Need some last-minute gift ideas for an iPhone user? Florida attorney Katie Floyd recommends some tech-related gifts, most of which work with the iPhone. And CarPlay Life recommends gifts for folks who use Apple CarPlay. Here are my own recommendations for folks who use CarPlay: (1) I really like the Anker PowerLine+ USB to Lightning cord that I reviewed last month; (2) To keep your CarPlay screen nice and clean, without the dust, keep a MobileCloth in your car. And now, the news of note from the past week:
Voorhees also notes that Apple purchased Shazam this week, the service that can identify a song that is playing. Apple has incorporated Shazam technology into iOS for a while now and didn’t need to acquire the company to do that, so I’m curious what bigger plans Apple has for Shazam its technology.
Speaking of Voorhees, in the latest episode of the Free Agents podcast of California attorney David Sparks and Jason Snell interviews John Voorhees. He explains why he quit his job as a bankruptcy attorney at a large Chicago law firm to be an app developer and to cover Apple-related stories at MacStories.
LitSoftware, the maker of apps like TrialPad and TranscriptPad, explains why it is likely to shift to a subscription model for its apps.
Maps in iOS supports not only the great outdoors, but also some indoor areas including airports and shopping malls. Chance Miller of 9to5Mac has a list of all of the locations currently supporting this feature.
Mikey Campbell of AppleInsider discusses an interview with Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP for Environment, in which she discusses how Apple designed the iPhone 8 and iPhone X to be more environmentally friendly.
Jason Snell of Six Colors explains how you can use Homebridge to make HomeKit support a device that is not HomeKit compatible.
And finally, here is a short video featuring magician Simon Pierro, who incorporates an iPad into his act as a stand-in for a glove. You can keep the audio muted (unless you speak German). The slight-of-hand techniques are impressive:
As we approach the end of the holiday season, I suspect that many of you — like me — have lots of packages coming your way via FedEx, UPS, the U.S.P.S., etc. Thus, you are likely to be wondering what you have coming and when you will get it. I reviewed the Deliveries app back in 2015, and I continue to use that app all of the time, especially during time periods like right now when I have lots of packages coming. It is so incredibly useful to have a single app that lists the shipping status of each of my packages.
All of the core features of the app are the same as when I reviewed it in 2015, so if you don’t currently use Deliveries, I encourage you to check out that review. In short, you just copy your tracking number from an email or website or wherever else you have the number. When you launch the Deliveries app, it sees that there is a tracking number on your clipboard and it offers to create a new entry. Just add a title for the item. Then you can launch the app whenever you want to see a list of items, and you can tap any item for more details.
The app was recently updated to take advantage of the larger screen of the iPhone X:
Deliveries is a fantastically useful app for anyone who receives (or sends) packages. If that sounds like you and you don’t currently use the app, check out my prior review for more details, and get this app. You’ll be glad that you have it.
One of my favorite tips to share for using an iPhone and iPad is Apple’s built-in text replacement system. You access it by going to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Text Replacement. You can create traditional shortcuts, such as as series of letters that your device will turn into something longer. (For example, if I type jji my iPhone/iPad changes it to jeff@iphonejd.com; if I type jja it becomes jeff.richardson@arlaw.com; etc.) You can add a phrase without a shortcut to add a word to the built-in dictionary. (For example, I added the phrase “limine” and left the shortcut field blank so that my auto-correct doesn’t annoy me whenever I type “motion in limine” on my iPhone or iPad.) And you can even use the feature to access characters that cannot be directly typed on the keyboard. (For example, I have ¶ as a Phrase which appears when I type #7, which is useful because there is no way to directly type the paragraph symbol on an iPhone.) I mention all of this today because California attorney David Sparks reported this week that the built-in text replacement on the iPhone, iPad and Mac is much more reliable now that Apple improved the way that phrases and shortcuts are synced among multiple devices using iCloud. It is nice to see a good feature get even better. And now, the news of note from the past week:
Charlie Sorrel of Cult of Mac says that the AirPods are the best wireless earbuds, but has some other recommendations if you want an alternative.
