Dennis Sellers

<p>U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ruled late on Friday that iPhone 4 and 4S users can pursue nationwide class action claims that Apple intentionally "broke" FaceTime to save money from routing calls through servers owned by Akamai Technologies, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-lawsuit-facetime-idUSKBN1AG1PJ" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>.</p>

<p>China's crackdown on the Internet is continuing with news that Apple was <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/29/apple-removes-vpn-apps-from-the-app-store-in-china/" rel="noopener noreferrer">forced</a> to remove all major VPN (Virtual Private Networks) apps from its local App store, which helps users overcome the country's "Great Firewall."</p>

<p>Not only does Apple want your iPhone or Apple Watch to serve as your wallet and a repository for all your <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/6/15/apple-wants-to-turn-your-iphone-into-a-one-stop-shop-for-all-your-medical-info?rq=health%20data" rel="noopener noreferrer">health data</a>, it also wants the devices to double as your password and home to other identification documents.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/yazuwbr)" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flux</a>, the web design application for macOS, has been revved to version 7. The software can work with everything from a modern site using HTML5 and CSS3 to legacy sites built on older technologies. </p>

<p>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 today's picks.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,715,751) for “zooming to faces depicted in images.” It seems to be designed to improve the zooming and facial recognition of features in the Photos app for macOS and iOS.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a weekend road trip with his lovely wife. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</p>

<p>Is it too late to convince Apple to add mouse support in iOS 11? That’s the main drawback that prevents me from replacing my Mac laptop with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro.</p>

<p>In <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macworld.com/article/3211411/home-tech/why-apple-should-make-a-cheaper-streamlined-apple-tv.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">a “Stay Foolish” column</a> at <em>Macworld</em>, Dan Moren says that Apple should make a cheaper, streamlined Apple TV. He’s right. But what if Apple took things on step further and offered different models of the set-top box.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.weebly.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Weebly</a>, a global website and eCommerce service, has announced that it will integrate Apple Pay into the mobile checkout flow of Weebly online stores.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.x-naut.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">X-naut</a> has entered into the consumer and commercial drone market with the launch of the Drone Controller Bracket that’s compatible with DJI Phantom and Inspire mobile device holders.</p>

<p>A final decision on a proposed €850 million (approximately US$996) Apple data centre in Athenry, Ireland, has been pushed back to mid-October, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/decision-on-apple-s-850m-data-centre-in-athenry-postponed-1.3167683" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Irish Times reports</a>. A decision was expected this week but the Courts Service has delayed hearing on the case until Oct. 12.</p>

<p>Another day, another lawsuit. As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/07/27/apple-sued-over-apple-tvs-what-did-he-say-other-siri-voice-control-features" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInside</a>r, a company called CustomPlay has filed a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/354917598/CustomPlay-Lawsuit" rel="noopener noreferrer">lawsuit</a> against Apple claiming a fourth-generation Apple TV feature that allows users to control and interact with video content using Siri voice commands infringes on patented software technology.</p>

<p>Microsoft has announced that six PC manufacturers (HP, Lenovo, ASUS, VAIO, Huawei, and Xiaomi) are committed to producing LTE-capable laptops. When will Apple join the party? A new patent (number 20170212554) for “electronic devices having ventilation systems with antennas” shows that the company is at least considering the possibility.</p>

<p>Pantheon's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.getpantheon.com/multidev" rel="noopener noreferrer">Multidev</a> is designed to cut website management costs by letting teams instantly provision unlimited development environments in the cloud. </p>