next year. This makes a lot of sense. When you are taking a video, I doubt that you will want to be wearing a headset; you will want to just use the iPhone that is in your pocket. Later on, when you want to relive the moment, you can then put on your Apple Vision Pro headset.

I’m sure that at some point in the future, many of us will wish that we could go back in time and re-record videos using spatial video—just like I now look at home movies taken in the past, using technology like VHS-C or Super 8, and I wish that it could have been taken in 4K HDR. Even if you don’t have your own Apple Vision Pro or similar device for a long time, it is nice that you will be able to future-proof your videos when you take them with an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.

Buttons and Bezels

Since the very first model of the iPhone released in 2007, there has been a ringer switch on the side. This year, on the Pro models, Apple is replacing that with an Action button. When you hold down on the button, an action happens. That action can be turning the ringer on or off if you like the traditional feature. But it can also turn on the flashlight, activate the Camera app, activate Voice Memos, activate the Magnifier, and much more. And I really mean “much more” because you can also trigger any action that you created in the Shortcuts app, which could be as simple as launching some specific app (perhaps the app that you use to record your time as a lawyer?) or performing some complicated automation. I’m looking forward to trying this out.

The iPhone 15 Pro models also feature a smaller bezel. This means that the height and width of the iPhone 15 Pro is slightly less than the iPhone 15—and this, along with titanium, helps to reduce the weight as compared to last year’s Pro models–although the iPhone 15 Pro is 0.01 inch thicker than the iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15 line

For about $200 less (starting at $799 instead of $999), you can get the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus. You don’t get the new cool new features noted above, but you do get some nice improvements.

Features pushed down from the Pro to the non-Pro

First, there are a number of features that used to require a Pro version of an iPhone but which are now available on the iPhone 15. I love the Dynamic Island at the top of my iPhone 14 Pro because it does a great job of making the information that you want from apps easily available. The Dynamic Island no longer requires a Pro and is available on all iPhone 15 models.

The A16 Bionic chip, introduced last year on the iPhone 14 Pro, is used with this year’s iPhone 15.

The camera on the iPhone 15 is much better and supports 48MP pictures—similar to the iPhone 15 Pro, but not quite as good in quality. You still only get two lenses (ultra-wide and regular) so you don’t get a telephoto lens with the iPhone 15 line. But with the 48MP lens, the iPhone 15 supports a 2x mode—a crop of the 48MP picture to 24MP, which is still an excellent picture quality, and is sort of like having a 2x zoom lens.

Like the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 gets USB-C. However, it supports the same data transfer speed as the former Lightning connector: up to 480 Mbits per second.

Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and this year’s iPhone 15 Pro supported very bright screens: up to 1600 nits for HDR and up to 2000 nits when you are outside. You now get the brighter screen with the iPhone 15 as well.

New features available on the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro

There are also some new features that are available on all four of the new iPhones, both Pro and non-Pro. First, there is a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. This makes it easier to find the iPhone or other devices that support Ultra Wideband.

Portrait mode in the Camera app is improved. Even after you take a picture, you can change which person (or pet) is the focus of the image. And if my understanding is correct, the iPhone will try to capture depth information whenever you take any photo, even if you are not using Portrait mode. That way, if you see a picture that you took in the normal mode with a person in the photo and you want to change the photo after you took it to a Portrait Mode photo, this will be possible. That’s very useful.

All models support Wi-Fi 6E for better wireless performance when you are using a Wi-Fi 6E wireless router.

All models improve improved audio quality on phone calls. A new Voice Isolation mode is supposed to make your conversations loud and clear even when there is a noisy background.

Last year, the iPhone 14 Pro and non-Pro supported Emergency SOS via Satellite, a potentially life-saving service when there is no cellular connection available. If you don’t need your life saved but you do need some help because, for example, you have a flat tire or you ran out of gas, you can now use the Satellite feature to contact AAA for Roadside Assistance. This works on all iPhones that support the Satellite feature, so even last year’s models. If you are already a AAA customer, you get the support that is included in your plan. If you are not a AAA customer, you can pay-per-use for AAA’s roadside assistance services.

Prices and colors

The iPhone 15 starts at $799, and you pay an additional $100 for the larger Plus model. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and you pay an additional $200 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max model, but the Pro Max model is really only $100 more than the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s just that the iPhone 15 Pro, like the iPhone 15, starts at a 128GB capacity whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at 256GB.

For all models except the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it costs an additional $100 to go from 128GB to 256GB. Thus, for the 256GB size, the four models cost $899, $999, $1099 or $1199. Going from 256GB to 512GB costs an extra $200 for all four models. Going from 256GB to 1TB is only possible on the Pro models, and costs an extra $400.

