Dennis Sellers

<p class="">In March Apple agreed to pay up to US$500 million to settle litigation accusing it of quietly slowing down older iPhones to induce owners to buy replacement phones or batteries. Now a <a href="https://www.smartphoneperformancesettlement.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website has been established</a> for those eligible for reimbursement.</p>

<p class="">Apple will “significantly" increase its new MacBook Pro orders in late third-quarter 2020 and will see its overall laptop shipments rise over 20% sequentially in the third quarter, according to <a href="https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20200713PD211.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a> (a subscription is required to read the entire article), quoting unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain.”</p>

<p class="">As noted by <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/07/13/september-launch-for-the-iphone-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>, the analysts at Wedbush, previously predicted that Apple would go ahead with a September launch for the iPhone 12, says it still expects this to happen, but doesn’t expect all models to be available for purchase until October.</p>

<p class="">Apple is allocating more than US$400 million toward affordable housing projects and homeowner assistance programs in California this year, marking a milestone in the company’s multiyear $2.5 billion commitment to combat the housing crisis in the state, says Kristina Raspe, Apple’s vice president for Global Real Estate and Facilities. The funding will support thousands of Californians with first-time homebuyer assistance or new affordable housing units.</p>

<p class="">Apple has won rights to <em>Snow Blind</em>, a thriller adaptation of the BOOM! Studios graphic novel by Ollie Masters (<em>The Kitchen</em>) and Tyler Jenkins, <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/07/jake-gyllenhaal-snow-blind-apple-studios-gustav-moller-directs-graphic-novel-adaptation-1202982809/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> <em>Deadline</em>.</p>

<p class="">On a regular basis, <em>Apple World Today </em>posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are this week’s picks.</p>

<p class="">Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, we’ll frequently offer a wrap-up of news items you should check out.</p>

<p class="">Apple is offering a free month of service to folks who tried Apple News+ but have since opted out of the news subscription service. The offer was <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/07/10/apple-news-plus-promotion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spotted</a> by <em>9to5Mac</em>.</p>

<p class="">Elon Musk, the space and electric-car titan who was the highest-paid executive in the U.S. for 2019 with US$595.3 million, according to the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-highest-paid-ceos/?sref=MRDu5QV3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg Pay Index</a>.</p>

<p class="">Creaks is the latest game on the Apple Arcade, Apple’s US$4.99/month or $49.99/year game streaming service. It’s available for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS.</p>

<p class="">Apple has said that its entire Mac line-up will transfer from Intel processors to Apple Silicon over the next few years. In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="http://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors </a>— analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is likely to be the first product to benefit from the transition.</p>

<p class="">Columnist John C. Dvorak wrote in a December 2017 column dubbed <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/commentary/357782/apple-is-ready-to-ditch-the-mac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Apple is Ready to Ditch the Mac”</a> that Apple was, well, ready to ditch the Mac as iOS is poised to replace macOS. Obviously, that never happened — and won’t happen.</p>

<p class="">Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis (<em>Annie, Beasts of the Southern Wild</em>) is set as a lead alongside O’Shea Jackson Jr. in Swagger, Apple’s new basketball-themed drama series, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/07/quvenzhane-wallis-to-star-in-apples-kevin-durant-basketball-drama-swagger-1202981981/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>. She’ll play Crystal, a young, top female basketball player.</p>

<p class="">Photos in iOS 13 introduces a Portrait Lighting feature dubbed High-Key Mono, which uses depth mapping to simulate studio lighting and gives the sensation of either being closer or farther away from your subject.</p>

<p class="">In a new Apple Pay promotion, Apple wants to “make summer yours” with its mobile payment system.</p>