Adam Engst of TidBITS reports that watchOS 4.2 was released this week, which lets you send and receive payments using Apple Pay Cash on the watch, and which also adds support for HomeKit sprinklers and faucets. I’ve never thought about turning on a faucet using my watch, but I suppose I could do that now.
Juli Clover of MacRumors did some incredibly useful testing and wrote a helpful article on MacRumors to compare and contrast the different ways to charge an iPhone X. I suspect that many of her conclusions carry over to other models of the iPhone as well, and her tests confirmed many of the things which I have seen more anecdotally. If you are interested in great tips for iPhone charging — and pretty much every iPhone owner falls into this camp — I strongly recommend that you check out her article, which also includes some great graphs.
Normally I would save a link like this for my Friday In the news post, but I wanted to take some extra space to highlight some of the most important take-aways from this article, most of which I can also confirm from my own experiences:
The charger that comes with the iPhone is slow. The iPhone has long shipped with that small, almost cube-shaped 5W charger. It charges the iPhone very slowly. For the iPhone X, it gets you up to an 11% charge in 15 minutes and 39% in 60 minutes.
USB-C charging is 2x to 3x faster. Back in early 2016, I reviewed the combination of Apple’s 29W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C to Lightning Cable, which together cost around $75. In that review, I pointed out that it is the fastest way to charge an iPad Pro. But the iPhone X can also take advantage of USB-C charging, and it can get you almost three times the charge of a 5W charger after 15 minutes and about two times the charge of a 5W charger after 60 minutes. If you need to get the maximum charge to your iPhone X in the shortest amount of time, this is the way to go. And while this Apple combination will cost you $75, Clover notes that you can pay about half as much by using reputable third-party devices. If you own an iPad Pro. I think it is well-worth the $75 investment to get the fastest charge on all of your iOS devices.
Higher-wattage USB-C doesn’t make a difference. Although I reviewed Apple’s 29W USB-C Power Adapter, Apple also has a 87W USB-C Power Adapter that comes with the 12" MacBook, and third party USB-C adapters come in 18W. For the iPhone X, the test results are the same for all of those.
The 12W charger is a nice sweet spot. Apple’s 12W charger, which is included in the box with an iPad, will charge your iPhone much faster than the 5W charger that comes with the iPhone. It’s not quite as fast as USB-C, but it is much less expensive. It may even be free, if you own an iPad and thus already have one. Even if you buy another one, it only costs $19, and you can use the same USB-to-Lightning cord that came with your iPhone. So for either free or $19, you can charge almost as fast as USB-C without spending the $75 for the Apple USB-C products (or about half as much with third party products). If you don’t think it is worth spending the money for USB-C, this is the perfect alternative.
Wireless charging is slow, but the 7.5W version is a little faster. The iPhone X and iPhone 8 support what Apple calls wireless charging, the ability to place the back of the iPhone down on a charging plate and let it charge without plugging in a cable. Some consider it a major convenience, even though it isn’t the fastest way to charge. Most of these wireless chargers are 5W and charge at essentially the same speed as that slow 5W plug that is included in the box with an iPhone. Some Apple-approved devices are 7.5W, and when Apple releases its AirPower wireless charger in 2018 it will also support 7.5W. Those 7.5W chargers are a little faster than the 5W version — not a big difference, but enough that if you are going to buy a wireless charger, you might as well buy the 7.5W version to get more bang for your buck.
A few days ago, Apple released iOS 11.2. For those with iOS 11.2 installed, yesterday Apple turned on the Apple Pay Cash feature, which lets you send and receive money within the Messages app. Need to pay someone to split the cost of lunch, or want to send someone a request to send you a specific amount? You can now do so, and it is just as quick and easy as sending a text message. Writing a check to someone seems prehistoric compared to Apple Pay Cash.
