Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This finding comes from Strategy Analytics’ latest report, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategyanalytics.com%2Faccess-services%2Fdevices%2Fconnected-home%2Fsmart-speakers-and-screens%2Freports%2Freport-detail%2F2019-smart-speaker-user-survey-us-results&esheet=52164157&newsitemid=20200127005430&lan=en-US&anchor=2019+Smart+Speaker+User+Survey+%26%238211%3B+US+Results&index=1&md5=996c222b92b8906a567358c957c05d96">2019 Smart Speaker User Survey – US Results</a>, and is based on a survey of 1136 users of smart speakers carried out in July and August 2019. This means that 1-in-8 of all TV users are now using their voice to find shows, movies or videos, change channels, change the volume or simply turn the TV on or off. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple held a press conference for analysts following its announcement of its financial results for its fiscal 2020 first quarter that ended Dec. 28, 2019. CEO Tim Cook and Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri field questions and here are some highlights from the answers and comments.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has announced the financial results for its fiscal 2020 first quarter that ended Dec. 28, 2019. The company posted quarterly revenue of $91.8 billion, an increase of 9% from the year-ago quarter and an all-time record, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $4.99, up 19%, also an all-time record. International sales accounted for 61% of the quarter’s revenue.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released macOS Catalina 10.15.3.  You can install it by going to System Preferences then Software Update. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1. You can download them on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > General > Software Update. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.curve.app%2Fen%2Fsignup&esheet=52164444&newsitemid=20200128005315&lan=en-US&anchor=Curve&index=1&md5=f260cd126e81fa00f2da79d87270e075" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Curve</a>, an “over-the-top" banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, has added support for Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payment service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users are on track to reach 1.57 billion units in 2020, an increase of 3% year over year, according to <a href="http://www.gartner.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. The research group says that strong demand for 5G phones in general, together with expectations of Apple’s first 5G iPhone, will bolster demand for smartphones, particularly in Asia/Pacific and Greater China.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">With the 2016 MacBook Pro line, Apple ditched the beloved MagSafe connector, which disengaged with the slightest amount of pressure. The connector saved many Mac laptops from a disastrous plummet when someone accidentally snagged the power cable. However, a new patent filing (number 10,547,151) for a “magnetic adapter” hints that it could return.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">iPhones and iPads may one day be able to dock to Mac laptops, as evidenced by a newly granted Apple patent (number 10,545,542) for an “electronic accessory device.”</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple and A24 have scooped up the global rights to “Boys State,” a political documentary and coming-of-age tale following a group of politically active 17-year-old boys from Texas, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/apple-a24-nab-hot-doc-boys-state-10m-sundance-1273684" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. It will stream on (at least I presume so), the Apple TV+ streaming service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">MGM has reportedly been courting Apple and Netflix over a potential acquisition deal, going so far as to hold preliminary talks reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/24/mgm-leads-2020-media-acquisition-targets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Arthur Levinson, chairman of Apple's Board of Directors, is a recipient of a 2020 Franklin Institute Award from the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2703235-1&h=1641358964&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fi.edu%2F&a=The+Franklin+Institute+in+Philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dana/id1437123008" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DANA E-Wallet</a> is now available as a payment method for Apple services in Indonesia. It’s the country’s digital wallet (e-Wallet) that enables users to do all sorts of cashless and card-less transactions.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sifive.com/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">SiFive</span></a>, a provider of commercial RISC-V processor IP and silicon solutions, ha announced that Chris Lattner, a Silicon Valley software engineer and former Apple exec, has joined the company to lead SiFive Platform Engineering as senior vice president.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Consumers in the U.S. spent more than $4.6 billion in the top 100 non-game mobile apps offering subscriptions during 2019, new research based on Sensor Tower <a href="https://sensortower.com/solutions/store-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Store Intelligence</a> data shows. This figure represents 21% year-over-year growth from the $3.8 billion generated by the top 100 subscription apps in the U.S. during 2018.</p>