For many years now, I’ve been very happy with a 256GB iPhone, and if you plan to have lots of pictures and videos on your device and you can afford the extra $100, I think that 256GB instead of 128GB may be the sweet spot to future-proof your device. But this year, because I think I’ll be taking larger 48MP photos and perhaps even lots of large spatial video files, I will probably spend the extra $200 on the 512GB model just to have some extra breathing room. 1TB is an insane amount of space for an iPhone, and if you have a special need for that much space, you already know why that is.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models have lots of color choices: blue, pink, yellow, green, and black. As always, the Pro line is less colorful, and the choices this year are black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium.

Conclusion

This is a year of nice improvements, even if none of them are revolutionary. My current plan is to get the iPhone 15 Pro Max, 512GB, black titanium. I’m worried that the larger iPhone will be so big that I won’t find it easy to carry around all day, but I’m looking forward to seeing what it is like to have larger text and/or more text on the screen, and I’m very eager to try out the new 5x telephoto lens. Perhaps this time next year I’ll be trading in the Max model to go back to the normal size so that it fits better in my shirt pocket, but who knows, maybe I’ll become a convert to the larger iPhone. Hopefully, the reduced weight that comes with titanium will mean that the Pro Max model won’t feel outrageously more heavy than my current iPhone 14 Pro. The speed bump and extra capabilities possible because of the new processor should also be a nice step up.

This week’s episode of the In the News podcast addresses security and privacy issues. We talk about the reason for the critical iPhone security update that came a few days ago, the reasons that Apple changed its mind on implementing a system to combat the spread of child pornography, and China banning iPhones for government workers, supposedly for security reasons. We also talk about the end of Lightning as USB-C may become the new standard for iPhones, celebrate the seventh anniversary of the AirPod introduction, and more.

In this week’s Where Y’at segment, we talk about crash detection and finding thieves in Belgium.

In our In the Know segment, Brett share a tip for using Apple Pay. I share a tip for getting the most out of an Apple TV 4K connected to a 4K television that supports HDR.

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:

We are just a few days away from Apple’s biggest presentation of 2023: the introduction of the 2023 versions of the iPhone along with other new hardware and software such as, I presume a new Apple Watch and a final sneak peek at what is coming in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. Apple already has a placeholder on YouTube and an animated page on Apple’s own website. Some years, the new iPhone comes with more new and interesting features than other years, and I’m very curious to see what Apple will have in store for us in a few days. And now, the news of note from the past week:

• September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and your donation can do so much good in the fight against childhood cancer. Simply click here and donate any amount. For those of you who donate, I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. It makes a difference.
• Apple released an important security update yesterday. It is iOS 16.6.1 on the iPhone, and it patches a flaw that was actively exploited–always the worst kind of security flaw. The Citizen Lab discovered the exploit while checking the iPhone of a person who works with a civil rights organization based in Washington, DC. It appears that the iPhone was targeted by someone using the Pegasus spyware software sold by NSO Group in Israel. Supposedly, NSO Group only sells their software to governments. What is scary is that this exploit worked without any interaction at all from the victim. The Pegasus software simply had to send certain pictures to the iPhone using iMessage. If you want to protect your own iPhone from this security flaw, update your iPhone now.
• Back in 2021, I discussed an announcement that Apple was going to be expanding protection for children on the iPhone by searching for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) before any photo was uploaded to Apple’s servers. It is now two years later, and Apple has announced that it changed its mind. As reported by Lily Hay Newman of Wired, Apple was concerned that if it started to search for one type of content, it might be forced by certain governments around the world to search for and report about other content that a government deems objectionable. One can imagine a government hostile to LGBTQ+ rights asking Apple to tattle on iPhones containing certain LGBTQ+ information. One can also see this being used against civil rights activists. As Eric Neuenschwander of Apple explained: “We concluded it was not practically possible to implement without ultimately imperiling the security and privacy of our users.”
• Yoko Kubota of the Wall Street Journal reports that China has banned iPhone use for government officials. This includes even bringing an iPhone to the office. This is part of a campaign to cut reliance on foreign technology, and the Chinese government asserts that this move will enhance cybersecurity.
• In light of the rumors that the 2023 version of the iPhone, being announced next week, will replace the Lightning port with USB-C, Dan Moren writes a eulogy for the Lightning port in his column for Macworld.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball wrote an interesting post in which he commented upon an article by Horace Dediu of Asymco. Dediu’s article addresses how Apple has managed to not only attract a bunch of customers, but also the best type of customers because they are the ones who are willing to spend more money on things that they value. Gruber has an interesting analysis of the formula: find something people care deeply about, make the best version of the thing that people care deeply about, and improve that thing every year. “Don’t prioritize being first or being cheapest. Prioritize being the best.” That’s good advice for folks in many different fields.
• Felipe Espósito of 9to5Mac says that he loves his HomePod 2, and his only regret is that AirPlay is far from perfect. I feel the same way about my HomePod minis. I love them and use them frequently, but there are sometimes strange issues, like when they randomly stop playing songs. It doesn’t happen often, but the fact that it happens at all is annoying and means that Apple still has some work to do.
• William Gallagher of AppleInsider reports that it was seven years ago this week that Apple announced the first generation AirPods. They didn’t become available until mid-December of 2016, and they were extremely hard to find at first. I ordered a pair online as soon as they were announced and I didn’t receive mine until January 5, 2017. They quickly became one of Apple’s most beloved products. I use my AirPods Pro every single day.
• Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch reports that Apple expanded its Apple Music Classical service by purchasing BIS, a classical music label based in Sweden that is celebrating its 50th year. BIS’s founder, Robert von Bahr, said that he was impressed by Apple’s “fundamental belief in the importance of preserving audio quality.” So if you already using the Apple Music Classical app, there will soon be even more to like.
• Chance Miller of 9to5Mac discusses an interesting CarPlay feature coming soon in iOS 17: SharePlay. This means that people in different cars can play the same playlist at the same time. If one person adds a song, it gets added for the other CarPlay unit too. If you have a long road trip with folks in different cars, this could be an interesting way to build a sense of community.
• Globalstar, a company based in Covington, LA (very close to where I live in New Orleans) works with Apple to provide the satellites that are used by the iPhone Emergency SOS feature. Robert Stewart of the local New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune, and the online version, Nola.com, reports that Globalstar is going to work with SpaceX so that in 2025 they will be able to launch additional satellites that work with this feature.
• Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reports that the crash detection feature on an Apple Watch was life-saving when a car flipped upside down and landed 100 feet off of the road at night. The Apple Watch called emergency services and provided an exact location, and the Fire and Rescue Department was able to get the person to the hospital. The Fire Chief said that if it was not for the Apple Watch, it probably would have taken an additional two hours to locate the car, and at that point, it may have been too late for the injured and unconscious driver.
• Malcolm Owen of AppleInsider reports that a man traveling in Belgium had his backpack stolen at a train station. He was able to track the bag for a while thanks to an AirTag, but that only worked for a few hours because the thieves got rid of the AirTag. But he was able to use Find My to track his MacBook in the backpack, and after doing some self-sleuthing (which is always dangerous so be careful!) he finally had enough information to get the police involved. The police finally made an arrest, the man got his computer back, and the police discovered a huge organized theft network with hundreds of stolen devices.
• I’m interested in using an external video camera with my iPad, a feature of the upcoming iPadOS 17. My thought was to use a better quality camera that is located at the top of my iPad instead of on the side with my iPad is in landscape mode. But the feature means that other approaches are also possible including, apparently, using a Game Boy camera for FaceTime video calls, as reported by Federico Viticci of MacStories.
• And finally, about a month ago, I linked to a cute Apple video called Captcha, a video designed to show how much easier and safer it is to pay for items using Apple Pay. Here is another funny video in that series called The Dance:

For over eight years now, I’ve used an app to keep track of which packages were coming my way and when—typically something that I ordered online. And occasionally, I found it useful to track something I was returning or sending to someone else. The app that I used for most of that time was a great app called Deliveries, which I reviewed in 2015 and again in 2017. But the Deliveries app no longer works as well as it used to; as the app’s developer explained in a 2022 post, he had lost the ability to work directly with some outside services such as UPS. So I started to look for a replacement, and a few months ago I started using an app called Parcel. It’s a fantastic app, and it is now my package tracking app of choice. It lacks one feature that I used in the Deliveries app, but the Parcel app has some clever tricks that make it an overall better app. And unlike the Deliveries app, Parcel works well with all of the major delivery services—including DHL, FedEx, TNT, UPS, USPS, and over 300 other services. Perhaps  best of all, it works particularly well with Amazon.

Adding a delivery

In Parcel, just like Deliveries, you can easily add a delivery by copying the tracking number. For example, if you have a UPS or FedEx tracking number in an email or a website on your iPhone, just copy that number, open the Parcel app, and tap the + at the top right corner. Parcel will automatically paste the number into a field, determine the carrier from the number (which you can adjust if necessary), and then let you write a description. Deliveries was a little better than Parcel because it detected a tracking number even before you tapped the + sign, but otherwise, the process on both apps is similar.

If you have a delivery sticker with a barcode on it (because you are the sender), the Parcel app can scan the barcode to save you the trouble of typing the tracking number. That’s a very useful feature, and it worked well for me.

If you order frequently from Amazon, as I do, Parcel has a neat feature if you choose to give it access to your Amazon account: it will automatically add your Amazon deliveries without you having to do anything at all. Just open the Parcel app and anything that you ordered from Amazon is already being tracked in the app. The title listed in Parcel is taken from the Amazon website, and occasionally those titles are unhelpful (often because they were written to try to make the item show up in more search results) but you can easily change the title in the Parcel app if you want by taping on the item, then tapping the icon at the top right, and then tapping Edit Delivery.