When you receive money, it goes into your Apple Pay Cash card on your iPhone. You can keep the money in there so that you have it in the future to pay other folks using Apple Pay Cash, or use it to pay a merchant using traditional Apple Pay, or you can transfer it to your bank account. If you need to make a payment and don’t already have sufficient funds on your Apple Pay Cash card, the service will let you add money to your account from either a credit card or a debit card. If you use a credit card, Apple charges you a 3% fee, so if you owe someone $20 and you use your credit card to add the funds to Apple Pay Cash, it will cost you 60¢. But if you connect your bank’s debit card to Apple Pay Cash, then you can add money without any service fee.
I received two bucks from someone last night and then sent $2 back just to see how the process works, and it was really easy to use. Perhaps the most startling aspect of all was that for the first time, I saw a color in the Messages app other than blue or green. Messages associated with sending or receiving Apple Pay Cash are in black. When you send money, you need to confirm money using either Face ID (on an iPhone X) or Touch ID on older iPhones.
You can also send or receive money just using an Apple Watch (after you upgrade to watchOS 4.2). Or you can ask Siri to “send 25 dollars to Martin” or even “ask Martin for $22 for lunch.”
Other services like Venmo have offered something similar for a while, but because Apple Pay Cash is built-in to Messages and works with the Wallet app, and because Apple is a trusted company when it comes to preserving your privacy, Apple Pay Cash has the potential to become incredibly popular. And as more people become comfortable with using the service, it will become even more useful.
The minimum amount that you can send or receive is $1, and the maximum limit on any specific transaction is $3,000. There is also a $10,000 limit on transactions within each seven-day period, and $20,000 is the most that you can have on your Apple Pay Cash card at one time. So you probably won’t be using Apple Pay Cash for asking your clients to pay their invoices for legal services, unless it is just a small, one-off type of thing. But for sending and receiving small amounts of money between friends and family, Apple Pay Cash should be perfect.
Following Apple’s on-screen instructions for setting up Apple Pay Cash is pretty easy, but if you want some detailed step-by-step instructions for doing so, Joseph Keller of iMore wrote a helpful guide to Apple Pay Cash. And for a good overview (including some animations) showing how Apple Pay Cash works, check out this page on Apple’s website.
Even though many analysts are reporting that Apple is selling huge numbers of iPhone X devices, it is finally getting to the point where you can get one without too much delay. Mikey Campbell of AppleInsider reports that delivery times in the U.S. are now done to just one week. And sure enough I am finally to starting to see other folks using an iPhone X, including several of my law partners. If you are thinking about upgrading to an iPhone X, I really cannot recommend this product enough. Apple’s AirPods and Apple’s iPhone X are two of my most favorite Apple products ever, and I really enjoy using both of them every day. And now, here is the recent news of note:
Don’t call it the ABA Journal Blawg 100 anymore; this week the ABA Journal released its new Web 100 which includes law blogs, law podcasts, and Twitter accounts. As always, it is a great resource for learning about law-related sites — and now podcasts and tweeters as well.
More and more apps are getting updated for the new screen size of the iPhone X. Yesterday, Michael Potuck reports that Google Maps for iOS is one of the latest such apps. The map in that app looks so much better now that it fills the full screen, as do the Google Street View pictures.
Dan Provost of Studio Neat runs some tests and concludes that because the telephoto lens on the iPhone X is so much better, you can now take higher quality telephoto pictures even when there is less light available.
For a while now, CARROT Weather has been my favorite app for checking the weather on my iPhone. Ryan Christoffel of MacStories reported yesterday that the Apple Watch app for CARROT Weather was substantially updated, and it is now one of the best weather apps on an Apple Watch — perhaps the very best.
Apple announced yesterday that it is starting the Apple Heart Study, a joint effort with Stanford Medicine to use the Apple Watch to identify irregular heart rhythms, to try to prevent serious heart complications including strokes. If Apple accepts you into the study, you will receive a notification if an irregular heart rhythm is identified, plus a free consultation with a study doctor and an electrocardiogram patch for additional monitoring. More details are available on Apple’s website.
Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels reviews the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE after using it for three months. My Series 2 is doing me just fine for now, but I’m still jealous of the new features.
