Dennis Sellers

<p class="">The UK firm <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/digital-tv-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digital TV Research</a> sees Disney+ getting a big lift from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept millions of people indoors across the world, with the platform reaching 202 million global subscribers by 2025. The news is less promising (though not bad) for Apple TV+.</p>

<p class="">The week kicks off with rumors that Apple plans to build a new plant in Taiwain and expand its manufacturing presence in India.</p>

<p class="">According to "The New York Times” in an article from Dec. 18, 2013, the late Steve Jobs wanted to make an "iCar." He purportedly told John Markoff of <em>The New York Times</em> that if he had more energy, he would have liked to take on Detroit with an Apple car.</p>

<p class="">Apple wants its Maps app on the iPhone and Apple Watch to do a better job at estimating times between stops on a trip. The company has filed for a patent (number 20200141752) for “routing based on detected stops.”</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted another patent (number 10,642,049) that hints at the rumored "Apple Glasses.” This one is dubbed “head-mounted device with active optical foveation.”</p>

<p class="">Apple will reopen its retail stores in Switzerland on May 12, reports <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/09/all-four-apple-stores-in-switzerland-reopen-may-12/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">9o5Mac</span></a>. There are 12 stores in the country.</p>

<p class="">As noted by 9to5Mac, with Fathers Day coming up on June 21, the documentary film <em>Dads </em>will be coming to Apple TV+ on June 19.</p>

<p class="">The weekend has kicked off with two rumors. One says that the next gen Apple Watch will have "mental health capabilities.</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="">Apple will reopen retail stores in Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama and Alaska starting next week, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/08/apple-to-reopen-stores-in-us-starting-next-week.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a>. The stores will have temperature checks and will only permit a limited number of people in the store at one time.</p>

<p class="">Apple has launched a <a href="https://authors.apple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new webpage</a> dubbed “Apple Books for Authors” that “guides you through every step of your journey as an author, from structuring your story to packaging your digital book and selling it on our store.” (That store, of course, is the iBookStore).</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-otherside/id1415190753" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The_Otherside</a> has been added to the line-up of games on Apple Arcade, Apple’s US$4.99/month or $49.99/year streaming game service.</p>

<p class="">Apple has <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launched a new web page</a> that lets you chat with Apple Specialists, set up financing and credit, order and track products for no-contact delivery, and trade-in an Apple product.</p>

<p class="">In a statement shared with German website <a href="https://www.macerkopf.de/2020/05/08/apple-stores-deutschland-wiedereroeffnung-mai2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Macerkopf</a>, as noted by <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a>, Apple will begin reopening its retail stores in Germany on May 11, almost two months after they were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tech giant has 15 physical stores in the country.</p>

<p class="">Microsoft will add trackpad and mouse support to its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for iPadOS by the fall, according to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/06/how-apple-reinvented-the-cursor-for-ipad/">TechCrunch</a>.</p>