Parcel has a page on its website describing the privacy implications of you letting Parcel use your Amazon account. In short, your credentials are stored locally in the app and not sent to the developer of Parcel. I haven’t heard any reports of Parcel using this information inappropriately.

Tracking your deliveries

Once your items are in the app, you open the app at any time to see what is coming and how many days before it is delivered. The Deliveries app uses a different color banner depending upon the delivery service, such as brown for UPS, purpose for FedEx, etc. Parcel doesn’t do that, which is a shame. But what Parcel does do is work with all of the major delivery services. When I ordered a MacBook Air for my daughter to use in school, the Deliveries app couldn’t tell me when the UPS delivery would arrive, telling me “Couldn’t connect,” although I could tap on the item to eventually open the right page on the UPS website. But Parcel was happy to tell me when the app was coming, where it was located along the way, and when it arrived.

 

Parcel also supports push notifications. Thus, if you want to be alerted to delivery status, the app can do that.

Because Parcel lets you connect the app to Amazon, Parcel works particularly well with Amazon deliveries. For example, if Amazon sends something via the U.S. Postal Service, the Deliveries app—like the USPS website—won’t have much information on when the item is coming. But Parcel will be able to guess by providing Amazon’s own guess about approximately when the package will arrive. And of course, Parcel can track items shipped by Amazon’s own delivery service.

 

On the day of delivery, the Parcel app will initially tell you that you have 0 days until delivery. But then once the package is out for delivery, the icon changes to make it easy for you to see that information. And for some deliveries, you even get a delivery window.

One of the features of the Deliveries app that I enjoyed was the ability to easily archive a delivery after an item had arrived. That way, if I ever wanted to go back and search for an item previously delivered—for example, if I am trying to remember how long ago I last ordered something that I’m about to order again—I could find that information in Deliveries. In Parcel, there is no archive feature. You can keep old deliveries on the main screen, but I find that to be distracting; I only want to see active deliveries in the main screen of the app. Thus, my practice has been to delete items in the Parcel app once the item is in my hands, which means that I cannot use the app as a log of past deliveries. It would be great if Parcel added an archive feature in the future.

Multiple platforms

You can use Parcel on the iPhone (which is where I use it the most), the iPad, the Mac, and even the Apple Watch. All of your information is synced across all of your devices. The app also supports widgets on the iPhone.

Cost

You can try out the app for free, but that free version has limited features and only tracks three items. To unlock all of the features, pay for a subscription, which is $4.99 a year.

Conclusion

I know after many years of use how helpful it is to have a single place on my iPhone that keeps track of all of my upcoming deliveries, no matter what the vendor or the delivery service. It is nice to know when an item will arrive and where it is now. Parcel does a great job with that. Moreover, since most of my deliveries nowadays come from Amazon, the Parcel app is especially useful because I don’t have to spend any time putting my Amazon deliveries in Parcel. They are there automatically. There are a few features in the Deliveries app that are currently missing from Parcel—the archive feature is the one that I miss the most—but overall, the Parcel app is much better than Deliveries and I’m happy that I made the switch. If you are interested in an app to track your deliveries, regardless of whether you are a previous user of the Deliveries app or you are new to this type of app, I highly recommend the Parcel app.

Click here to get Parcel (free; $4.99/year to unlock all features)

Cancer is horrible. We all know it, we have all dealt with it with our friends and families at some point, and I have no doubt that many of you reading this are dealing with it right now, in one way or the other. And as bad as all forms of cancer are, children’s cancer is particularly devastating.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and a leader in the fight against childhood cancer is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Did you know that since St. Jude opened its doors in 1962, the treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80%? That is an amazing statistic. And they have so much more that they can do, from helping individual patients that they are treating at their facility in Memphis to developing techniques that can be used to treat children around the world.

For the second year in a row, iPhone J.D. is part of the community that is working with the Relay FM podcast network to raise money for St. Jude. You may already know about Relay FM: it is the network behind some fantastic tech-related podcasts, such as Upgrade, Mac Power Users, Connected, Clockwise, Automators, and so many more. By working together, the end result can be pretty amazing. Since 2019, the Relay FM community has raised over $2.2 million for St. Jude, and with your help, I have no doubt that it will cross the $2.5 million mark this year.

The process of making a donation is super easy, which I know first-hand because I just did it a few minutes before I wrote this post. Simply go to the page, click the big green DONATE button, and donate any amount. Just a few seconds later, I guarantee that you will feel so much better knowing that you are part of the solution for families that are directly affected by childhood cancer now and those that will be dealing with it in the future.

A special thanks to those of you who contributed last year and will contribute again this year. Y’all are the best!

Click here to donate!