I’m a fan of home automation technology, but I haven’t gotten as deep into it as many folks have. I don’t have cameras in my home, nor do I have smart locks on my door. But Serenity Caldwell of iMore does, and she shares the amusing tale of how she got locked out of her smart home.
Tim Bajarin describes the role that Corning’s Gorilla Glass had in the original iPhone, in an article for Fast Company. Corning has a fantastic museum in Corning, New York called the Corning Museum of Glass. It has a fascinating mix of Corning hsitory, the artistic sculptures that you might expect to see in a glass museum, plus high technology made possible by glass, such as fiber optics, and I really enjoyed visiting the museum with my family this past summer. However, there was no mention of the iPhone anywhere in that extensive museum; I thought that they might have a Gorilla Glass exhibit or something like that.
And finally, Apple has a new commercial for the holidays, advertising the AirPods as a way to spark romance. It’s a cute ad, and it is called Sway:
Although this is intended to be a review of a specific iPhone X case, it is also a review of the idea of using a case with the iPhone X in the first place. I love the feel of the iPhone X, and the perfectly black OLED screen blends in beautifully with the smooth black edges of the Space Gray model. For my first week with the iPhone X, I didn’t use a case at all, and I liked it. But I was also very nervous about it. The smooth round edges of the iPhone X — like the iPhone 7, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 before it — make the device just slippery enough that I was often afraid that I would drop it when I was out and about. So after a week with no case, I decided to purchase the Apple iPhone X Leather case for $49. For over a week I kept it on my iPhone all of the time, and then after that I would often take it off when I was working at my desk or in a safe place at home, but otherwise kept it on. I like this case, and if you are looking for something slim that looks nice and makes your iPhone less slippery, this is a good choice.
Leather exterior
I’ve been using Apple’s leather cases since 2014, when I purchased a model for my iPhone 6 (my review). I used that case with both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6s, and then I used a similar model with the iPhone 7. Apple made a nice improvement between the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7 version, replacing the leather bumps covering the buttons on the iPhone 6 version with actual aluminum buttons on the iPhone 7 version. After a lot of use, the leather over the buttons would wear down to almost nothing, as you can see from this photo of the side of the iPhone 6 version (where the volume buttons are) after two years of use. You can barely even see where the two buttons are:
Fortunately, the iPhone X version (like the iPhone 7 version) uses aluminum buttons, which are easy to find and press and which won’t wear away over time.
Although I didn’t like how the leather wore over time directly over the buttons, otherwise I really like the way that the leather case ages. My old iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 leather cases feel very nice and soft in my hands. In this photo, the iPhone 6 version is on the left, and the iPhone 7 version is on the right:
My new iPhone X case also feels nice, but not quite as soft, and I look forward to it maturing over time. Here is how Apple describes it on its website: “They’re made from specially tanned and finished European leather, so the outside feels soft to the touch and develops a natural patina over time.”
In addition to feeling nice in the hand, the leather also makes the iPhone considerably less slippery, dramatically reducing the risk of accidentally dropping your expensive iPhone. A more rubbery case, such as the silicone case sold by Apple and many other companies, also makes it harder to drop the iPhone. But for me, that style of case provides too much friction, making it harder to slip my iPhone in and out of the pocket on the front of a button-down shirt.
Shape
Apple made a lot of great decisions when it comes to the shape of this case. First, this case is incredibly thin, so the size and weight that it adds to your iPhone X is almost negligible. I haven’t yet had an opportunity to try wireless charging with my iPhone X, but Apple confirms that you can charge through this thin case.
Second, I love the bottom. Ever since the iPhone 6 leather case, Apple has kept the bottom of the case open. For the iPhone 6, that made it easier to access the Lightning and headphone ports, and I continue to like that it makes it easy to access the Lightning port on the iPhone X. But with the iPhone X, the open bottom is even more appreciated because swiping up from the bottom of the screen is a gesture performed countless times every day. I’ve tried using other brands of cases on iPhone X devices used by some of my friends, and the bottom portion of those cases has always seemed to get in the way when I swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or when I swipe left to right to switch between open apps.
The open bottom of this case is one of its best features for the iPhone X.
Third, one advantage of using this case is that it makes your iPhone X lay perfectly flat on the table. A naked iPhone X wobbles a bit due to the bump on the back for the cameras.
Colors
I purchased the simple Black version of this case, but if you want to add some pizzazz, Apple currently offers this case in nine colors: Cosmos Blue, Pink Fuchsia, Dark Aubergine, Charcoal Gray, Taupe, Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue, Black and (PRODUCT)RED:
Protection
The primary reason I purchased this case was to protect my iPhone X, making it less slippery. But the case also adds protection to the sides and back, in the event that something makes contact. My older leather cases have tiny bumps and scratches on them, none of which I mind on a leather case, but each of them represents a time when my iPhone could have been damaged without a case.
The inside of the case is lined with a microfiber, protecting the iPhone from scratches, and making it easier to slide the case on or remove it.
Conclusion
Because I still like using an iPhone X without a case, I don’t use this case all the time. But I do have my iPhone X in this case most of the time, and as far as cases go, this one has a lot going for it. The leather feels good and protects the phone, and the thin shape is perfect, especially because it does not cover the bottom. If you are considering a case for your iPhone X, I can recommend the Apple iPhone X Leather case. And while I bought mine for $49.00, I see that you can currently save a few bucks buying it on Amazon.
Thank you to Lit Software for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month. This company produces three of the very best iPad apps designed for attorneys: TrialPad, TranscriptPad and DocReviewPad. TrialPad (my review) was first released in 2010 — the same year that the iPad itself debuted — and has seen numerous major updates over the years. If you want to present evidence to a jury, judge, or other audience, the app gives you powerful tools for displaying and annotating documents, including the Callout tool that most jurors expect to see nowadays. There is a recent post on the Lit Software blog explaining how Ian Unsworth, a prosecutor in London (Queen’s Counsel) uses TrialPad in complex criminal trials.
In my own litigation practice, I spend a lot of time working with deposition transcripts, such as preparing for a motion for summary judgment. Thus, TranscriptPad (my review) is the Lit Software app that I use the most. Whether I am drafting a motion, or I am in a subsequent deposition and I want to quickly see all of the relevant testimony on a subject during prior depositions, TranscriptPad does exactly what I need. On several occasions, other attorneys have watched me use TranscriptPad and then remarked that they need to get an iPad. When an app is so useful that it is a reason for attorneys to buy an iPad, you know it is a good app.
DocReviewApp (my review) is the newest app from Lit Software. This is an app that you can use to review and annotate documents on your iPad, so this app is especially useful during the request for production of documents process.
Lit Software does more than any other company when it comes to designing fantastic iPad apps specifically for attorneys. If you are a litigator and you want to make the most of your iPad, I encourage you to check out these apps.
Click here to get TrialPad ($129.99):
Click here to get TranscriptPad ($89.99):
Click here for DocReviewPad ($89.99):
Click here for the Ultimate Litigation Package (all three apps) ($299.99):
[UPDATE: For my latest post on Anker cables dated August 19, 2020, click here.]
USB-to-Lightning cords are incredibly useful for users of Apple mobile products because they can be used to charge your iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and other devices such as Apple keyboards. And even though Apple includes these cords with many devices, it is always annoying when you need one but cannot find one, so it is a good idea to keep extra cords at home, work, your briefcase or purse, etc. For many years I have stuck with Lightning cords made by Apple because I had heard reports of folks having problems with cheaper Lightning cords made by fly-by-night companies. But recently I have heard great reports about cables made by Anker, a company known for many other useful products. I wanted a new cord to keep in my car (for use with Apple CarPlay) so I purchased an Anker PowerLine+ USB to Lightning cord from Amazon. I’ve been very happy with the cable so far, and I can recommend the product, both for you to use yourself and to give as a great gift to anyone else who uses an iPhone or iPad.
Quality
It was important to me to have a good quality cord. I certainly don’t want my devices damaged by a short caused by a cheaply-made product. Fortunately, Anker has a great reputation, and so it is a company that I trust to make a good product. Earlier this year, Nick Statt of The Verge wrote an interesting profile of Anker, explaining how the company was founded by a former Google engineer.
A few years ago, I reviewed the Anker PowerPort 6, and I continue to use that fantastic device every single time I travel because it lets me use a single cord running to an outlet to charge six different devices. If I was getting a new one today, I would get the USB Type-C model of the PowerPort, which includes one USB-C port for fast charging of an iPad or iPhone X plus four other ports that can be used for any device.
In light of all of this, I felt good about trusting Anker to make a reliable product, the same way that I trust Apple to make a reliable product.
Durability
Although Anker also makes “normal” Lightning cords, I was attracted to the PowerLine+ version, a cord featuring double-braided nylon to make the cord more durable. The braided nylon also makes it virtually impossible to knot this cord, so I haven’t had any problem with this cord getting tangled.
The braided nylon also protects the cord if you bend it. I have had numerous Apple cords split at a point where the cord was often bent. I really don’t think that type of damage would be possible with the PowerLine+ cord.
The plug ends of the PowerLine+ are also built to be far more durable then the ends of cords made by Apple and other companies. You can easily feel in your hands how the Anker USB and Lightning plugs are far more sturdy than the ones on Apple’s cords.
I haven’t used the PowerLine+ long enough to give you a definitive report on how it wears over time, but Anker says that PowerLine+ cords are six times more durable than other Lightning cables.
Price
I would be willing to pay more for a high-quality, durable Lightning cord, but Anker’s products are actually less expensive than Apple’s. I purchased the six-foot cord for my car because I wanted the flexibility of having something long enough for my kids to occasionally use my iPhone while they are in the backseat to select music while the iPhone is connected to CarPlay in the front of my car. The 6′ cord is roughly 1.8m, so close to the same size as Apple’s 2m USB-to-Lightning cord. But while Apple’s cord costs $29, the Anker 6′ cord is currently selling on Amazon for only $16.99.
Anker also sells a three foot version, roughly similar in size to Apple’s 1m Lightning cord. While Apple’s 1m cord costs $19.00, the Anker 3′ cord costs only $14.99 on Amazon, or better yet you can pay only $19.99 for a two-pack of the Anker 3′ cords. If you want to have the freedom that comes with a really long cord, Anker also sells a ten foot version on Amazon for $17.99.
Color
While I generally don’t mind the iconic white color that Apple uses with its cords, I have to admit that a white cord looked a little out of place in my car with its dark interior. The PowerLine+ cords come in various colors. I got the gray version, which does a far better job matching the interior of my car. The cords also come in gold, red, and white.
If you find that you often “lose” your Lightning cord because someone else borrows it or picks it up by mistake, you might want to consider getting the red or gold model. It will stand out, and others are unlikely to confuse it for their own cord.
Plug size
The plug at the Lightning end of the PowerLine+ is only a tiny bit larger than the plug on the similar Apple Lightning cord. Most folks will never notice the difference. However, if you are using a case for your iPhone which has a very small hole, made only big enough to work with the Apple cord, it is possible that the Anker cord won’t fit. I’ve never used a case like this for an iPhone, but I’ve seen other folks use them, so if this applies to you it is something for you to consider.
Pouch
The three foot and the six foot models of the PowerLine+ come with a felt pouch which you could use to hold the entire cord, or which you can use to adjust cable length. Just wind up the cable and slide it through the strap in the middle of the pouch. Then close the pouch with the Lightning end coming out one side and the USB end coming out the other side. Magnets in the pouch hold the cover closed. This way, you can charge when you are very close to the charger without having lots of extra cord getting in the way.
I haven’t decided how much I’ll use this pouch in the future, but it was a nice touch for Anker to include it, and shows that Anker is trying to go above and beyond what you get from other companies.
Other models
While I really like the PowerLine+ model with the double-braided nylon cord, Anker makes other cables with more traditional cords, and they are even less expensive. For example, if you want a three foot size, you can get the PowerLine for only $9.99 on Amazon, or the PowerLine II (with lifetime warranty if it ever breaks) for $11.99 on Amazon. I haven’t tried those models, but I presume that they are also good quality cords.
Conclusion
The Anker PowerLine+ Lightning cord works great. It is cheaper than the Apple Lightning cord and yet it seems to be much more durable. I like the color and feel of the double-braided nylon cord, and I like knowing that this cord should hold up fine even if it gets a lot of use. And because I’m sure that many iPhone users have never used a cord like this, I think it is actually a great gift idea, now that the holidays are around the corner.
On November 17, 2008, I started iPhone J.D. and published my first post, explaining why I found the iPhone a valuable tool in my law practice. That means that iPhone J.D. just celebrated its ninth birthday. My second favorite iPhone of all time was the iPhone 3G I was using when I started the blog because it was my introduction to the world of the iPhone, and was such a major step up from the Treo and BlackBerry smartphones I had been using previously. Nine years later, the iPhone X is unquestionably my favorite iPhone of all time, with its amazing screen, cameras, and Face ID. And I am clearly not the only attorney to enjoy using an iPhone. As I reported a few weeks ago, a record number of attorneys are now using an iPhone, over 7 out of every 10 attorneys in the United States.
After nine years and over 1,600 posts on iPhone J.D., it has been thrilling to watch the iPhone mature and evolve from its first year to its tenth year. And as the device has gotten more sophisticated, attorneys have been able to do so much more with the iPhone — and iPad, Apple Watch, etc. I’ve enjoyed writing about great new apps and improvements to old favorites, tips and tricks, product reviews, and other items of interest to attorneys using iOS devices. If you haven’t checked out the iPhone J.D. Index recently, click the “Index to Prior Posts” link at the top of any page to get there. The index will direct you to lots of posts that are as useful today as they were when they were written, although there are others with only historical significance.
By far the best part of publishing iPhone J.D. has been the great feedback from readers like you. I’ve learned so much from talking to and reading notes from readers, and many of those interactions result in posts. Please keep the feedback coming! With well over 8 million page views in nine years, it has been great to “see” so many of you come back again and again.
Popular posts this year. Every year on the birthday of iPhone J.D. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), I find it interesting to look back and see which posts over the prior 12 months were the most popular. The fact that these posts were so popular might reveal something about the topics that iPhone and iPad owners have been thinking about lately. Here, in order, are the top ten most viewed posts published in the last 12 months:
“No videos” bug in TV app in iOS 10.2 — the problem, and a work-around. The law is founded on precedent, and my sense is that many lawyers are relatively change-adverse, especially when something new makes it harder to do something that you have always done. When Apple released the new TV app in iOS 10.2 on December 12, 2016, it seemed that all video was moved to a different place, and many of us found that we could no longer watch videos synced to an iPhone or iPad from a computer. D’oh! The problem was eventually fixed, but I have to admit that almost a year later, I still haven’t completely warmed up to the TV app.
Review: AT&T Call Protect — block and warn of nuisance calls. The number of unsolicited phone calls that I have received on my iPhone started to increase dramatically in 2017. Thus, I was happy to start using the AT&T Call Protect app to warn me of calls I am unlikely to want to get (such as telemarketer calls) and block calls suspected to be fraudulent. The app continues to work well for me.
Why lawyers will love iOS 11 on the iPad. While #3 on the list of most-viewed posts from the past year, this one is probably #1 in my heart. iOS 11 introduced so many improvements for the iPad Pro, making that device much more useful for attorneys and other professionals trying to get work done.
Review: Apple CarPlay — view and control your iPhone from your car. My parents just purchased a new car, and I spent some time over this past weekend showing them how to use CarPlay in their new vehicle. They seemed to be excited to use it, and for good reason. I use CarPlay virtually every day, and it has vastly improved the experience of using an iPhone in a car. Whenever you are next in the market for a new car, I strongly encourage you to only consider vehicles with support for Apple CarPlay.
Review: iPad Pro 12.9" (2nd generation 2017) — an incredible tablet for lawyers. The 2015 version of the 12.9" iPad Pro was an amazing device, and the improvements to the 2017 version, the second generation of the 12.9" iPad Pro, make the device even more useful. (Especially with iOS 11, as noted above.) When I am in my office, I typically use my PC more than I use my iPad, but I certainly enjoy using the iPad Pro much more. And when I’m out of the office, I’m using the iPad Pro all of the time.
Review: AT&T Unlimited Data — data for your iPhone and other device without the worry of overage charges. Some describe these as “so-called unlimited” plans because they do contain some limitations. On the AT&T plan that I use, once I hit 22GB of data use in a month, AT&T reserves the right to throttle my speed. I actually crossed over that threshold for the first time just a few days ago. AT&T hasn’t yet throttled my data speed, and with eight days left before my next billing cycle, my hope is that it won’t happen this time. I know why I exceeded that limit; I took a lot of 4K video of my kids this month, and I had turned off all of the limits on uploading that data using LTE (Settings -> Photos -> Cellular Data) because I had some specific needs to get those videos on my other devices before I was going to be back on a Wi-Fi network. But that’s not how I usually have my iPhone configured, and unless you plan to upload or download a ton of video on your iPhone, it is hard to go over 22GB of data use in a month.
Why lawyers will love the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. There is always great interest when Apple releases a new iPhone, but that interest seemed to peak this year with the iPhone X. And as noted above, that interest was well-deserved; the iPhone X is an incredible device.
Visitors to iPhone J.D. Every year, I use this post to share some statistical information on iPhone J.D. visitors, to the extent that I can figure it out using the tools at my disposal — specifically, the Google Analytics service.
During the past 12 months, about 59% of readers visited iPhone J.D. from an iOS device, just shy of the record 60% in the previous year. About 75% of those iOS visitors were using an iPhone, and the other 25% used an iPad. About 22% of iPhone J.D. visitors are using Windows, and just over half of them are using the Chrome browser for Windows. (I primarily use Firefox on Windows in my law office, but sometimes I use Chrome or Internet Explorer.) About 12% used a Mac, which is what I use at home. Almost all of the other visitors (about 4.5%) used Android, which is higher than you might have expected given the nature of this website, but remember that (1) every year lots of folks switch from Android to iOS, and (2) some of the third party accessories that I have reviewed can also be used with an Android device, and even some iOS apps have a version available for Android.
About 64% of iPhone J.D. visitors are in the U.S., but the site also gets a huge number of visitors from the U.K., Canada and Australia. Looking at the cities of iPhone J.D. readers, New York is #1 this year, as it has been every other year except for two years ago (when there were a few hundred more visitors from London):
New York
London
Los Angeles
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Washington, D.C.
Atlanta
Sydney
Melbourne
Atlanta is back on the Top Ten list for the first time in five years. I went to college at Emory in Atlanta, and still have lots of friends in that city, so it is nice to see that return. But I’m also a big fan of San Francisco, and this is the first time ever that San Francisco has failed to make the Top Ten list. (This year it was #11, and only a few hundred visitors behind Melbourne.) The top cities in Canada are Toronto (#12) and Calgary (#27). New Orleans, where I live and practice law, hasn’t been in the top ten since this website’s second birthday, but this year is in the #18 spot, between #17 Philadelphia and #19 Brisbane.
Thank you to all of you who have been iPhone J.D. readers for any part of the last nine years. And a VERY big thank you to all of you who have sent me software and hardware suggestions over the years or have otherwise touched based with me to share how you use your iPhone and/or iPad in your law practice. I get so many fantastic ideas from all of you. I also love when any of you stop me at a conference, in court, or elsewhere to say that you read iPhone J.D., because it always sparks a fascinating conversation — sometimes about using the iPhone or iPad, sometimes about more amorphous topics such as the future legal technology, and sometimes just about those great pictures of your kids that you would have missed if the iPhone wasn’t close by.
